Shakespeare, 9B

Dear students,

We are going to spend a few weeks exploring the magic world of William Shakespeare. We are going to focus mainly on his famous sonnet no XVIII and the play Romeo and Juliet, but we are also going to explore his life and tell each other about important events in it.

This is what we are going to do:

1. Follow the web quest which you can find here. Be sure to read the introduction carefully, as well as the task and the process.

For those of you who do not participate in the classroom, the timeline is to be sent in to me, and the presentation is to be recorded in some way, either by filming or just voice recordning, and sent in digitally. 

2. Read Sonnet XVIII here. Think carefully about what it means. The task is to translate the sonnet into "modern" English. How would Shakespeare have written it if he was alive today? This is not an easy thing to do, and you may use the commentary section below the sonnet to help you out with the task.

3. Watch the movie Romeo + Juliet. After you have watched it, choose one of the following written assignments:

• Movie Review: (ask me for a template if you choose this one, or get it from InfoMentor)
• Movie analysis: You can use the same template as the review but you can explore the characters more and discuss their personalities and actions, for instance, and get deeper into the theme and moral of the movie. You can also discuss the choice to place this old play in modern settings, and what that does for the story. 
• Diary: Choose to be either Romeo or Juliet. Write a few entries of their diary, from the time when the main events in the play takes place.
• A modern day love story: Do as so many other authors and playwrights already have done - let yourself be inspired by Romeo and Juliet and write your own love story. It must have some sort of visible connection to the original one, but otherwise you are free to create your own story.
• Anything goes: Do you have other ideas? A happy ending, perhaps, or the story from someone else's perspective? Let me know about your plans if you choose this one

Good luck!
/Jenny