Week Six Journal Entry

On Thursday of this week, my English 10 students submitted their Julius Caesar projects. I had given them three options from which to choose for this project. The first option, an artistic response to the play, involved creating a three-dimensional bust of a character. I required that they identify four textual passages that would form the basis of their interpretation. The second option was to memorize Antony's funeral speech. This project choice required students to prepare an autobiographical study of the character, as well as blocking notes to encourage them to think about their physical performances. The third option was an essay response that required students to further investigate the issues and themes of the play.

I spent a lot of time creating the project descriptions. My main concern was that all the options should seem as equivalent as possible in terms of the work required of the students. After I assigned the project and asked students to commit to a particular option, I was a little concerned that so many of them chose the art project. One day in class I told them I was a little concerned that they must believe the art project was the easy option. I let them know that I had designed these options to be equally demanding. And then I waited to see what they would turn in.

The due date was Thursday, Feb. 12. Students started coming to turn them in as soon as they arrived at school so they wouldn't have to carry this stuff around all day. I was absolutely thrilled with their submissions. At this point, I have seen 23 statues and heard 6 speeches, but I have not yet read the essays. Two young men who had been absent on Thursday performed their speeches on Friday, and they were excellent. Mrs. T. commented that she had not thought any students would choose the speech option, and she had been very pleasantly surprised.

At the risk of tooting my own horn here, I believe the care I took in designing the project options really paid off. I believe students understood my expectations because they had been outlined very clearly. And they came through like champs.