Romeo and Juliet Essay

Some people think the only way to learn about Romeo and Juliet is to just sit around in the classroom and read it and also take tests on it. None of this is true because over the course of the project, students have learned much more because if they were to just sit in a classroom, students would be so bored and zoned out they wouldn’t really learn much.  This project made students interact with the book and one another. This project is valuable in the classroom because students will have these memories from this project for the rest of their lives and the students wouldn’t have had any of these memories if they were to have just sat around in the classroom. Another excellent reason why this project is valuable in the classroom is because the students had to take the time to do the project outside of school.  This is good because it means students had to spend more time with the play which would mean that they would remember more. This project was also very collaborative and this is valuable in the classroom because students got to interact with other classes and even another state. This project also required responsibility.  This is valuable in the classroom because students got to make their own decisions and this will help them make better choices in life. This also required the students to use many aspects of technology such as blogger, Skype, wiki, and social media; which is a very valuable lesson in the classroom because if students know how to use all of these programs they will be ahead of everyone else in the job field. There are reasons why this project might have a negative value in the classroom, but there are far more valuable effects in the classroom that will help the students exceed in life.

Reading Romeo and Juliet out of a book in the classroom won’t create many memories. However acting out the play will create many valuable memories that will never be forgotten. The reason creating memories is important is because high school is supposed to be the best time of the students life and it’s not like anyone would look back to freshmen year and say I remember reading Romeo and Juliet from the book in class  because it was so fun, but the students will remember creating the play. The reason students will remember creating the play is because while they have been doing their jobs they have built friendships with students from other classes.  Also, as Mr. Provenzanno said, this particular group of students is the only high school class to ever do this and that is something that should always be remembered. Another reason why this will always be remembered is because the students will always have this on tape. This is important because at the student’s school reunion they can watch their masterpiece and just think back to all the great times they had creating the play. The memories that have been created are very valuable in the classroom, but also students’ working outside of school is very valuable in the classroom.

            Homework may seem like a bad thing, but for this project students usually had to work outside of school. This meant that students would have to do research on the play according to what position they had in the project. An example of this would be the soundtrack people; they needed a full understanding of the play. The reason the soundtrack people needed a full understanding of the play was because they needed to know exactly what was going on during a certain part of the scene. This required more research outside of school because just reading the book in class isn’t good enough because sometimes Shakespear is hard to understand. Although this took more time and required the students to have more homework, it was very valuable in the classroom because the students got to understand the play more fully and also make it more fun at the same time.  This research project required students to work outside of school and learn more about Romeo and Juliet, but the collaborative aspect of the project is also very valuable in the classroom.

                        A project that requires students to work with students from other states is very collaborative. This project may seem like a waste of time because the students are wasting their time trying to communicate with students in another state, but that is not the case.  During the time of this project, the students have learned how to communicate with one another in order to complete their job sometimes. An example of this would be the costume people. The costume people from south had to coordinate what the students were wearing in acts 1, 3, and 5 and also they had to coordinate with the Vanmeter students because they were in charge of acts 2 and 4, so if their outfits changed drastically it wouldn’t have turned out so well.  This aspect of the job taught the costume people many lessons to be remembered later on in life, when they are trying to find a job. The reason this is valuable to the classroom and also with the students is for when the students is because it will create a habit of the students always checking their email. This is an excellent habit because in the future when students are interviewing for a job and if their constantly checking their email and quickly getting back to the person it would really show that they want the job and it will help the students chances. Students have learned many lessons to be remembered for the future and this will help teach students responsibility which is very important too.

            This project has a value in the classroom for many reasons, but one of the main reasons is because of the responsibility that this project required. There are many fields in which responsibility lies and the ones that helped make this project valuable in the classroom were different for everyone.  Students got to pick the job they desired and students made all the decisions on their own.  In the end, the grade was based on self evaluation. At the start of the project Mr. Provenzanno passed out a packet and told the students that they should look it over and pick what job they desired. This is one of the reasons that the project relied mainly on responsibility because based on the job the students picked, they were stuck with that job every week whether they liked it or not. The thing is that there were many job choices to be picked from, so if the students disliked their job they picked it was their entire fault because they were responsible for their choice.  Also, if the students did what the rubric said, they could easily get a 100 percent every week but most kids are just lazy and didn’t want to do their blog. Students are responsible for whether they pass or fail the class because the grade is purely based on effort, if there is enough information there, and if it is turned in on time. Responsibility is extremely valuable in the class room, but the technology aspect of this project is also very valuable in the classroom for many reasons.

