Othello Lesson Plan | Unit Objectives
1. Through reading Shakespeare's Othello students will see how one man's deceitful revenge results in four deaths in the tragedy.
2. Students will demonstrate their understanding of the text on four levels: factual, interpretive, critical and personal.
3. Students will analyze characters to better understand motivation for action.
4. Students will study the theme of revenge and the conflicts of man versus man and man versus himself.
5. Students will learn that prejudice, jealousy and revenge are a part of any historical era, not just modern times.
6. Students will be exposed to background information about Shakespeare, Elizabethan drama, and Othello.
7. Students will examine Shakespeare's use of language.
8. Students will be given the opportunity to practice reading aloud and silently to improve their skills in each area.
9. Students will answer questions to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the main events and characters in Othello as they relate to the author's theme development.
10. Students will enrich their vocabularies and improve their understanding of the play through the vocabulary lessons prepared for use in conjunction with the play.
11. The writing assignments in this unit are geared to several purposes:
a. To have students demonstrate their abilities to inform, to persuade, or to express their own personal ideas
b. To check the students' reading comprehension
c. To make students think about the ideas presented by the play
d. To encourage logical thinking
e. To provide an opportunity to practice good grammar and improve students' use of the English language.
12. Students will read aloud, report, and participate in large and small group discussions to improve their public speaking and personal interaction skills.