Journal: You’ve made it to Spring Semester Journal: You’ve made it to Spring Semester! What do you feel that you did well last semester in class? What do you need to work and improve this semester to be the best student you can be?

Rule review General Information Reminders You must be in your seat and working on the warm up when the bell rings – NO EXCEPTIONS! Late work is not acceptable – You have plenty of time to complete your work in class and during bull time Absent work must be turned in within 5 days of your return – it is your responsibility to get that work. I do not check/respond to email after 4:30 on weekdays or at all on weekends. I enjoy my time out of school just as much as you do. We will be using Canvas a lot more this semester to conserve paper resources, so please make sure that you Google Drive works to turn in assignments.

How to email Multiple people emailed me about your paper last week, which is great. I have realized though that we need to learn the basics of formal emailing. On the sheet provided, fill in the notes and then practice writing a business email.

Email basics Every email must have a subject. This should explain to the person you are emailing what your email pertains to, and should be concise (4-5 words max) You should always start with a formal greeting (Dear Recipient,) After the greeting comes the body of the email. This is where you tell the recipient the reason you are writing. It should be concise and to the point (don’t ramble), and should be formal English with proper spelling and grammar. Almost all email platforms will spell check for you. Sign off the email with a formal closing (Sincerely, Your Name) Don’t put a postscript in formal emails. Everything you want to say should be in the body of the email.

Moving forward If your email does not contain these elements, I will not respond. If your email is unreadable because of poor spelling or grammar, I will not respond. This means all I’s should be capitalized, the language should be formal (no yo’s or what’s up?) Any email you send me needs to come from your Cabarrus County Student Account or I will not respond. On the back of your sheet you will find an outline of what emails look like. Write a formal email to your counselor for the following prompt: You are trying to decide what classes you should take senior year that will help you to get into your dream college. You should tell your counselor what you are interested in studying for college so that they can judge what classes would help you best to take your last year in high school.

Why does this matter? Do you want to go to college or get a job? Anywhere you get a job or go to college, you will have to email to correspond with professors, colleagues, supervisors, advisors, or clients – all of which will require and demand formal correspondence Poorly constructed emails make it seem like you don’t care, so why should the recipient?

Log on to canvas Log on to Canvas and locate the module for this week. The page for today’s date is under this module heading. Everything that you will need to complete as class assignments can be found on this page. Locate the Writer’s Workshop Instructions document that is linked on the page. Read through the document and highlight areas that you are confused or have questions about. We will be working with Writer’s Workshop almost daily this semester, so it is important that you get a journal this week and come to class prepared to write daily.

Othello We are going to start looking at Othello. Get out a scrap piece of paper and label it 1-10. As I read the following statements, write down whether you agree, disagree, or are neutral. You must be silent during this activity or we will skip it and move to reading.

Background information Elements of Shakespearean tragedy A tragedy is a drama in which a series of actions leads to the downfall of the main character, called the tragic hero. The plot builds to a catastrophe, or a disastrous final outcome, that usually involves the death of the hero and many others.

Tragic Hero The tragic hero at the center of a tragedy is a person of high rank who accepts his or her downfall with dignity. The tragic hero is a common archetype. A tragic flaw is an error in judgment or a weakness in character, such as hubris. The tragic hero recognizes the flaw and its consequences, but only after it is too late. This realization helps to redeem his character. Despite the tragic hero’s tragic flaw, there is usually some redeeming quality or qualities that make us sympathize with or root for the tragic hero. The catastrophe must be a result of the tragic hero’s tragic flaw. It is not usually an accident or coincidence. The tragic hero is usually a “human” character with which the audience can relate. The tragic hero usually encounters some disappointed hope or frustrated ambition.

Modern Day Tragic Heroes

Common concepts in Shakespearean Tragedy The desire for power Gender roles—usually switching Issues of the human psyche— exploring the motivations behind people’s actions Language tricks (i.e. puns)

Important Play Elements Soliloquy: A speech given by a character alone on stage, used to reveal his or her private thoughts and feelings Aside: A character’s remark, either to the audience or to another character, that no one else on stage is supposed to hear Monologue: A long speech given onstage in the presence of others. Apostrophe: This is a speech given by an actor onstage in which he or she addresses a personification or abstract concept that is not physically present onstage. Stage Directions: stage directions are usually written in brackets or in italics. They are important!

Blank verse and Iambic Pentameter Blank verse is unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter. Shakespeare’s plays are primarily written in blank verse Iambic pentameter is a pattern of rhythm that has five unstressed syllables followed by a stressed syllable in one line of poetry

Sonnet 20 Read the poem on the sheet given to you. See if you can mark the feet and the iambic pentameter in the sonnet. Who is the subject of the poem? What is the speaker saying about the subject? Highlight any clues in the poem that tell you about the subject and the speaker’s feelings towards them.

Background on Othello Primarily set in Cyprus, though it opens in Venice Deals with issues of loyalty, race, social status, and revenge Also heavily deals with wrongdoings and manipulation Is considered one of Shakespeare’s major tragedies

Act I Scene I Read Act I Scene I in groups of three. Explain/summarize what is happening between the characters. What do they each think of Othello? Why does Iago want revenge? Why is Brabantio shocked in hearing that Desdemona has eloped with Othello?