Before the Grade 8 students take on the timeless teenage tragedy that is Romeo and Juliet, they researched various aspects of William Shakespeare’s era looking for what is distinctly different from modern times. While the characters and conflict of the 16th century play are still easy to identify with, the language, the living conditions, the monarch, the social structure and and the roles of family, marriage and women need to be explained. Things have changed in Western society in the last four hundred years and understanding context could be the key to getting why certain events of the story happen as they do. Students created and shared Keynote presentations with clear, concise slides accompanying their detailed explanations. We kept the “Less is more.” motto in mind so that the audience would be focused on the presenter and not the screen. The Keynote was visual support and not the center of attention.
