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Being Black in A White World
An Outsider’s Perception of Venetian Society
Carol A. Fraser
Northwestern High School, P.G. County
12th Grade British Literature
Unit: Othello by William Shakespeare
Duration: 3-4 weeks using a 90-minute block schedule
Objective: Students will learn how to:
- Research the geographical and cultural aspects of the play
- Identify the elements of plot and characterization to further examine
how the qualities of the central characters determine the resolution
of the conflict
- Compare and contrast one’s personal view with Shakespeare’s
portrayal of the essential Renaissance man
- Utilize the stages of the writing process to compose Brief Constructed
Responses (BCR’s) and an Extended Constructed Response
- Demonstrate understanding of the play using an art form
Core Learning Goals:
GOAL 1: The student will demonstrate the ability to respond to a text
by employing personal responses and critical literary analysis
GOAL 2: Expectation 1: The student will compose oral, written, and visual
presentations, which inform, persuade, and express personal ideas
GOAL 3: The student will demonstrate the ability to control language
by applying the Conventions of Standard English in writing and speaking
GOAL 4: The student will describe the effect that a given text, heard
or read, has on the listener or reader.
Materials:
- photocopies of Act 1, scene iii, lines 48-169 of Othello
- a Folger copy of the play
- a full color map of Europe AD 1600
- two different video productions of the play one with Lawrence Fishburne,
and the other starring Anthony Hopkins
- graphic organizers for the elements of drama, characterization, BCR
and ECR responses
- scoring rubrics for written work
- colored pencils and crayons
- white paper
Essential Question:
How do the complex relationships in Othello illuminate the concepts
of love, loyalty, betrayal, family and social rejection, and the issue
of one’s self-worth versus their actual usefulness in society?
Brief Overview:
Othello is one of the most psychologically and philosophically complex
plays that compel us to think about ourselves in the social context
of a larger society. This is a play that contains an intellectual playground
of ideas for teenagers, on the brink of adulthood, to explore and carefully
contemplate. Minorities and diverse ethnic groups may grapple with the
issues that Shakespeare presents, as they become lifelong examiners
of the human condition in their every day platonic interactions with
people and close-knit relationships.
Warm-up Day One:
Imagine that you, or someone you know of, is an outsider in a social
environment. How would you, or someone you know fit in?
- Subsequent warm-up questions can be student or teacher generated.Other
ideas for warm-ups include reviewing and identifying the literary
elements of drama
Introductory and Developmental Activities:
Read the objectives and review the warm-up responses with the students.
Clearly state the essential question and overview of the lesson on the
first day.
Think-Pair-Share Activity 1, Day 1:
Students will discuss and write down their thoughts on the following
question: What is the difference between being considered useful vs.
being valuable to society? The teacher will check for understanding
of the question and prompt them as needed to help them understand what
is being asked of them. At the teacher’s discretion he or she
may choose to continue to intrigue the students with the following question:
Do you think your own self worth is more important than society’s
evaluation of your value? Why?
Understanding the Cultural Context:
The following activities will help students to understand the geographical
setting of the play and social conventions that were prescribed by society
at that time.
- Activity 2, Day 1: Using the Internet, student will identify the
countries on a Europe map that are mentioned at the beginning of the
play. . It may be helpful to use a LCD projector to for illustration.
Suggested website: http://www.euraatlas.com/big/big1600.htm
- Activity 3, Days 1-2: In small groups, or pairs of two, students
will be expected to research and discuss the answers to the following
questions below. Suggested websites: http://www.renaissancehandbook.com,
http://herso.freeservers.com/_ogt.htm, www.allshakespeare.com/index/php,
http://www.teacher.oz.com/renaissance.htm
Students may also use encyclopedias or other reference texts to obtain
answers to these questions. After the students have completed this research
exercise, additional enrichment activities are located in the Othello
teachers’ guide at http://us.penguinclassics.com
- Who were the Moors?
- Who were the Venetians?
- How were the Moors/Venetians regarded in Shakespeare’s day?
- What were the military duties of ranked officer’s?
- What was the military hierarchy?
- What was the role of women?
- What was expected of a daughter?
- What was expected of a bride?
- What relationships between men and women were considered above reproach?
- What rules for getting married existed at the time of the play?
- What were the rules of courtship?
Guided Practice:
- Days 3-5: After introducing the cast of characters
in the play, it may be helpful to have the students read a brief excerpt
of Act 1, scene iii, lines 49-169.
Several students may read specific roles aloud, or the teacher may
choose to have the entire class to stand in a circle and have each
student read one line aloud. Following the initial reading of the
text, the teacher will help students to construct meaning of the text
by having the students to restate what they read in their own language.
Preview the Lawrence Fishburne version of Othello based on the excerpt.
Have the students to think about and clearly state what they think
the issues are in the scene they’ve just previewed. They should
be able to support their opinions using the text.
Students should be able to make predictions about what they think
will happen next in the play. Using a three-column K-W-L chart as
a springboard, the students should be prepared to document what they
know before they continue reading using the (K); probe the students
curiosity about specific things they may want to look for as they
read under the (W) column; and write down what they actually learned
in the (L) section.