            Not only does this project require responsibility, it was also a very tech savvy project which meant students had to rely mainly on technology and know how to use a computer. This is extremely valuable in the classroom for many reasons. The reason why this is valuable in the classroom is because of the technology aspects of this project that will help students now and also later on in life. The numerous internet tools that students learned to use were Skype, wiki, blog, social media, and glogster. There are a copious number of reasons for why these internet tools will help students later on in life. Students will need to know how to use internet based programs for future jobs and the reason why they will know how to use these programs is because of their amazing English teacher Mr. Provenzanno who taught students how to use these tools throughout the project. It may seem like these tools will not help students when they are trying to find a job, but that is false. The reason why this statement is false is because later on in life if a job interviewer lives in another state they could just ask if they could Skype and if the student didn’t know how to,  they would be out of luck and also out of an interview. Also these internet tools would just be very useful just to know in case students ever need to know how to do something related in that category and this would be very valuable in the classroom.

            There are many negative parents who think that this project is a waste of time, but they are wrong because students have learned an enormous amount about Romeo and Juliet and that is what makes this project very valuable in the classroom. Over the course of the play students have accumulated many memories that will last them a lifetime. Students also had to work on this project outside of school and this was good for the students because the more time spent on Romeo and Juliet, the better the concepts will stick with them. The collaborative aspect of the project also helped students because they could create new friendships and also had to know how to communicate well with others. Over the course of the project, students had their own responsibility and depending on if the student did what they were told or not , that was the overall outcome of their grade. Technology was a key role in the making of the project because students learned many new popular internet programs that will help them succeed in life. All of these great topics are extremely valuable in the class room because not only did they learn more about Romeo and Juliet, they also learned more on what they need to do in the real world if they want to find a job and succeed in life. Parents seem to have many reasons why this project had a negative value in the classroom, but there are far more examples and reasons on how this project had a very positive value in the classroom.

FINAL BLOG POST

This is the final blog post to wrap up the project. This has been a very fun project and Ihave learned alot while being the soundtrack person. The reason I have learned alot while being soundtrack person is because I really had to understand what was going on in the play to understand what type of music to place into the song. Also during the course of this project I have had a great time because this has been way better than just sitting in the classroom and working and reading out of the book.The reason I say this project is much better than working out of the book is because I feel that I have learned alot more because I needed more of an understanding of the play my job. Overall I had a gread experience and I hope you keep this project going for future years because it was a great experience.

Extra post for week 5 and ACT 3 soundtrack help

http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/56835- Ruins by The Seventh Alchemy- I would have this song placed during scene one act 3 because this is when there is the fight scene and I feel this part of the play needs a type of song that is very upbeat and also a song that makes it feel like a fight. To capture the fight scene I picked this song which was very fast and it just sounded like it would fit well into the fight scene.

http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/87209 - Leaving You by Stefano Mocini- This song would be for the end of scene one act 3. Towards the end of scene one everyone is mourning the death of Tybalt so I found a slow moving song that would help embrace the moment of everyone mourning the death. Also this is a song that just sounds kind of depressing so I think it would be a perfect fit for this part of the play.

http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/78275- Hint Of Dawn by Kendra Springer- This song would be great for scene two because during this part of the play Juliet and the Nurse are mourning over the death of Tybalt. For this part of the play I picked a song that would capture the moment and really show how sad Juliet and the Nurse are.

http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/78208- New Life Single by Kendra Springer- This song would be for scene three and during scene three Romeo finds out that he is to be banished from the city. During this time of the play is very depressing because no one except the audience and Nurse know that Romeo and Juliet are married, so no one thinks that it is that big of a deal that Romeo is banished from the city. The reason it is a big deal is because Romeo wants to just spend time with Juliet and while all this is happening Paris is trying to marry Juliet, so this is why I picked a song that would really help emphasize this part of the play.

