Romeo and Juliet project
The Epic Romeo and Juliet project has sparked some negative interest from parents. Unfortunately, they have misunderstood the actual learning experience the students have had. It has been said that students should be taught with tests and quizzes. This years, poetry unit of Romeo and Juliet, being an interstate project, has been a tremendous way to involve the students. It has taught students collaboration, organization, and the use of invaluable technology tools required to survive the 21st century. This project has been more memorable than simply reading a play and taking a test. Some may say that students should be educated and tested traditionally, but the Romeo and Juliet project has been the best way to truly understand the unit.
This project teaches great collaboration skills. The group work prepared the students for the future, real life experiences. When you continue on to college or have a job this knowledge is needed. If you are offered a job and don’t have good group work skills you may not do so well. You will not know how significant it is to strategize or plan. In college things are going to be challenging and you will not be on your own for all assignments, the problem solving skill will be most useful . In the Project students were forced to work together and learn how to do it efficiently, in addition they also had to work with people they had never met, the Van Meter students. Collaboration was vital in the making of this project, as well as organization.
Without organization this project would not and could not be completed. It taught and demonstrated the importance of leadership and responsibility. Every individual had their own job and had to report updates weekly. If a job wasn’t completed it would affect others and impact that individuals grade. Students learnt that freedom comes with responsibility, they had a different set of rules for this project, but in the end they gained more from it. Organization helped a lot of students as well as computer skills.
The technology tools used in this project helped the understanding of the project. The blog was used for updates weekly, of the students work progress. Skype was used to communicate with Iowa, Van Meter students, as well as kid blog. “turnitin.com” was used to prove that they are reading and doing our work by answering questions. In addition, the Wiki is their way of keeping all classes and both schools updated on the filming and other information needed. The world is fast and technology driven and lots of jobs are demanding expertise in these updated communication tools. If people don’t learn how to use these simple tools how are they expected to grow and learn in this computer controlled world. The project gives students good computer skills but it also leaves a memory.
Would a student remember a couple of poetry tests of an Epic Romeo and Juliet Project? Most likely the project, an eight week long unit that introduces you to people in other classes you had never met before will enhance a memory. It builds friendships. Grades are important but school is more than tests and quizzes and any parent would agree. No other projects have filming crews and actors and social media and directors. This is more of an experience than a project, one that can educate better than the original curriculum. The memory will last through the student’s lives; this was a unit that involved students more than expected.
The project involved the students in the unit. It resulted in more hands on work, with every individual job, they had to pick themselves. All students were in depth in the reading and analysis. Doing their jobs was the way to pass, the only way to complete the job was to know the material. There was no shortcuts in the students work either complete it or don’t. The project engaged the class more in reading and discussing.
As mentioned, a parent in the area is concerned we are not being taught adequately. Any other path would have robed us of the better way to learn. This project teaches how to get more involved, group work, the importance of organization, and future needed computer skills. In addition a memory that will last a life time. Occasionally trying something new grabs students attention, in this case it did. This Romeo and Juliet project helped the students understand the material better, just in a different way.
