Romeo And Juliet Project Analysis

This activity combines an analysis of Romeo and Juliet with external research queries that support conclusions made about the text. Rather than focus merely on the study of literature, it allows students to gather evidence from cross-disciplinary research. This is a project that students complete across our Romeo and Juliet unit. They are introduced to the project before we begin reading, and they have inquiry notebook entries due each week while they are reading. After we finish reading the text, students begin working on their makerspace project presentations. This is a group project but can be completed individually if desired.

The following project aligns with the engineering design process framework through a series of steps the students

What definitions would you need to use to answer the question?

5. Who in the community might be an expert at relationships? How can you find out what they know?

6. Who else might you talk to, and why would you talk to them?

The purpose for this line of questioning is to get the students thinking about all the different places they can look to answer questions. Even though this is a text-based question, they can use other sources to answer it from across other disciplines.

After the discussion ends, introduce Romeo and Juliet and read the prologue. Spend some time discussing the elements of foreshadowing from the prologue, and give the students time within their project groups to make predictions about what will happen in the play. Debrief whole-class.

Following the discussion, give the students these two questions and introduce the purpose of the project:

• Do you think that Romeo and Juliet truly loved each other or were they merely infatuated with one another and acting irrationally? Focus on their actions throughout the play and make certain you have a clear understanding, in your own words, of the definitions for love and

What research procedure did you use to address this topic? List all resources you find and use.

6. After conducting your inquiry research this week, what insight can you give towards answering the overall question? (Write 1-2 paragraphs IN YOUR OWN WORDS. If you use quotes from the sources, cite them.)

7. After conducting your inquiry, what new questions do you have that will direct your inquiry for next week or final project? Did you run into a dead end? Do you need to take your inquiry in a different direction? What worked? What do you need to change?

8. Please complete this question according to the cycle we are in:

a. Act 1: Describe the steps you will take in next week’s inquiry.

b. Acts 2 & 3: Describe the steps you will take in next week’s inquiry. Include the remaining information you need to answer the overarching question.

c. Acts 4 & 5: Describe your research strategy as a whole. How would you approach this project differently if you had to do it again? What additional sources of information would you use?

Once each cycle is completed and all research has been conducted, students are ready to synthesize their research and present their answer to the overarching question.

Makerspace Project