http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/87811- Aquascape- Sunrise by Tunguska Electronic Music Society- This song would be for scene four. During this part of the play Paris and Mr. Capulet are arranging a marriage. So I decided to pick a song that is kind of creepy and suspicious because Juliet doesn't really know what’s going on so this song would fit perfectly.

http://www.jamendo.com/en/track/432292- onclassical_luisi_bach_french by Gianluca Luishi- I picked this song for scene 5 where Juliet and the Nurse are mourning over the death of Tybalt. The reason I picked this song was because it was slow song and I felt that it fit well into the moment of the play. Also the song couldn't be too depressing because Romeo killed Tybalt and that is Juliet's husband, and the reason I say the song can't be too depressing is because Tybalt took a life of someone else, so this means he should get his life taken.

Scene four and five soundtrack and playllist

http://www.jamendo.com/en/track/146584- Francesco M. Geminiani: Allegro in F major by OnClassical- I would choose this song to be placed in scene four. In scene Four Mercrutio is trying to convince Romeo to come to the Capulet’s party. For this part of the play I picked a song that is very upbeat. The reason i picked this type of song is because it is supposed to be a fun time at the party and this is leading up to that event.

http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/78275- Hope by Kendra Springer- his song would be for the second have of scene five where Romeo and Juliet meet. This is a very special moment in the play because I believe that Romeo and Juliet become in love with one another right when they see each other. This is why I picked a song that would embrace the moment and make it very romantic.

http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/41081- White Castle by Kismet- This song would be placed at the start of scene five when Romeo and everyone are entering the party. The reason I picked this song was because it could be a song playing at the party and I felt that it would fit well into the play.

http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/40028- ONCLASSICAL | The Virtuoso Violin by Gigino Maestra- I also found another song that I felt could fit into the end of scene five where Romeo and Juliet fall in love right then. The reason I picked another song was because I feel that this is the most important part in the play, so we really need to find a very romantic song that captures the moment.

Tybalts playlist- Tybalts playlist will be very angry this week because he is so furious that Romeo and the other Montague's are at the party.
1. Any Way You Want It by Journey- Tybalt would be listening to this song because it would be emphasizing to Romeo that he can do anything and he is unable to stop it because his uncle said to just let it be for the night of the party.


2. Dare You To Move by Switchfoot- He would be listening to this song just thinking about if Romeo does anything wrong at the party he would be the first to catch it and kick him out.


3.Boom Boom Pow by Black Eyed Peas- This song would help Tybalt release his anger because if one of my enemys showed up at my party i would be just as mad as Tybalt and probably want to start a fight with them.


4. It Ends Tonight by The All-American Rejects- Tybalt would have this song on his playlist because he would just be thinking of how bad he wants Romeo to leave, so maybe if he listened to this song it would help release some of his anger.


5. Dead and Gone by T.I.- This song would be on Tybalts playlist because it us a song that Tybalt could listen to, to just forget about everything else he is concerned about and maybe it would make him realize he needs to be nicer.


6. No Love by Eminem- This song resembles how Tybalt is just a self fish person, and i feel that he doesn't care about anyone else but himself.



7. Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely by Backstreet Boys- Tybalt would have this song on his playlist because maybe if he listened to this song he would realize he doesn't want to be lonely, so he would be nicer to everyone and maybe even want to make peace with Romeo.


8.Gives You Hell by The All-American Rejects - Tybalt would be listenign to this song on his ipod because he would just be thinking about how he is going to be mean and probably doesn't want to change the way he is because he likes how he is.

Scenes two and three soundtrack and playlists

http://www.jamendo.com/en/track/501674- Empty Streets At 3AM by Fortadelis- This song would be placed in the beggining of scene two when Paris asks Mr. Capulet for his daughters hand in mariage. The reason i picked this song is because it is a slow song and also the beat it has just king of gives the mood a very serious mood, and i felt a serious mood was necessary because Paris is asking to Marry Juliet. Also i like this song because it wasn't a fast song, so it just made the mood and theme right with the slow pace of the song.

http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/23884- A Day In Da Life ExPerience The Album by Mr Tac a.k.a chocolate- I picked this song to be placed during scene two when the Capulets servant runs into Romeo and Benvolio and asks them if they could help him pass out invatations because he can't read. Romeo and Benvolio say yes, and they just take an invatation for themselves and then don't pass out the rest of the invatations. I picked a song that was a rap song because it would emphasize Romeo and Benvolios Trickery on the Servant.

