Hi there.

It's so good to see you today.

Welcome to your lesson on analysing the theme of appearances and reality in the play, "Othello".

I'm Miss Sutherland and I'll be teaching you today.

By the end of today's lesson, you would've learned to structure a conceptual argument in response to a question about a theme.

Our keywords for today are deceit.

Deceit is the act of causing someone to believe something that is not true.

Iago is a deceitful character in the play "Othello" because he causes a lot of characters to believe things are the case when they're not.

Perception means the ability to hear, see, or become aware of something.

Contemptible means unworthy of respect.

And lastly, topic sentence.

A topic sentence is the first sentence of a paragraph.

It states the paragraph's main idea.

Pause the video and note down any of those keywords that you need to.

So in today's lesson we have two learning cycles.

We're going to start by learning how to write a thesis statement and then we are going to learn how to write an effective topic sentence.

Let's start with writing a thesis statement.

You are gonna plan an answer to this question in today's lesson.

The question is, how does Shakespeare use Iago to explore ideas around appearances and reality in "Othello"? Aisha is also going to answer the question with you.

Let's see how she's annotated this question.

First, she underlines the word how, because this means she's going to need to explore Shakespeare's dramatic methods.

Next, she underlines Iago because she knows she needs to focus on that character in order to make a successful response.

Next, she underlines appearances and reality because that is the theme the question is asking her about.

She needs to write about appearances and reality.

Here is Aisha's planning grid.

Each section has a purpose.

The thesis is where you'll write your overarching arguments supported by the whole text.

The topic sentence section is where you'll plan the first sentence of each paragraph.

It states each paragraph's main idea.

You might have three to four topic sentences per essay.

The supporting detail section is where you will include references to the text, which support your topic sentence and they will be written in notes form, including main quotations and supporting quotations.

The concluding sentence section is where you'll writes your final sentence of a paragraph.

It concludes the paragraph's main idea.

And lastly, the conclusion.

The conclusion sums up your essay's overall thesis.

We are going to focus on writing a good thesis statement for our essay in this learning cycle.

Thesis statements should address the writer's purpose or message in relation to the question's focus.

So our question is, how does Shakespeare use Iago to explore ideas around appearances and reality? Here's what Aisha has come up with.

"Arguably, Shakespeare's "Othello" reveals that you cannot trust people by their outward appearances.

Shakespeare shows that Iago is a master manipulator.

All of the characters and events in "Othello" are controlled by him." Discuss.

In relation to the success criteria above, what has Aisha done well and what does she need to improve? Remember, there were two parts of the success criteria.

The first was to talk of the writer's purpose, and the second one was to make sure your thesis statement links to the question's focus.

So pause the video and discuss what has Aisha done well and what does she need to improve? Whilst Aisha's thesis statement tackles the writer's purpose in the opening line, the rest of the response is not directly linked to the question focus.

And you can see here how Aisha says Shakespeare may be warning the audience not to trust people by outward appearances, so that does talk about Shakespeare's purpose, but there's no mention of appearances and reality and how we Iago is involved in that specifically in the rest of the thesis statement.

Aisha touches upon it, but doesn't make this explicit.

Here is Aisha's redraft.

"In "Othello", the theme of appearances and reality permeates Iago's character as he deceives almost every character to manipulate their perception of reality.

Iago is Shakespeare's tool to illuminate the idea that outward appearances cannot be trusted." Now, in relation to the success criteria of linking your thesis statement to the question focus and talking of the writer's purpose, what does Aisha done well and what does she need to improve? Pause the video and discuss that question.

Now Aisha's response tackles both the writer's purpose and is firmly linked to the question, which is Iago and the theme of appearances and reality.

Well done, Aisha.

To improve your thesis statement further, consider a slightly different viewpoint beyond any initial obvious ideas to make it critically evaluative.

To create a critically evaluative thesis statement, you can offset obvious ideas with more creative critical ideas using words such as whilst or not only to help you.

I now want you to help Aisha decide which of her peers succeeds in creating a critically evaluative thesis statement.

So here is Izzy's thesis statement.

"Whilst Iago is clearly a deceiving and contemptible anti-hero who blurs the lines between appearances and reality, Shakespeare also exposes the weakness of those who are too trusting in "Othello", wanting people to question the motives of others in order to see true reality." And Dimp's thesis statement is, "Iago is a deceiving and contemptible anti-hero who blurs the lines between appearance and reality.

Shakespeare characterised him as a director in the play that is able to control other characters through his manipulation of reality, which leads to their tragic end." So which of these students succeeded in creating a critically evaluative thesis statement? Remember, critically evaluative means going beyond the obvious ideas and thinking about a fresh new perspective.

