Google Docs

As I mentioned, my class was super excited to create a modern version of Romeo & Juliet.  I wanted to get this project moving along because it will definitely be time consuming.  So on Friday, I set up each student with a Gmail account introduced them to GoogleDocs.  They were new to this feature of Google, but were eager to learn.  After creating a document with their small groups, I told them that I wanted them to finalize their script by Monday.  After leaving the computer lab, I was still apprehensive of how successful this would be.  Well, it is now Sunday and all groups have their scripts done on GoogleDocs so I am very pleased.  I look forward to talking to them tomorrow and getting their feedback.  If they thought it was efficient, I will definitely be using it again this year!

Romeo & Juliet Modernized

As I mentioned, we began our year by reading a simplified version of Romeo and Juliet.  To say that my class loved it would be an understatement.  They could not get enough of it and asked if we could read more of Shakespeare's work.  Of course, this was a simplified version, but for them to have a positive outlook on Shakespeare makes me so happy!  Anyways after we finished reading it, we watched West Side Story and students were asked to compare and contrast the two as they watched the musical.  From there, we discussed how West Side Story was a modernized Romeo and Juliet.  I presented them with the project to make their own modernization of the story and act out a scene.  I knew they would be excited because last years class already told them how much they loved it, but they were beyond excited. After I presented the project to them, they asked if they could all work together to make an entire play.  I could not turn down their excitement and creativity.  So today we started our modern version of Romeo & Juliet.  It is going way smoother than I expected and their enthusiasm is so encouraging.  I LOVE MY CLASS!!

Word Nerd

I am obsessed with breaking words apart to help myself and students understand their meaning and make connections to other words they know.  My first year of teaching I had a "Piecing Together Meaning" word wall with roots, prefixes, and suffixes.  This year, I took the same idea and spiced it up with a little bit more color and a few more examples.  This board was Pinterest inspired by these two fellow Pinners.
Root Word Foldable
Word Nerd Wall
Thanks for the inspiration!

Illinois State Standards:
4b.  Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word.

Objectives:
Students will:
-identify words with their assigned root
-define identified words and connect the definition back to the meaning of the root

Assessment: 
Students were assessed on the connections they made from the root's meaning the definition of their identified words.  Students were also quizzed on the roots.

Elizabethan Era Project

Last week, my class worked on a pre-reading project for Romeo & Juliet.  First, we talked about what they already knew (or thought they knew) about Romeo & Juliet.  Next, we focused on the setting and author.  We discussed the time period of Shakespeare's drama and life during that era.  From there, I gave them information about different social classes, occupations, and education.  Each student chose an occupation that interested them and was asked to write a classified ad that advertised the type of work they did.  Within the ad, they were required to discuss their education, experience, and request a wage.  Something the kids really got a kick out of was choosing their Elizabethan name.  I had them choose from a list of common names from the Elizabethan Era.  I found some great resources at kidsloveshakespeare.com.  After the students finished their rough drafts of their ads, we aged paper with coffee and tore the edges to make it look old.  Here are some of the finished products!

Illinois State Standards:

CC.7.R.L.3 Key Ideas and Details: Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot).

Objectives:
Students will:
-describe an occupation of the Elizabethan era
-compare and contrast education of today with education of the Elizabethan era
-identify social classes of the Elizabethan era
-relate the information of their classified ad to the characters in Romeo & Juliet

Assessment: 
Students were assessed on the accuracy of their final product.  They were to include their Elizabethan name, education, experience, requested wage, and contact information as well as a picture.