Julius Caesar Project List

Julius Caesar Project List – Grade 10

Directions:

1.         Students should review the following project choices.

2.         Each student must complete a minimum of two (2) projects from two (2) different acts. For example, a student can choose a project from Act II and Act IV. A student cannot choose two projects from the same act.

3.         All projects should be typed using Microsoft Word (when allowable).

4.         All projects are due the day after we take the test for the specified act.

5.         A student can start a project after a specific act test. If a student is not completing a project for a specific act, he/she will be required to work on “station” items.

6.         Five points will be deducted from grade for each day a project is late after each act. No projects will be accepted after the secpmd day past the due date.

7.         A grading rubric will be provided.

8.         If there are any questions or concerns, please ask/see me.

Act I Choices

Artwork - . ARTISTIC INTERPRETATION

You may choose to do an artistic interpretation of something from the play. Draw a picture, make a collage, or make a diorama that represents a major character, event, or scene from the play. Then, write at least TWO paragraphs describing what you created and why it is significant/how it relates to the play.

     Explain what it means and reference two (2) specific quote(s) from the play. Remember to list the act,scene, and line(s) you are referring to when using quotes! You may even choose to create     something that represents a relationship between two or more characters in the play if you’d     like (ie. Brutus and Cassius, the conspirators and Caesar, Antony and Brutus, etc.)

Drawing/ writing – Political Turmoil

Read act 1 again.  Create 3 scrolls: 1 for each letter Cassius forges.  Write the letters and address them to Brutus.  Convince him that he needs to join the conspiracy, rid the world of Caesar, and control Roman government. ( Each scroll should contain a letter and artwork.)

Detail:  Using any kind of art materials, you should draw an image depicting the point of view of each letter.

            -Each scroll should be created on an 8 ½ x 11 sheet of paper.

Writing - Advice Column

As Brutus, write a letter to an advice columnist requesting the help with the problem of betraying a loyal friend in order to save a country.   First, list the reasons Rome may be doomed under Caesar’s rule. Next, discuss how you could improve this situation.  Write a letter that explains your list and asks for advice.  In the end, decide if you should side with Caesar or the conspirators and explain why.

Writing- Journals

 JOURNAL ENTRIES

Write at least THREE journal entries (Minimum of TWO paragraphs each) from the point of view of one of the main characters. You may choose to write from the perspective of Caesar, Brutus, Cassius, or Antony. All journal entries should be from the SAME character. The journal entries can span from a few different scenes or come from one scene, whichever you would prefer. Be sure to list the act(s) and scene(s) which the journal entry is referring to—you may want to use that as the

date for the journal entry. A partial example is below:

Example:

Dear Diary, Act I, scene 1

I was so excited to hear the news of great Caesar’s return to Rome today. Some

of the other commoners and I decided not to wear our work clothes and celebrated in

the streets while we waited for Caesar to return…One of the officials scolded us, but we

had some fun with it and made a joke of him. He wasn’t too happy about it, but…

(journal entry continues)....

—Cobbler

Act II Choices

Creative Design - Character Sketch

Construct a character sketch on a main character of your choice that illustrates the character’s personality, relationships, feelings, and motivations during this act.  Your sketch will include images, quotes and words.

            -The character sketch should include the following:

2 images of the character

4 images representing personality traits of the character

4 words to describe the character’s personality

3 quotes by the character

All images should be put together in a collage using Microsoft Word, Publisher or a program of your choice.  You should also include a paragraph explaining why you chose the specific items on your project.

Writing – Poetry (Iambic Pentameter)

Create a poem that consists of at least eight lines in iambic pentameter. Your poem may be in blank verse, consist of rhymed couplets, or follow some other rhyme scheme.

Specifics:

Write a poem about one of the major characters from the story. You may choose

to write about the personality, downfall, relationships, problems, struggles, etc.

of Brutus, Cassius, Caesar, or Antony. The poem should have AT LEAST 10

LINES with TEN SYLLABLES in each line to follow the iambic pentameter

rhythm used by Shakespeare. Remember to give your poem a creative title! Do

not worry about stressed and unstressed syllables, but do make sure that each line

adds up to ten syllables.

Creative Writing - Text message

Rewrite a dialogue between two characters that takes place in Act II of the text in modern-day format as if it took place via texting on a cell phone.

            -Chose a section with a minimum of 25 consecutive lines. Make sure you write the Act #, Scene #, and line numbers on your paper.

Act III Choices

Visual - Imagery

Depict the imagery in Antony’s monologue / funeral speech. Use a graphic organizer on Microsoft Word to organize his points that will manipulate the crowd.

Writing - Character Analysis

Choose one of the main characters introduced in Act I. Then write a short essay in which you analyze this character’s personality traits.

Writing - Editorial

Imagine that you are the editor of a newspaper in Rome at the time of the play. Write an editorial addressing the Anthony’s response to the death of Caesar.

            1) Reread the Anthony’s dialogue in the scene.

            2) Decide whether the conspirator’s reactions were appropriate, and explain.

            3) Write the editorial, supporting your ideas with details from Acts I-III.

or

NEWS STORY

Imagine that you are a reporter on the scene of Julius Caesar’s murder. You  just witnessed everything that happened to Caesar. Write an article for the local

newspaper and report to the public what has happened to their leader. Remember to give your news article a creative TITLE that will make it stand out! Report everything that you saw, including the crime itself, how it happened, where it happened, when it happened, who was involved in the

crime, perhaps how some of those people knew Caesar, and what happened directly afterwards. Note—News articles should NOT include reporter opinion. Paragraphs are shorter, and should follow inverted pyramid style writing. Inverted pyramid means that the most important information (the murder itself) comes first, followed by less and less

important information, with background information coming last. To help, use an article from the local newspaper as your guide.

Act IV/ Act V Choices

Writing – Your own ending – THIS PROJECT HAS TO BE COMPLETED AFTER ACT IV

If you were to write your own ending for the play, what would it be? Write a narrative of events that would occur in your version of Act V. Make sure that your version develops naturally out of the events in Acts I through IV.

Music - Play list

Choose one of the characters from the text and create a play list of five songs that that character would have on his or her iPod or MP3 player. Invent the name for the play list. Burn a CD of the songs and create a CD label with the appropriate details or put the play list on your iPod or MP3 player.  You also need to print out a list of the following:

         1) artist name

         2) name of song

         3) name of album

         4) relevance to character (paragraph for each song)

Creative Writing - Digital Artifacts

Imagine that you find a portable disk next to the computer of one of the characters from the

play.  It might be a USB keychain disk, or another device. This storage disk contains personal documents—letters, “to do” lists, data, and poems written by the character for his or her eyes’ only. Recreate the following files and hand in the device.

                   Include the following:

                   1) to do list with 10 tasks to complete

                   2) letter to a friend

                   3) poem to or about a loved one (minimum of 10 lines)

                   4) sales receipt for a purchased item

Creative Writing:

CHARACTER HOROSCOPES—

Superstition is used often throughout Julius Caesar. Daily horoscopes are a modern-day form of superstition, and they usually give a somewhat vague prediction of something that may happen to you that day. Write one “daily horoscope” for each of the major characters in the story (Brutus, Cassius, Caesar, and Antony). You may choose any scene from the play to write that day’s horoscope about. Be sure to reference the act, scene, and, if applicable,the line(s) the horoscope is referencing/predicting for the character. You should have a total of at least FOUR horoscopes, one for each character. Each horoscope should be about one paragraph in length. Note—you do not need to make every character’s horoscope from the same day/scene. They can come from

practically anywhere in the play. Look at your daily horoscope in the newspaper or

online to help give you an idea of what to write.