Prefatory Statement:
I believe that this unit will benefit students from many angles. I believe it is important to study literature from the past. It lets the students see great literature that is still relevant today. This makes students understand that great literature is timeless. The students will be studying two themes that come directly from the play “Othello”. The first is jealousy, which is very relative to teenagers' lives. They need to understand that this emotion is very powerful and can make people behave in ways that are dangerous and inappropriate. I think understanding why they are having these normal feelings and how to deal with them is part of the maturing process.
Race and gender issues will both be incorporated into my unit. First off, there will be discussions of the race relations in the play “Othello”. There will be activities to understand interracial couples and racism. I want the students to understand the long history of racial tensions and how it affects people. I hope to create a more understanding and accepting student body that will carry over into their adult life. I will also deal with the differences in gender. The play ”Othello” was written from a man's point of view. I want us to read the play from the female point of view. I think the students will get a kick out of the differences. It will also help the unit become relevant to issues the students face in today's world. Students will also look at racial tensions around the world by bringing in current event articles to class.
Class Specification: I believe this unit is appropriate for students of any race. We are going to be studying "Othello" which is a play that many schools study and is approved in most schools curriculum. The themes of the play are jealousy and racism. In order to go in-depth the students would learn best in eleventh and twelfth grades. The only problem that may occur is if one or two students represent a certain ethnic group. When the class discusses racism it will be important to make sure the minority students do not feel singled out. If this issue arises I would try to keep the discussion a more general one. If the students want to discuss interracial relationships and there were some mixed blood students in my class I would try to gauge their reactions. If these students looked uncomfortable I would steer the conversation into perhaps different religion marriages and how would problems arise with that.
Significant Assumptions: I believe that students learn in different ways, and I try to include several activities to accommodate the different learning styles. The reading of "Othello will be done in class out loud. Student's will be hearing the play and following along in the book. There will be discussions after every scene is read to make sure the whole class understands what they have just read. Journal writing helps the students process what they have read without being self-conscious. My biggest philosophy is that students learn best when they relate to the subject. That is the theory behind the compare and contrast paper the students are writing. They are required to choose a recent movie that explores the same themes as "Othello". The students will understand that a play written hundreds of years ago is still relevant today. Their journals are also important to relating themselves to the play. Students will also be required to journal about times when they felt jealous and what were their reactions. There will also be journals that deal with times when the student judged somebody on their appearance and how were the assumptions made incorrect. The students will write constructive ways to deal with these feelings.
I assume that students will know how to read and write. By eleventh or twelfth grade I would think that students have already read a tragedy and will understand the elements of a tragedy. I will also assume that students have written papers in other classes. If the students do not have these skills that is something that we will need to work on. Instead of having a quick review on paper writing or elements of a tragedy I may have to take the time to teach the students these skills. If I have a class that has a lot of problems with reading we may have to watch "Othello" on video and work on reading in another unit. If the students have problems writing the papers will have to be shorter to work on writing skills and grammar.
Desired Outcomes:
1. Students will have learned the characters and themes in the play.
2. Students will have learned how these themes are relevant in their own lives.
3. Students will understand that different people have different perceptions of events.
4. Students will demonstrate the ability to write using grammar, language mechanics, and other conventions of Standard English for a variety of academic purposes and situations by writing original compositions that meet the requirements of Write and Speak Grad Standards:
A. Describe, narrate, or explain observations of human events or situations:
B. Analyze patterns and relationships of ideas, topics, or themes:
D. Evaluate an idea, topic, or theme based on expressed criteria.
Possible Whole Class Activities:
- Class acts out play
- Each students is assigned a character on a daily basis and reads their part
out loud
- Class discussions
-Mapping out the story
-Watch the play or a video
Possible Small Group Activities:
-Groups act out the play
-Groups read the play out loud
-Group Discussions
-Mapping out the story
-Reciprocal teaching
-Literature circles
-Peer review groups
Possible Individual Activities:
-Response worksheets
-Journal writing
-Reading silently
-Grammar and spelling logs
-Paper writing
-Memorize and recite lines from the play
-Rewrite a scene from the play
Ongoing Activities:
1. Students will be keeping a journal throughout the unit. Topics that they will have to write on will be:
Write about a time when you were jealous of someone. How did you feel? How
did you react to this person? What do you wish you could change about your reactions?
Write about a time when you judged someone by his or her appearance. How did you feel? How did you react to this person? What do you wish you could change about your reactions?
Brainstorm ideas for your character plot summary
Brainstorm ideas for what movie you would like to watch for your compare and contrast paper. Think about how you want to attack this paper.
What do you know about love tokens such as wedding rings and hearts? Brainstorm different kinds of love tokens you have heard of, and why do you think they have this significance?
If you were going to marry someone of another race how would it affect you? Talk about what your peers would say or think. How would your family react? What obstacles do you think you would face? If you had kids how would they be affected. Do you think they would get teased at school? Write how you think that it would affect every aspect of your life. Maybe you wouldn't face any obstacles, tell me why.