http://www.jamendo.com/en/track/703364- If I'm Falling by Singleton- This song would be for the very end of scene two, where Romeo is talking to Bonvolio about going to the party. Romeo doesn't want to go to the party, so he is still trying to tell Benvolio about how he is still in love with Rosaline. I picked a song and it talks about falling for someone so I felt that this would fit perfectly into this part of the Play. It fits good into this part of the play because Romeo has fallen for Rosaline and he is just very depressed that she wont have sex wtih him until marriage.

http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/78275- Hope by Kendra Springer- I choose this song for the beggining of scene three, The reason i picked this song was because i felt that is was a very smooth and relaxing type of song. The song would fit well into this part of the scene because it is when the Nurse is talking about how she raised Juliet and how she is like a daughter to her. This is why i picked a slow song because i felt this was a kind of a love embrassing part of the scene discussing about how Juliet was raised by the nurse.

The Nurses playlist
1.All Summer Long by Kid Rock- The Nurse would be listening to All Summer Long because the Nurse would be thinking of how she rased Juliet her whole life, and how she acted as a mother towards her. Also i think sometimes the Nurse still wishes that she got to spend more time with Juliet and this song is a perfect example of that.


2. Love Lockdown by Kayne West- This song would be on the playlist because it talks about how the Nurse Loves Juliet, and the Reason the Nurse loves Juliet is because she raised her and acts like a mother towards her.


3.In Repair by John Mayer- The Nurse would like this song because it talks about being repaired from your heartbreaks and the nurse feels that she is falling away from Juliet because she is turning fourteen and also because someone wants to mary Juliet.

4. Spice Up Your Life by Spice Girls- The Nurse would be listening to this song because now that Juliet is going to go off and get married she needs to find something exciting to do.

5.The Hardest Part by Coldplay- This song represents how the Nurse has to let go of Juliet and this is very hard for her because she acted like a mother to her because she raised Juliet.

6.Thanks For The Memorys by Fall Out Boy- The Nurse would want to listen to this song because she would like to think of the great times she has had with Juliet, and just want to thank her for all the great memories they have had together.


7.Dont matter by Akon- This song would really help the Nurse not be so sad about Juliet leaving, and while she is listening to this song she could be thinking about how she will never forget about Juliet and how much she loves her.


8.Fearless by Taylor Swift- The Nurse would have this song on her playlist because it would help her remember how fearless she is and would do anything for Juliet.

9.Please Dont Go by Mike Posner- This song would just make the Nurse think of how much she wants Juliet to stay at home, and she doesnt want Juliet to run off and get married to Paris or Romeo.

scene one act one EXTRA WORK

http://www.jamendo.com/en/track/167034- El secret del mar by Roger Subirana Mata- I would put this right after the fight scene because it is a slow beat and is just kind of a depressing song. The reason i picked this type of song because after the battle between the Montagues and Capulets it is a time of sadness for many reasons. The reason it is a time of sadness is because this is a third civil out break between the two famalies and also people lost their lives. This is why i think this song is a good fit because it will help capture the moment.

http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/26737- Occidente by Rein- I choose this song to be placed in during the fight scene. I picked this scene because it was a very up beat song and i felt that it would fit into the song very well. The reason i say an up beat song would fit in very well is because the fight is a very intense scene in the play and it is also the opening part of the play, so we have to get the viewer interested with either good acting or even good music that catches their ear. Also the characters fighting are very young and quick, so this is also why we need a very up beat song for this type of scene.

http://www.jamendo.com/en/track/666758- A Simpler World by Fortadelis- This song would fit in where Romeo is really depressed, which would be towards the end of scene one. Even though this song was kind of high pitched, and you may be wondering why I picked this song out of them all, but i felt that the beat of the song gave it a depressed feel. The beat of the song is very slow with high pitched sounds. Another reason why this song would be a good choice is becasuse when Romeo is all sad and depressed i feel that this song could help lift up the overall mood of the play.

