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Friday, April 25th, 2008
Romeo & Juliet, ctd.

This is a continuation of the previous Romeo and Juliet blog...

As I was saying, went through and highlighted important parts...blahblahblah. That took a while, plus, I considered it all important. I went through each speech and had to cut out bits and pieces. Finally I had something I could work with.
Some of the parts I kept because they were simply essential to the plot of the play, but they were comprised of a lot of unnecessary lines. That's when I created an "announcer" part. Basically, the announcer gave necessary plot information, as well as previewed what was going to happen to help the kids out as they were reading.
I had my script...I just needed to type it up. That took a while because I was not only typing my script, but also adding questions and definitions in the margins.
Total it took me about ten hours to do the entire thing. While it was tedious, I actually enjoyed doing it. In "re-writing" the play, I had to read it more carefully than I have since the first time I taught it.

I'm now to the point of teaching it; in fact, we finished reading the play today. It's gone beautifully. I've said this quite a few times, but the kids have actually seemed to enjoy it. I've even had the dears asking for parts, which is crazy...kids never want to read aloud. From what I've seen of their quizzes and worksheets, most of them are doing well, even the ones I wouldn't have expected to do as well...or enjoy it.

I was on a writing roll this morning...I've sort of lost my focus this afternoon, one of the many side-effects of teaching all day. But that's the long and short...mostly long...of Romeo and Juliet. Pretty sure I'm going to take Ben's advice: pop it online and sell it for the big bucks...my hubby hit me with the news that I need to get a parttime summer job, and I'm dreading it like the plague. **If anyone has a job that doesn't require a lot of work and normal hours that only lasts for a couple months, let me know. (Kidding...kinda.)**
6 Comments
gotshoo
1) Mrs. Shoo, I think it's great that you're blogging about school and what you've done with R&J. You've probably told me a million times about this awesome project that you're doing with Shakespeare, but right now I have no recollection of you telling me. Maybe we have had a long in-depth conversation (I seem to remember some kind of conversation about Shakespeare - I think it was a different play), or maybe its this work week and the 4 projects that are going on this weekend that is clouding my recollection of husband - wife conversations.

Anyway. Sounds cool, maybe you'll let me read it sometime. Romeo kills a bunch of people and lives happily ever after with Juliet, right?

Taking Ben's cue - can we sell it?
shoo   Friday, April 25, 2008
girlcarew
2) That sounds so awesome. What a great, interactive way to get the kids interested and involved. I bet there'd be a lot of interest in your version from other teachers.
girlcarew   Friday, April 25, 2008
lgrant
3) I had a teacher who took several of us to see the Franco Zeffirelli version of Romeo & Juliet. It really brought Shakespeare home to some small-town girls in middle school. It went from tongue-twisting lines in a book to a living-breathing story and the beauty of the words came alive. I'm sure your students will be talking to someone in years to come and remarking on your unique and positive spin on the lesson. Well-done.
LGrant   Friday, April 25, 2008
Leslie
4) I wish you were my teacher when I read Shakespeare in high school. I would have enjoyed your teaching method so much better and might have even liked it instead of loathing it like I did.
Leslie   Friday, April 25, 2008
betsyradish
5) I'll bet your version is great! When you adapt it for the stage, the "announcer" totally needs to be an ESPN guy sitting at a desk. That would be awesome.
Betsy   Monday, April 28, 2008
mrsshoo
6) Betsy, I totally had one kid read the announcer that way. It was hilarious!!
Sarah S.   Tuesday, April 29, 2008
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