Did you journal about some of the things the speakers talked about? How were
you right on about things they had to face? What did you write about that differed from what the speakers said?
2. Students will be writing three separate pieces in this unit. They will be spending time in the computer lab drafting these papers. The students will also need to do minimal research for their paper on love tokens. During class the students will spend a few days in writing groups reading and responding to each other's drafts. Some of this responding will need to be done as homework. During this unit they will need to keep track of grammatical errors in their grammar and spelling logs. Any assignments the students are not able to finish in class must be taken home and completed there.
3. The students who are assigned parts should at least be reading through their lines at home so that they are prepared to read out loud in class. When the second play is assigned students need to be reading the homework every night and come prepared with at least one question to add to the class discussion questions. Students also need to be prepared to contribute to class discussions.
4. Students are required to bring in atleast one current event article that has to do with racial tensions taking place in the world. The students have two weeks to bring in one. All articles will be hung on a bulletin board for students to check out at their liesure. Any extra articles will be worth two extra credit points. Extra articles can come in until the end of the unit.
Student Resources:
A copy of the play Othello
A copy of the play Desdemona: A Play About a Handkerchief
A journal
Grammar logs
Spelling logs
Floppy Disk
Teacher Resources:
Boyce, Charles. Shakespeare The Essential Reference To His Plays, His Poems, His Life and Times, and More.
Isaac, Megan Lynn. Heirs to Shakespeare.
Unit Launch/Anticipatory set/Set Induction:
The launch of this unit is going to be the first paper on "love tokens". The students will understand the importance of the handkerchief in the story through this assignment. The students will also be journaling about jealousy during this time and as they start reading the play. I also want them to think about tensions between races or cultures. I will ask each student to bring in clips of current events that reflect this issue. I will hang them up around the room, so that students can read them at their leisure. I want them to see that issues discussed in the play are still relevant to today.
Organization of the Unit:
Week 1
The anticipatory set is going to be the first paper the students will work on to meet one of the three Grad Standards the students will accomplish in this unit. It will be a small research project on "love tokens" through time. Students can pick any item that has been used as a way to express love. These items could be wedding rings, hearts, valentines, flowers, and so on. Their task is to find out what the significance of the item is. Why is it used as a representation of love? The first day of this unit the assignment will be handed out and explained. There is a journal writing assignment to brainstorm their ideas. The students will then have the rest of the hour and the full hour the next day to complete their research on the Internet and the library. The students will have two days in the computer lab to draft their papers. We will spend the next day in peer writing groups proofreading the papers. The students will use constructive criticism and give ideas to improve the papers. During this time we will have short current event discussions or five-minute journal writing assignments.
Week 2
The students will return to the computer lab to work on their final drafts. Parts will be drawn out of a hat for each scene. The students who are assigned parts for the following day should be reading their lines to prepare, if needed to read in class. All students should read the introduction of the play as homework Day two of this week the students will hand in their papers, and we will talk about the themes in this play. Act 1, Scene 1 will be read and discussed in this class period. The rest of this week will be dedicated to reading the play. The goal is to get through Act 3 during this week. If time does not allow this in class the students will be assigned scenes as homework to keep up with this schedule. There needs to be time for in class discussions to make sure all the students understand the play. During the beginning of some class periods there will be a journal assignment written on the board, as stated in the section "Ongoing Activities". Current event articles are due.
Week 3
The class will continue reading the play at home and discussing it in class over the next two days. The end of the second day of this week the compare and contrast paper will be assigned. The students will journal about different movies they could watch. The students will meet in their writing groups and share ideas. The students will get their "love tokens" papers back and will do their spelling and grammar logs. The students will begin reading "Desdemona: A Play About a Handkerchief" for homework. The rest of this week students will be reading this play as homework and discussing it in class. The students will also need to decide and watch the movie for their compare and contrast paper over the weekend. Interracial couple come in and speak to the class, and/or a child of an interracial couple could speak to the class.
The students will be spending the first two days of this week drafting their compare and contrast paper. The third day will be spent in their writing groups to look at the thesis, blueprint, and content of each other's papers. The beginning of the next class period the students will look at each other's spelling and grammar logs to look for errors in the paper. The rest of this class period and part of the next will be spent in the computer lab. This paper will need to be turned in at the beginning of the hour the next class period. The rest of Friday will be used to assign the character paper, which will serve as the exam. Homework will be to put the final touches on the compare and contrast paper. The students will also need to decide which character they want to write as.
Week 5
Turn in the compare and contrast paper at the beginning of the hour. The students will have the next two days to draft their character plot summary in the computer lab. The third day will be the peer writing group activity. The fourth day students will check for grammar and spelling problems. The rest of this hour and Friday will be used to work on the final draft. This draft will be due at 4:00 pm Friday.
