Hey, there.  So this is what Jesse had to say about my Powerpoint project.  But really, what does he know? I felt a little conerned going into this project because i’ve never felt very comfortable with Powerpoint but I was actually surprised that once I got into the flow it was all good and I felt confident.  I still have a lot to learn but I could very easily see myself using Powerpoints in lesson plans.  Okay, without further ado, here’s Jesse! 

 To be or not to be…oops, wrong play!

Nice job on your slide show. A few suggestions:  I
think the letters flying in one at a time is cool, but
kind of distracting to the reader. It could cause
seizures in young children, LOL.  Since this is
Shakespeare, possibly choose a style/font that is more
antique or old looking?  But what do I know…just a
suggestion. For someone who doesn’t know much about
Shakespeare, your slide show does a good job of giving
visual aids. I like how you used the map of Venice at
the beginning to set the scene.

OTHELLO WEBQUESTBy Jerry McGill, Pacific U Grad Student

This Webquest has been designed for ninth grade students with the intention of making Shakespeare more fun and accessible. Students will read William Shakespeare’s fascinating, intense tragedy, OTHELLO, then write an alternate ending to the play.

INTRODUCTION

This month we will read one of Shakespeare’s most performed and most famous tragedies, “Othello”. We will look in great detail at all of the main characters, scrutinizing their motivation and their roles in the intricate plot.

TASK

* After you are done reading the play you and a classmate (I will choose teammates randomly) will peruse the internet for a tutorial on basic playwriting skills. These links are a great starting point: http://www.playwriting101.com/ and http://www.stageaffair.com/
* You and your classmate will then take the skills you learned from your playwriting tutorial and together you will write one scene, an alternate ending to the tragedy. The ending need not change the fate of any characters, but it can if you would like it to.
* Type it up.
PROCESS

You must have at least four of the main characters involved in your rewrite. Once it is finished assign classmates to act in your play (yourselves not included).
EVALUATION

Both of you will be evaluated as a couple and receive the same exact grade. The highest possible score will be a 60. You will be graded based on the following:

Your ability to adhere to the conventions of playwriting (15 pts)
Originality (15 pts)
Strength of Characterizations (15 pts)
Creativity (15 pts)

CONCLUSION

It is my sincere hope that this project will foster creativity in the minds of my students as well as show them how much fun creative writing can be. I want them to enjoy reading Shakespeare and illuminate their own writing talents. I believe that we can do this assignment with several other works as well thus giving them a sincere appreciation for “The Bard.”

Teacher Page

As a young student in junior high school I was introduced to Shakespeare via “Romeo and Juliet”. I found the work terribly difficult to read and comprehend and was most frustrated by it. I did not view it as a work of art, instead I saw it as a distant, annoying work that may as well have been written in an entirely different language. It wasn’t until years later when I had the good fortune to perform in the play that I realized the true beauty that is the gift of William Shakespeare.

I hope to spare my students the angst and frustration I endured by showing them early on that this “Shakespeare Dude” can be profound and entertaining.

Resources

Nice presentation!! I really liked the color scheme. The background is bright and the other foreground colors accent it nicely. I also like that the diagram is simple. There is not a lot of clutter or extra details to get confused with.

The only suggestion I would make is to use “links” to connect the pictures. It might give the overall picture of the diagram more cohesiveness. I also think we are required to label one of those links as part of the assignment. This might also be because I havent read the book, but I was wondering why there are two plot points: Hayden plot point and Phoebe plot point. Probably anyone who has read the book would have understood that.

David, thank you much for your feedback.  I know this is a very rough draft as I still feel I have a LOT to learn about this program.  I would hand out this diagram as a precursor to the reading of the novel, “The Catcher In The Rye” in my Language Arts class. Hopefully, it will inspire the students to become intrigued by the themes and characters. The entire process was very challenging for me as I struggle with computer technology.   The benchmark I wanted to meet was for students to be able to read and examine literary texts for content and structure.