Let's Throw A Wedding forRomeo and JulietA WebQuestAdapted, with permission, by Melanie Nash and Vera Outeiro from Mr. Moran's Webquest of the same title. |
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In the play Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare has the young lovers marry in a secret wedding without a full service, without a million guests, without the feast and festival that is befitting a couple as wonderful as Romeo and Juliet. Your assignment is to change history and plan the party of the centuries! Let's rewrite history and literature and plan a wedding for Romeo and Juliet to marry in a public ceremony witnessed by all! Be as extreme in your planning as these two lovebirds were in their feelings for each other. You can include as many of the resources listed below as you see fit. You have no budget; the sky is the limit! Feel free to cross the barriers of time, social class, royal status, and fiction and fantasy. Invite kings, musicians, Shakespeare, Leonardo DiWhatshisname, Capulets, Montagues.... Just one word of advice: be sure it all makes sense to Romeo and Juliet. The food, music, fashion, games, entertainment, hairstyles, decorations, wedding service, as well as the guest list must all be appropriate for the lives and times of Romeo and Juliet, and/or Shakespeare. Your class will work in six groups assigned to following areas:The Guest List , Fashion ,, Food, Music and Games, Dance, and The Service Each group will complete the research and tasks as described below. Grading details are included in each group's task description. At the end of the research, we will hold our own version of Romeo and Juliet's wedding, based upon your research. |
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Because we want this party to go off without a hitch we will break into small groups of four or five students each and handle the arrangements as specialties. Please read the specific task your group is assigned and use the resources as fully as possible to cover every angle. Remember, we are inviting a variety of guests from a changing time period so you must include as many details as possible to guarantee the success of this event. After all the groups have completed their individual work you will have created the master party plan suitable to host an authentic Romeo and Juliet wedding, accurate in every detail. |
Group 1 - The Guest List & Conversation: Who Is Invited, Where Do They Sit, and What Do They Talk About? One of the toughest tasks when planning a wedding of this size is simply getting all the people together. You have two households, both alike in dignity, to consider. From the head of each household, to his immediate family, the bride and groom, their friends, their servants, their servants' servants, well connected businessmen and politicians, old family friends, the shady relatives from the highlands, the royalty!! Your task is awesome. You can't afford to offend anybody, yet there must be peace in the wedding hall. Your group must complete the following tasks:
RESOURCES:
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Group Two ~ Fashion ~ What Do the Wedding Party and Guests Wear? The first thing your group will do is to search your resources and determine what types of outfits your wedding party and guests will wear. What can we expect to see at this stellar fiesta? You are to design a wedding dress for Juliet and an ensemble for Romeo. You are to create a scrapbook of outfits that the guests will be wearing. Remember this is the wedding of the century... your guests will be DRESSED TO THE NINES and will expect to be eating the finest cuisine available to man. You must not disappoint. Feel free to use the resources for the other groups. Your group must complete the following tasks:
RESOURCES:
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Group Three ~ Food - What Will You Feed Them? After you clothe your guests you have to feed them. Many of us have been to weddings, proms, birthday parties, award dinners, and various social functions where we have endured the worst food of our lives. Instead of the industrialized, pre-fab, tasteless fare of careless cooks, YOU are going to scour the internet and determine the best menu for your guests. Remember... this is the wedding to end all weddings! After you determine the foods that will be served for each course you will create an actual menu and prepare at least three of the foods you will be serving. Your group must complete the following tasks: Food Fact Finding Sheet (one per group member) A one to two page summary of food and drink of the Elizabethan period. A menu of all foods and drinks to be served at the wedding. Include at least 4 appetizers, 4 main dishes, 4 desserts , and 2 beverages. Design a menu that is computer generated, hand drawn, painted, or prepared as a collage. It should reflect the feel of the time period. A recipe book for at least 4 of the dishes/beverages that you will serve at the banquet. Illustrations should be included with the text. Prepare at least 3 of the foods on your menu. Try to be as authentic as possible in the ingredients and preparation. Any modern substitutions should be noted. 1-2 page reflection on the research process Include your finding about foods, nutrition, table manners, and meals/banquets of this time period Include a reflection of your experience preparing the menu and food items for the wedding. RESOURCES
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Group Four ~ Music and Games ~ What Will We Do For Fun? You don't want your guests to get bored after the ceremony is over. Search your resources to compile a list of games and activities for your party-goers. After you compile a list of games, select a few and design a Rule Book to pass out to all of your guests. Be ready with all necessary equipment to play a few games with us. Feel free to use the resources for the other groups. Your group must complete the following tasks: Music and Games Fact Finding Sheet (one per group member) List of at least 5 pieces of music to be played at the wedding ceremony and reception, including song titles, composers, and performers. If lyrics are available, please include them. Tape or CD of a collection of at least 3 songs that may be used the day of the wedding. Please select one piece for the ceremony, one for the dinner, and one for the reception. Include at least a one paragraph rationale for each of the selections you have made. List of at least 5 games or acitivies that your guests would enjoy. Rule Book for at least 2 games or activities, detailing any necessary equipment and procedures. A game lesson on one of the games you researched provided by the members of your group for the rest of the class. RESOURCES
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Group Four: The Service ~ What Type of Wedding Ritual Will This Be? What Are Their Beliefs? Your group has the most important task of all... scripting the wedding. In the play Friar Lawrence performs the wedding outside the prying eyes of Shakespeare's readers. You are to research your sources and design the entire service including the Friar's words, Romeo and Juliet's vows, the witnesses' roles, any hymns sung during the service, special objects, and any legal or financial conditions that must be considered... after all, we want this relationship to last this time! Make sure it is all legal in the eyes of heaven and the law. . Feel free to use the resources for the other groups. Your group must complete the following tasks:
RESOURCES
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There are two major parts to your evaluation on this project: the Fact Finding Sheets and the Group Activities Grade. Each member of each group will receive an individual grade for the fact finding sheets. Each group will receive a grade for the tasks they completed as part of that group.
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Congratulations on all your efforts!!! Now you know what it takes to put on a wedding of epic proportions. I hope you had fun broadening the scope of your knowledge of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare, and the history behind the play. You should be proud of yourselves! If you have any more questions about Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare or his time, you know where to find out about the real stuff, so get going! Last Modified: 3/10/05 |