Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Romeo & Juliet with Google 4 Video - Who’s in?

Camera ManDuring CUE, Valentin and I attended a Google 4 Video session by Jim Sill. We agreed that we would both like to have our students create videos using the strategies Sill introduced. What if we create one project/assignment and have all of our students, in our different classrooms, complete it?

In the past, my students have created videos, puppet shows, and performed plays summarizing Romeo and Juliet. Each small group of students adapted the play to a different style, such as western or modern New York. Since the text is extremely challenging due to the kids’ reading levels, I normally have them watch and discuss the 1970’s video in small segments. They also read and reenact the most important scenes in class.

Currently, I imagine us creating a collaborative lesson plan using a Google Site sometime within the next few weeks. I plan to teach the entire unit—watching the movie and creating the videos—during April 11-29. This falls within the testing window, but in years past it was easy for the kids to work on the performances during testing since they normally need more work time than structured lessons. However, I can be flexible.

So, are you interested in joining me to collaboratively create a Romeo and Juliet video lesson plan?