Goals

Students will become interested in Shakespeare, comfortable with the language, and acquainted with some of the tasks they will need to complete for the final product.

 

Details

Duration: N/A

Assessments: Student reflections/journals, Student discussions, Student writing, Group work, Other (enter below)

 

Description

The following are some activities we did while we read Othello. Many of these activities can be applied and modified to fit other Shakespeare's plays.

We started the unit by watching a trailer for the Lawrence Fishbourne version of Othello and making predictions about the play. We then looked at a "Play Map" that introduced the characters and their connections to one another. We then threw "Shakespearian Insults" to each other to familiarize ourselves with the language and build excitement. We also performed (created body sculptures) important quotations from the play, even though we didn't understand the context yet.

Before we started reading aloud we "Translated Key Quotations" to understand how Shakespeare's sentences are constructed.

We had reading quizzes that asked students to show their understanding of the plot. Often these reading quizzes asked students to closely read the text and then perform. They also sparked classroom discussion.

Dramaturgy
We completed this after reading the first two scenes in the play....
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Key Quotations - Launch
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Passing the Handkerchief - Watching the action
Kids could see the action of the handkerchief - an important symbol ...
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Reading Quiz - CAT's Best Actor
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Reading Quiz - Close Reading
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Thematic Sculpture
We did this activity before we started reading the play....
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Translating key quotations
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Written debate
This was the final exam that served two purposes: 1. Show understanding of the ideas in the play. 2. Prepare for "The ...
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Author Reflections

I tried to vary the kinds of learning students engaged in during this unit.