Download Romeo and Juliet: Final Projects and Presentations

Romeo and Juliet: Final Projects and Presentations
Although students will complete several specific, smaller assignments as we study Romeo and Juliet together,
an important independent and long-term assignment—the Final Project and Presentation—will be due as
we finish the play.
Each project will include a written element that uses the text directly; however, many options listed below
also emphasize art, music, performance, creative writing, or additional research as a way for students to
demonstrate their complex understanding of the play as a whole. Consider using one of these options, but
feel free to suggest new ideas for this assignment, too.
Students should begin work on this project as soon as possible. Initial proposals will be due Monday, 9/26.
Final projects and presentations will be due Wednesday, 10/26.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1.
Create a CD that echoes the themes, characters, conflicts, or imagery of the play.
For this project, students pull together a collection of 10-12 songs that reflect a particular aspect of the play that
interests them. They choose a focus for their CD, print out song lyrics, and write up an explanation of how these songs
might be linked to Romeo and Juliet.
Strong projects will have a clear sense of purpose and organization. Projects will include a written portion that uses
specifics to show an understanding of the play and to explain song choices. Students might also include an imaginative
cover for the CD.
2.
Keep a character journal, writing from a specific character’s perspective.
Successful journals include at least ten entries, create a recognizable voice for this character, and use details that
show a clear understanding of the play. A variation on this prompt would be to write a series of letters instead of
journal entries.
Some projects have included two characters, as when a student used a servant from each of the feuding houses to
comment on the action of the play. Others have chosen unexpected points of view: a minor character who disappears
partway through the story, an actor struggling to understand his or her role, or even Shakespeare himself. There are
many options to consider with this project. Students might also pay attention to the format and appearance of the
journal itself.
3.
Create character portraits that illustrate an interpretation of 3-4 characters, their
development, and their role within the play.
You may use any art form—photographs, drawings, collage, even sculpture—to communicate your understanding of
characters in Romeo and Juliet. Strong projects will include a written explanation of artistic choices; 3-5 quoted
passages to support ideas about each character, drawn from various parts of the play; and a discussion of each
character’s significance within the play as a whole.
4.
Adapt a scene, putting it into a new form such as a radio play or a short story.
For a radio play, you might bring to life a key moment in the play, by choosing music and sound effects to help
embellish a new version of it, creating a working script, and then recording this scene that seems especially dramatic or
important. As part of your presentation, you would explain your choices and play this version for the class.
Another option would be to turn part of the play into a different type of writing: a series of poems, a short story, a
script for film or television. In this new version, you might keep strictly to the original, or you might change it to
show it in a new light.
5.
Perform a scene from Romeo and Juliet.
Mark up a new scene in a manner similar to the promptbook work done in class: include notes for performance,
suggestions for stage directions, and strong ideas about characters. You will hand in your script and perform this scene
for the class. Costumes and props are encouraged; scenes can be filmed in advance. (This option is for a small group of
students.)
One year a very large group of students chose to work together and filmed and performed the entire play. Keep in mind
that students participating in group work must put in an equal amount of time and effort to those students working on
their own.
6.
Create a newspaper, writing about key moments within the play.
This option should emphasize both writing and layout to create a newspaper that shows an understanding of the play as
a whole.
For example, one student used familiar newspaper styles of writing—an eye-witness account, an editorial, and an
advice column—to suggest larger ideas about Verona’s community and conflicts within the world of the play. Others
have picked key moments, such as the repeated street fights or the speeches of the Prince, to focus their news stories
and create a sense of purpose for their project.
7.
Conduct a mock interview with Shakespeare.
For this option, include evidence of research into the author’s life and times. Then, write a script that includes
questions you have about Romeo and Juliet, the author’s craft, and/or his historical context. (This option is for a pair of
students.)
As an alternative, students have created a panel of experts who argued about such topics, interspersing their
discussion with taped performances of specific scenes. One pair used a talk show format. This option (as with #5) is
for a group of students. Consider using costumes or ways to get your audience involved in a question and answer
session.
8.
Rewrite this play for another time, place, and conflict.
We will have looked at two examples for this prompt in class: West Side Story and West Bank Story. Other writers have
used it too—showing societies torn apart by religious warfare, class struggle, even battling cliques within a school.
One year a student re-wrote the Capulet party as a clash between hippie vegetarians and conservative, meat-eating
Republicans, another as a dreamlike scene involving hot-air balloons.
Choose a situation that echoes the feud within the play and the chaos of different worlds coming together through two
individuals. Translate Romeo and Juliet into a new setting with new characters and language, while keeping elements
from the original. You might use either a part of the play or the story as a whole.
9.
Create your own option.
Each year students surprise me with new, thoughtful, and creative options for a Final Project I hadn’t even considered.
Feel free to develop a project that best matches your interests and ideas about the play. I love seeing new ideas.