- Days 5-9: Model the Literature Circles roles of
a Discussion Director, Passage Master, Word Wizard, Connector, or Artful
Artist to use as a discussion catalyst for the students to emulate after
they have read selected lines of, the play.
At the teacher’s discretion, he or she may decide to read,
discuss, and show the video version in chunks as the student read
the play in class, or watch the movie after the play has been read
in its entirety. The pedagogical rationale, templates with descriptions
of the roles for the student, and a detailed description of the teacher’s
role can be found at the following sites on the Internet: http://www.npatterson.net/reading.html,
http://inquiryunlimited.org/lit/litcir/litcir.html.
Independent/Small Group Activities:
Students will be held responsible for performing at least three different
Literature Circles roles, and completing debriefing reports for teacher
review during days 5-9.
BCR’s will be composed utilizing the stages of
the writing process at the conclusion to the class reading of the play.
The initial pre-writing and rough drafts should be written in class to
allow for teacher guidance as needed. Written work should be carefully
integrated into the lesson after the daily reading of the play during
days 4-9.
The rough draft can be completed at home, proofread, and brought to class
for peer review before the final copy is submitted. Students will be encouraged
to formulate their own questions to assume greater “ownership”
of the reading material. Examples of BCR questions are as follows:
- Why is Iago successful with manipulating Othello?
- Do you believe that Iago represents the essential self-made Renaissance
man?
- How do the cultural and social dynamics in play contribute to Othello’s
insecurity?
- Compare and contrast Desdemona and Bianca. Does either one fit the
mold of a Renaissance woman? Why?
ECR’s will also be structured according the stages
of the writing process using the following prompt:
Are societies standards of value the same for all ethnic groups? If there
are similarities or differences for some, instead of others, would you
consider this to be fair or unfair? Why? Before you begin to write think
about:
- The contributions of diverse minority groups in the United States.
- Were some of these groups considered to valuable or useful?
- Is Othello’s estimation of his self-worth equal to the assessment
of Venetian society? Is this fair or unfair?
- Does Othello’s view of self-worth match his actions throughout
the play?
- Explain how the standards of value presented in the play related to
our post-modern society? Has the human condition changed? If so, in
what way(s)?
Students will also be expected to demonstrate understanding of the play
using an appropriate art form of their choosing including, but not limited
to the following projects below:
Othello Comic Book:
You will be responsible for drawing the major scenes of the play
as they relate to the elements of drama: conflict, rising action,
turning point, falling action, and resolution. Your comic book should
be colorful and attractive. Be sure to include a brief caption that
explains how your drawing relates to the play. If you choose to, you
may work in small groups of no more than four students. Your work
will be scored according to the following rubric:
| Very good |
Good |
Fair |
Poor |
Satisfactory |
| Attractive cover |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Jazzy title |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Synopsis of the play |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Colorful drawings |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Sequential order of scenes |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Captions with scenes |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Correct play notation format |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Minimum of five pages |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
Make every effort to proofread, revise,
and edit your work before final submission.
Points will be deducted for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.
0 errors: 10 points
1-3 errors: 6 points
4 or more errors: 4 points
Total points _______________x 2 = _______________
Evaluation of work:
Shakespeare lives from the page to the stage: In small
groups with no more than five students, you will be responsible for making
the play come alive for your audience. This should not be difficult
to do if you have a good handle on the plot. Should you choose
to accept this awesome challenge, you must choose two consecutive scenes
using three modes of delivery based on a logos, ethos, and eros interpretation
of the play. You will be given some latitude to change the language, or
modernize the play with the consensus of your fellow actors. Be creative.
Stretch your minds to the limit! Your final grade will be determined based
on the following scoring rubric:
| Very good |
Good |
Fair |
Poor |
Satisfactory |
| Creative stage design |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Attractive costumes |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Minimum of 10 minutes |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Four props |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Lines memorized |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Volume, pitch and tone |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Characterization |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| 2-page written self-assessment (per student) |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
Make every effort to proofread, revise,
and edit your work before final submission. Points
will be deducted for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.
0 errors: 10 points
1-3 errors:6 points
4 or more errors: 4 points
Total points ______________x 2 = ________________
Evaluation of work:
Closure: There are several strategies that the teacher
may use to wrap-up the lesson before the students leave class for the
day.
These strategies include, but are not limited to summarizing what they
learned, writing down questions they don’t understand, answering
open-ended questions, and reporting on the quality of discussion in the
Literature Circles groups.
A fun closure activity, Tell-Me-What-You-Know, can be
used at the teacher’s discretion based on the maturity level of
the class and the reading strategy used thus far.
Procedure:
- Each student should receive a 3-x 5 index card
- The students should write at least three facts they learned, or three
things they want to know.
- Play a classical CD that relates to the theme.
- Stop the CD at 1-2 minute intervals.
- Encourage the students to tell each other what they know about the
play, or clarify what they want to know.
Supplemental Reading that coincide with the lesson title:
- Ellison, Ralph. The Invisible Man
- Johnson, James Weldon. The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man
- Taylor, Mildred. Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry
- Angelou, Maya. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
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