Romeo and Juliet Essay
This project was very unique. The South high school students were to make a play with a school from Iowa. This had never been done before and was going to be very challenging for the students. The production of Romeo and Juliet would be a new and fun way for the students to learn Shakespeare. The teens would learn good collaboration, improve their organization skills, have an in depth reading experience, and also have a very memorable project. The paragraphs below will explain how this project was important. Though there are many different ways of learning about the Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, but the modality this freshman class took was the best.
The Romeo and Juliet production helped the class understand the language of Shakespeare a lot more than just reading the book. Acting it out helped the students get a feel of how the characters in the book really felt. It really helped them understand the true meaning and theme of Romeo and Juliet. Also, rewriting the original script to modern language assisted the class in understanding the language more effectively. Rather than reading over the difficult words in the book, the students translated them into modern language. This helped the teens understand the true meaning of Shakespeare. The play also gave the students a hands on experience. Everyone in the classroom was up on their feet making ads, videos, rehearsing lines, etc... It made the classroom a great interactive environment which is vital in a students learning experience. In depth reading was very important for the production, as well as the collaboration between the students.
Collaboration throughout this project was a key for success. Working with others was the only way the students could finish all the filming before the deadline. The classmates had to meet up after school and film. This was very hard for the high school students because they had sports and after school activities. But in the end it all worked out. This really improved their communication skills. In the real world they will be expected to show up on time for work projects so that they won’t let their team down. Also, students would give out ideas to help improve the play. The sharing of ideas was very important during this production. Collaboration between the students was needed during the production, but organization skills were needed as well.
Organization was an important asset in the project. It was student run which made it very difficult because the kids had never done anything like this before. This required a large amount of responsibility. There was no teacher assistance which made it very challenging. It was a great learning experience and will benefit teens when they get a job. They will be self motivated to get the task done. During the project there were directors. These students more or less played the role of the teacher. They decided when the filming was to be done, how the scene should be shot, and assisted their classmates with their tasks. These students showed a tremendous amount of leadership and took a big role in making the play happen. Organizational skills were critical during the production, but something bigger than that was the memories that were made.
This project will be remembered for years to come. Most high school students just take tests and quizzes and that’s about it. Why not have a big project that’s fun AND get a better understanding about the subject at hand. School should be more than taking tests and handing in assignments. Learning different modalities in a creative fashion is very significant for the students. Also, this project did more than help the students learn, it helped them develop good social skills. The teens had to work as a team and that solidified lasting relationships. Friendship is vital in order to live a happy life.
In conclusion, this project was a fantastic learning experience. The students now know Shakespeare better than any other freshman who learned it out of a book. The classmates are better friends with each other than they were before. This project was the definition of success. The teens really pushed their creativity to the limits and it showed. The students have a better in depth understanding of Shakespeare than any other freshman class in the school. Though there are many different ways of learning about the Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, but the modality this freshman class took was the best.