Discussion Questions for "Othello"
Act 1, Scene 1:
Why is Rodrigo distressed that Desdemona has eloped with Othello?
Why does Iago dislike Othello?
What would be the purpose in waking up Desdemona's father?
How do you think these three men feel at this point in the play?
What do you think these men will do throughout the play to get rid of Othello?
If you were one of these men what would you do?
Act 1, Scene 2:
Give a plot summary.
Act 1, Scene 3 :
What is Othello accused of, and how does he reply?
Why does Othello have to go to Cypress?
What does Iago plan to do?
Why does he choose to pin the blame on Cassio?
Do you think his plan will work?
Throughout the rest of the play think about movies you have seen that reflect the play?
Act 2, Scene 1:
What do the men think might have happened to the ship?
From this scene how do you think Desdemona feels about Othello?
What does Iago plan to do in this scene?
Do you think his plan is going to work?
Think about times when you have made a plan. Did it work?
Act 2, Scene 2:
Give a plot summary.
Act 2, Scene 3
How does Iago get his plan started?
What does Cassio do?
What does Iago tell Cassio to do?
Discuss sometime when you or someone you know played devil's advocate?
Act 3, Scene 1:
Give a plot summary.
Act 3, Scene 2:
Give a plot summary.
What do you think is going to happen next?
Will Iago succeed?
Act 3, Scene 3:
Once Desdemona convinces Othello to take Cassio back how does Iago use this to his advantage?
If you were Othello would you come to the conclusion that your husband/wife was having an affair?
What happens to the handkerchief?
If Iago would not have had the good fortune of getting his hands on the handkerchief that he would have been able to convince Othello of Desdemona's infidelity?
Think about other symbols of love. For example, if someone lost a ring you gave him or her would you suspect him or her of cheating on you?
Act 3, Scene 4:
Should Desdemona have told Othello that she had dropped the handkerchief?
Why do you think Emilia never said anything about the handkerchief?
What could be a reason for Cassio wanting a copy of the handkerchief?
Act 4, Scene 1:
What does Iago do to convince Othello that Cassio and Desdemona are indeed having an affair?
Have you ever overheard part of a conversation and assumed it was about something totally different?
What role does the handkerchief play in this scene?
What do you think about Othello's violent behavior?
Have you ever felt this angry, and what did you do?
Act 4, Scene 2:
What is love?
Do you think that Iago loves his wife?
How is it shown or not shown?
Would you be able to keep secrets from the people you love?
Is it ever appropriate to lie and steal from your friends?
At this point in the play what kind of people do you think Emilia, Othello, Desdemona, and Iago are?
Do you think that Iago and Othello were ever friends? Why or why not?
Do you think Iago and Roderigo were ever friends? Why or why not?
Has a friend ever stabbed you in the back? How did it make you feel?
Have you ever stabbed a friend in the back? What happened? How did you feel?
Act 4, Scene 3:
What do you think the song Desdemona sings foreshadows?
What does Emilia mean when she declares that men deserve infidelity?
Act 5, Scene 1:
What happens when Rodrigo tries to ambush Cassio?
What does Iago hope will happen, and why?
How do you think Iago gets away with everything he has done so far?
Do you think all his crimes will catch up with him?
Have you ever known someone who never gets caught?
Discuss different situations you have seen in the media where people commit wrongs and are never punished.
Act 5, Scene 2:
Do you think it is believable that Desdemona recovers long enough to declare her innocence and then dies?
Why do you think nobody tries to save Desdemona or Emilia?
Why do you think Othello kills himself?
Do you think it is ever O.K. for someone to kill themselves?
What do you think should have happened to Othello and Iago?
Do you think people always get what they deserve in the end?
Discussion Questions for "Desdemona: A Play About a Handkerchief
In this play how did the women behave?
How do they behave similarly/ differently than women today?
How does their behavior in this play differ from the play "Othello"?
Do you think that it is feasible that Desdemona could have been having an affair with Ludovico?
Is this play believable after reading the real play?
Do you really think that Desdemona would have been filling in for Bianca so that she could go on a date with Cassio?
In the play "Othello" Emilia seems that she might not be faithful to Iago. How does this compare to her behavior on this play?
Do you think women in the day and age of this play would have wanted to be free of their husbands and able to pursue their own dreams?
Has that changed today?
Do you think in either of these plays that Desdemona and Emilia knew their fate?
The topics of the discussions that the three women have are a little racy. Do you think women really talked like this? Do women talk like this today? Do you think men talked about these topics? Do they now?
Discussion Questions for Racism:
Have students go through text and find any racist dialogues. Do you think that there is a racist undertone to the play? Why or why not?
In what ways is our society racist?
What needs to be done to change it?
Get students to talk about unintentional racism.
Examples: Magazines contain mostly white women and men
Most T.V. shows are made up of all white casts
Most movie stars are white
T.V. ads mostly contain white actors and spokespersons
Many people on the news are white