Annotated Teacher Resources
Beers, Kylene. When Kids Can't Read: What Teachers Can Do: A Guide for Teachers 6-12. N.p.: Heinemann, 2002.
This book is a great resource for any teacher, not just reading teachers. It reveals strategies for teaching students to comprehend what they're reading. I like some of the basic suggestions, like teaching students to reread, more than once, to gain better understanding.
Corrigan, Timothy J. A Short Guide To Writing About Film. 6th ed. N.p.: n.p., 2007.
The back cover explains that this book "introduces students to the terms and major theories they need to know to think and write critically about film." I recommend it to anyone currently teaching film or planning to teach film in the future. This is great information for an English teacher who supplements curriculum with film or one who wishes to truly teach film as part of the curriculum.
Filming Othello. A film by Orson Welles. 1978. Videocassette.
This is a documentary done by Welles about Othello and his experience in adapting the play for film. There's nothing better, in my opinion, than hearing from the horse's mouth. In this 90 minute production, Welles reviews his opinions and interpretations about Shakespeare, film, and Othello.
Hulbert, Jennifer, Kevin J Wetmore, and Robert L. York. Shakespeare and Youth
Culture. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.
This book is a great resource for teachers who want to teach Shakespeare to a younger audience. It discusses, in detail, many of the available adaptations of Shakespeare's plays and the modern implications. There's a section entitled "Smells Like Teen Shakespirit" which highlights O as a modern adaptation of Othello.
Manvell, Roger. Shakespeare and the Film. New York: Praeger Publishers, Inc., 1971.
This is a book about Shakespeare and film adaptation. Because it was published in 1971, it doesn't discuss the newer adaptations that may excite students, but it is a great resource for many of Shakespeare's plays that have been made into films.
McCulloch, Helen, and Gary K. Cary. Shakespeare's Othello, CliffsNotes. N.p.: IDG Books Worldwide, Inc., n.d.
This is an easy to use way to get lots of information about Othello. A teacher might read this when making a decision whether or not to teach the play. Students can use this as a guide when reading or to supplement difficult areas of the text. I particularly like the section entitled "Critical Essays."
O. Directed by Tim Blake Nelson. 2001. DVD.
This is adaptation of Othello, set in a modern high school, uses basketball as a backdrop to recreate Shakespeare's tragic play.
Othello. Directed by Geoffrey Sax. 2002. DVD.
This adaptation of Othello has all the elements of Shakespeare's play retold using a modern police department and the bureaucracy therein.
Othello Side by Sides. Side by Sides. London: Prestwick House, Inc., 2005.
This is a great student resource and helpful to teachers when teaching Shakespeare. Side by Sides are published using original Shakespeare text accompanied by modern rendition. Teachers can use this during specifically difficult sections of a play or for an entire reading. Because Shakespeare's language is on the left page with rendering on the right, it makes it possible to use them simultaneously, one after the other, or only when needed.
SparkNotes: Othello. 2006. SparkNotes LLC. 6 July 2007 http://www.sparknotes.com///>.
Much like CliffsNotes, yet online, this is a great resource for teachers and students alike. I don't think it's cheating for teachers to elicit help from sources like this. I like Spark Notes because it's free and easy to use. Students can gather information here for studying and solidifying their own thoughts or answering questions. This particular URL will get you to the Othello information, but the literary index is infinite.
Wiggins, Grant, and Jay McTighe. Understanding by Design. 2nd ed. N.p.: n.p., 2005.
This book is the basis for many new professional development seminars for teachers. It outlines an approach to teacher where the instructor understands the finished product before beginning a unit. The instructor develops the assessment prior to teaching each lesson so that teacher and student are clear about expectations.
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