Benvolios Playlist

1. Best I Ever Had by Drake- Benvolio would listen to this because he would be so sick of trying to make Romeo happy, he would just want to think of the good times he has had.


2. Catch My Disease by Ben Lee- Benvolio would be listening to this song because he would be wondering why he got stuck with trying to chear up Romeo, and he probably feels that it is impossible to chear up Romeo.


3. Dangerous by Kardinal Offishall- This song would be on his playlist describiing how hard and dangerous it is to make someone happy, who is determined that they lost the love of their life. The reason it is dangerous is because he doesn't want to say something that will make Romeo even sadder than he is.


4.Evacuate The DanceFloor byCascada- Benvolio would  need to listen to this song just to clear his head of all his thoughts because he would be so sick of trying to make Romeo feel better. This is why he just needs to listen to a quick and up beat song, that would help him get his mind off of everything.


5. Got Your Back by T.I.- Benvolio would listen to this song thinking that he has Romeos back and will do anyhting to make him happy, that is why he wanted Romeo to go to the party, so he could find a new girl.


6.How To Save A Life by The Fray- Benvolio would feel this song is a good song to listen to because he would help save his friend by either helping him find a women to love or just helping him have a good time.


7.I Gotta Feeling by Black Eyed Peas- Benvolio would be listening to this song because he would just need to get his mind off of everything about Romeo and this song would help greatly. This song would help with this because it is a great song and his thoughts would go elsewhere.

Second half of scene one for Romeos heart break with Rosaline and also his playlist

http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/65747- This song is called Our Moon by Roger Subirana Mata. I choose this song for the second part of scene one when Romeo is deeply depressed about his love Rosaline. This song is very soothing and i feel it would help relax Romeo when he is all worked up about Rosaline who told him she wants to be a virgin. This song also is very romantic and maybe it could help Romeo think about all the good times he had with Rosaline and he could consider waiting until mariage to have sex, but we all know that doesn't happen.
http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/9986 - This song is called The jazz farm by Oprachina. The reason i picked this song was because it reminded me of how Romeo was all sad and droopy and never really wanted to do anthing. The song is a slow jazz song that is very relaxing but also just set a tone of being depressed, so that is why i picked this song, because it reminded of how Romeo was acting.
http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/25297- This song is called Stories from Midnight Streets by Somewhere off Jazz Street. I choose this song to be put into the play towards the end of scene one act one because Romeo is still mourning the heart break of his lover Rosaline. This song would fit well into this part of the play because it is a slow and kind of relaxing song, so it would really express how sad Romeo is feeling. Also it would be a good fit into this part of the play is because while Romeo is mourning his love everyone else is still depressed/shocked about the battle the just occured between the two rival famalies, so this would set the tone for the rest of the scene.

Romeos Playlist (continued)
1. Teardrops on My Guitar- This song represents how much pain and sorrow Romeo has been through, so maybe this song would help Romeo just let out all his feeling and eventually just get over Rosaline.


2. All I do Is Dream Of You By Michael Buble- Romeo would be listening to this song because during Rosalines heart break Romeo would be so sad about Rosaline and thinking about her constantly, he probably actually did dream about her wishing he could be with her.


3. Baby by Justin beiber- Romeo would be listening to this song because all he wants is to have his girlfriend back and i feel that this song would really help him realize how much he loves Rosaline.



4. Be With You by Akon- This song describes how Romeo would always be there for her and would pretty much do anything to be with Roslaine, but the funny thing is that while Romeo is so sad about this he finds a person who he loves much more and kills himself for.


5. Good Life by Kayne West- This song Romeo could listen to is because when Bonvolio is trying to tell him her doesn't need a girl and that is very true. If Romeo didn't have a girl he could just relax with the guys and this would describe how could of a life he could have and get Romeos mind off of Rosaline.


6. You're Beutiful By James Blunt- He would listen to this song because it would help Romeo remember how beautiful Rosaline and just how much she means to him.


7.Rehab by Amy Winehouse- This song would be on Romeos ipod because this song would maybe help him realize that he needs seriour help becuause he is making this event a much bigger thing than it really is, because there will be many more people in the world for Romeo to fall inlove with.


8.Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis- This song would help Romeo feel that he loves Rosaline and maybe someday in the future they wil be together if they are really destined for one another.