Romeo & Juliet: Condensed and Fabulous Lesson Plan

You've spent all of the time with your students, getting them to see the ins and outs of Shakespeare's language and plot while fighting them the whole way. It's Romeo and Juliet, and often times today's students just don't get it. It's not modern, it's not "applicable" to them, or so they think. I find that the best way to get students to understand Shakespeare, is to make them live it. That is why I devised this final project entitled "Romeo and Juliet: Condensed and Fabulous."

For this assignment, the students get the opportunity to condense the play to the most important scenes, finding the essence of the story and the message. They, then, take the scenes they have chosen and rewrite them in a different way. Some examples are in "Gangsta'" talk, as a modern musical, in Star Wars form, etc. You may wish to show the condensed version of Romeo and Juliet on the DVD The Reduced Shakespeare Company. This gives a great, condensed version of the play, but in Shakespearian style, with some modern touches.

After re-writing the story, the students then create a production, complete with costumes, props, and a set, and perform it for the rest of the class. The students are graded on their understanding of the key plot, themes and ideas of the play, their accuracy of interpretation of the language and characters, their creativity, quality of work, etc.

By using this project, you may assess student understanding of the key plot lines, characters, and themes of Romeo and Juliet, as well as work on reading strategies in translating the language. If you would like, you may also add requirements, such as using iambic pentameter, incorporating Shakespearian Sonnet form, using figurative language, etc.

This project really gets the students interested, especially those that are reluctant to read Shakespeare and think that the plays have no bearing or relationship to their own lives. The students have a lot of fun creating their play, performing it, and especially watching what other students have come up with, and more importantly, you will have a great time grading it.