Final Exam - Final Thoughts

Happy Monday!

Today is the last day of the semester, and the last in-class time to work on your final. Here are a few reminders:

• Proofread your essay
• Make sure the title of the play is underlined or italicized (not both!)
• Make sure all quotations are properly cited (Act. Scene. Line(s)) - for example, (III.2.10-12)
• Make sure you have the minimum number of pieces of evidence in each body paragraph
• Make sure you have a topic sentence for each paragraph, and that it does not focus on one character
• Make sure you have a thoughtful introduction and conclusion
• Make sure each quotation is:
• introduced (speaker, context)
• the meaning is explained
• the link to your thesis is clear

You need to submit it to Schoology no later than 

1:10 pm on Tuesday, December 18th.

Good luck with it!! Have a wonderful winter break!!

Final exam - work day #2

Today we will talk about making a thesis statement, finishing the evidence collection, and crafting your three sub-topics.

Here is a link to the thesis statement workshop we did earlier in the year with the essay about American Street. 

Today in class we will build a sample essay about the topic of the role of women in Othello.

• We'll brainstorm for a few minutes
• We'll build topic sentences around ideas, not characters
• We'll link these together into an arguable thesis

Final exam - work day #1

Today we'll clarify the details about the final essay. After that, you'll have the rest of the period to work. Remember I am not collecting the different steps or conferencing about them.

Suggested work for today:

• Gather evidence 
• Work toward a preliminary thesis and 3 sub-topics

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 (12/10) - Discuss Act V; Journal survey; Assign final
• Tuesday (12/11) - Initial brainstorming; Preliminary thesis; Begin evidence collection
• Wednesday (12/12) - Refine thesis; complete evidence collection
• Friday (12/14) - Organize paragraphs; develop analysis; begin a draft
• Monday (12/17) - Review draft; Revise toward completion

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 - you may not visit the ARC. 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 16

Happy Friday!

Today you'll finish and then perform your songs to help us recap the key moments in Othello. Hopefully, this will not only be a good reminder of the different parts of the play but also start your preparation for the final essay.

Over the weekend:

1. Complete the "Final questions" assignment and turn it in to Schoology
2. Make sure you have all of your journal entries with you in class on Monday. I will randomly start collecting journals then.
3. Organize the rest of your notes and work from the unit in preparation for the final essay.

Have a great one!

Othello - Day 15

Good morning!
First of all, we'll look at the calendar for the next two weeks.

Today we'll spend some time looking at the final scene of the play - Act V, scene 2.
We'll use this handout to guide our work. 

Then, we'll start a final creative project - writing songs to help us remember the key moments of the play! Here is the handout describing the project - we'll start today and present the songs on Friday.

Othello - Day 14

Today we'll finish the tableaux of Act IV, including a discussion of these key moments.

After that, we'll act out scene 1 of Act V. We'll need people for these roles:

• Iago
• Cassio
• Roderigo
• Bianca
• Emilia
• Lodovico
• Gratiano

For tonight - finish the play and write a journal response to Act V, scene 2.

Othello - Day 13

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend!  

Today we will be creating tableaux with a group of 2-3 people. This is a "freeze-frame" of a moment in the play - I'll explain a little further.

• Use this handout to guide your work for today.

Reminder - you are reading scene 1 of Act V tonight and writing a journal response