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!!