Othello - Final Essay Work Day 3

Happy Friday the 13th! Happy last day of classes for 2019!

Please complete this survey about your work habits.

After a few last-minute reminders, you have the rest of the day as work time.
Good luck with it!
Finish strong!
See you in 2020!



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Othello - Final Essay Work Day 2

Today is entirely set aside for you to continue work on your essay.

By now you hopefully have a working thesis statement (ok to be clumsy and messy, as long as you have a clear sense of what it means) which will then lead to naming your three topics. Follow the model we did in class yesterday!

After that, spend time collecting the best possible evidence for each paragraph.

Good luck!

Avoid this:


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Othello - Final Essay Work Day 1

Happy Tuesday!

Today you will receive your graded notebook back. You will also have time to look at the feedback I gave you on your Persepolis essay.

Here is a link to a digital version of the final essay prompt.

Then, we will turn our attention to the final essay. After I answer any questions you have, we'll talk about the thesis. To do that, we will refer back to a document I shared with you back when you wrote your essay about American Street: Crafting a Thesis

Based on that, we will create a thesis together about the role of women in the play.

Lastly, I will share this organizer with you. It is not required but it might be helpful as you pull your evidence and ideas together.

The rest of the time today and all of tomorrow are set aside for you to work on your essay. Good luck with it!



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Othello - Introduce Final Exam

Happy Monday!

Today we'll start with a look at some of the questions you wrote about over the weekend as our last formal discussion of the play.

Then, I'll ask you to complete this brief survey about your journal and your work in it. Starting today, I'll be collecting a few each night so I can grade them and get them right back to you.

Here is our schedule for the rest of the semester:

• Monday (12/9) - Discuss Act V; Journal survey; Assign final
• Tuesday (12/10) - Initial brainstorming; Preliminary thesis; Begin evidence collection
• Wednesday (12/11) - Refine thesis; complete evidence collection
• Friday (12/13) - Organize paragraphs; develop analysis; Draft essay
• Weekend - Review draft; Final proofread
• Tuesday (12/17) - Submit the final version no later than 8:10 a.m.

Here is the link to your final exam - your essay about Othello

Note: Because this is a final assessment for the semester, part of the assignment is that you demonstrate your independent skills in terms of reading and writing. Therefore, I will not be reading your thesis or any part of your paper prior to the final essay you submit (i.e. no conferences). I am here to support you and to clarify any elements of the assignment that are confusing. You will have several days of in-class time to work on your assignment and to ask any questions on the assignment or on your previous work. During class time you are to work independently in class. Use the feedback I have given to you on your previous work to guide your writing. Develop your own ideas. And, most of all, trust yourself and your writing!

Recommended homework for tonight:

• Read over the essay assignment. Come to class prepared with any questions about the process or the assignment itself.
• Create a new document titled "Final Essay - Brainstorming." Choose two of the three topics - ones you might write about in your essay. Write 4-6 sentences about each one, naming your initial thoughts about the theme as well as which characters or scenes you might use in your essay. 

Othello - Day 15

Happy Friday!

I am out today. You are going to work with your group for the first part of the day and then complete an individual piece for writing for the second half of class.

Please remember to bring your journal with you on Monday!

Have a great weekend!

Othello - Day 14

Today you'll work with your groups for two different activities.

First, we will complete the questions from yesterday.

Then, you will spend time creating tableaux. What is that, you ask? This handout explains it all:

• Othello Act IV tableaux

For Friday, you are finishing the play and writing your final journal response.

Note: I will be out on Friday. Today, I'll explain the plan and the weekend homework.

Othello - Day 13

Today we'll finish our look at Act III, Scene 3. After you act out the rest of the scenes, you'll write your own conclusion, based on the work you did with your partner.

After that, you'll meet with your group to have a discussion about the results, as well as these other questions from Act III, Scene 4 and Act IV, Scene 1:

• What words/actions from Desdemona add to Othello's changing thoughts about her?
• What sort of person is Emilia, and what seems to be the nature of her relationship with her husband Iago? 
• What is the importance of the handkerchief to Othello?
• How does Desdemona's handkerchief come into play within the relationship between Emilia and Iago?
• Why does Othello have powerful physical reactions to Iago's information? What might this mean?
• What happens with Cassio and Bianca?
• What is Othello's original plan for dealing with Desdemona? Why does it change?
• What is the news that arrives from Venice?
• How is Othello changing in act 4? What is the effect of his public humiliation of Desdemona by slapping her?

Be sure to take notes - I'll be using the wheel to call on people for our discussion!

Othello - Day 12

Happy Monday! Happy December! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving break!

Today to help us get back into the play, you'll perform the short scenes you created with a partner last time. Here is a link to the Google Slideshow you were using last time. You'll have a few minutes to finish your scene and prepare to perform it and then it's showtime!

Please keep an eye on the calendar. I will be collecting your journals next Monday. Remember - this is a significant portion of your grade. No late work will be accepted. That means whatever you have in class on Monday is what I grade. We will also start to talk about the final on that day.