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iPad App Review: Shakespeare in Bits - Romeo & Juliet


App Name:  Shakespeare in Bits - Romeo & Juliet

Cost:  $14.99

What does it promise?  Featuring the voice talents of Kate Beckinsale and Michael Sheen, along with nearly three hours of engaging animation and unabridged text, Shakespeare in Bits - Romeo & Juliet promises to engage the mind and render the hearts of all who view, read and listen to it.

Shakespeare in bitsDoes it deliver? Students will understand and appreciate the linguistic richness of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet with the original play text, broken into easily digested “bits.” In-line translation helps to clarify difficult words and phrases within the context of the original play text.

Two-and-a-half hours of high-resolution animation with a professional audio soundtrack help students to decode and comprehend Shakespeare’s prose quickly and efficiently. The text, presented side-by-side with animated action, is easy to follow. Portions of text are highlighted as they are being spoken in the play. The integrated combination of text, audio and graphics is designed to support learners of varying abilities and learning styles.

This Shakespeare in Bits title provides a wide selection of integrated analyses and study notes for each scene to help students understand plot summaries, key themes, language, imagery and quotes from the play. An easy-to-navigate visual scene selection menu helps students quickly get familiar with the play’s sequence of events or jump to a particular scene.

Can I use it in my classroom?  No lesson on Shakespeare or his masterpiece would be complete without a run-through of this app.

All apps can be found in the iPad apps store under education.

Related resources

Explore the use of the iPad App Store in the classroom.
See additional EducationWorld reviews of iPad apps.
See other product reviews in our Tech in the Classroom archive.


Article by Jason Tomaszewski, EducationWorld Associate Editor
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