Pause the video and discuss which student creates a critically evaluative thesis statement.

Izzy has created a critically evaluative thesis statement as she considers that through the theme of appearances and reality, Shakespeare could be exposing not just Iago's villainy but also the other character's weaknesses.

Well done, Izzy.

Now let's check your understanding of how to write a thesis statement.

What is not a way to improve your thesis statement? Pause the video and answer that question.

Well done if you said, including detailed language analysis is not a way to improve your thesis statement.

This is because a thesis statement just needs to summarise an overarching argument.

There is no need to analyse language at all in the thesis statement.

This comes in the main body paragraphs.

You do need to refer to the writer's purpose in your thesis statement.

You do need to focus firmly on the question.

And it would be excellent to consider a slightly different viewpoint.

Now, I want you you to write your own thesis statement for the question, how does Shakespeare use the Iago to explore ideas around appearances and reality in "Othello"? Remember, this is what you need to do in your thesis statement to ensure it's successful.

You need to focus on the question.

You need to refer to the writer's message or purpose.

And you could try to make it critically evaluative by using phrases like whilst, not only, or crucially.

Here are some sentence starters to get you started.

You could say, "In "Othello", perhaps Shakespeare and crucially.

." Pause the video and write your thesis statement.

Good luck.

You are now going to self-assess your thesis statement.

I want you to firstly reread your thesis statement, secondly, reread the success criteria on the right hand side and write down what you did well and what your target is for next time.

Pause video and self-assess your thesis statement.

Remember, a good thesis statement sets you off well for success in the rest of your essay, so it's very important to take time on your thesis statement and make sure you are happy with it before moving on.

We're now going to move on to writing topic sentences.

Aisha now wants to start drafting her topic sentences because that's the next step in her essay.

Aisha is a bit confused on the difference between thesis statements and topic sentences.

Comparing thesis statements to topic sentences can be a useful way to understand what a topic sentence is.

Let's explore this.

Thesis statements are an overarching argument of the entire essay.

Topic sentences explain though just the purpose of an individual paragraph.

Thesis statements are supported by the entire text, whereas topic sentences are supported by moments in the text.

Thesis statements are found in your introduction, whereas topic sentences are found at the start of each main body paragraph.

So there we have three differences between thesis statements and topic sentences.

I now want you to consider the thesis statements in contrast to the topic sentences and discuss what's are the differences.

Your first thesis statement is, Shakespeare presents Iago as a director in the play, setting up scenes to place his machinations.

How does that differ from Shakespeare uses act three, scene three, to show how Iago directs the peripeteia of the play and contributes to Othello's downfall.

Your next thesis statement is, whilst Iago is clearly a deceiving and contemptible anti-hero, Shakespeare also exposes the weakness of those who are too trusting.

How is that different from Iago promises to help Roderigo whilst revealing his plan to be treacherous towards Othello? Roderigo could be seen as naive to trust Iago when his capability for deception is so obvious.

Pause the video and discuss the differences between the thesis statements on the left and the topic sentences on the right.

Here's what you may have said.

The thesis statement, Shakespeare present Iago as a director in the play, setting up scenes to his play to his machinations.

It's an idea that's supported by the whole text.

Shakespeare uses acts three, scene three to show how Iago directs the peripeteia of the play and contributes to Othello's downfall, is a topic sentence that focuses on a specific scene in the text.

Whilst Iago is clearly a deceiving and contemptible anti-hero, Shakespeare also exposes the weakness of those who are too trusting.

This is a thesis statement that, again, is supported by the whole text, whereas this concept of Iago promising Roderigo to help him at the same time as revealing his treachery towards Othello, is a topic sentence focused on a specific idea in the text, it only talks of Roderigo and algo, not of Iago's manipulation of other characters.

I hope that's helped you see the difference between thesis statements and topic sentences.

Let's check your understanding.

Thesis statements starts every paragraph, true or false? Pause the video and answer that question.

Well done if you said that's false.

Thesis statements do not start every paragraph.

Justify your answer.

Pause the video and make sure you understand why that's false.

That's false because a thesis statement starts your essay and it is an argument supported by the whole text.

We only need one thesis statement per essay and that always goes at the beginning in the introduction, after that, we have topic sentences that start every paragraph.

Topic sentences should contain evaluative adjectives and phrases to communicate interpretations they should not contain devices.

Let's look at this plan here.

How does the topic sentence here meet the success criteria? The topic sentence is, Shakespeare introduces Iago as deceitful in act one, willing to distort Roderigo's perception of reality for his own gain.

How does that topic sentence meet the success criteria of containing evaluative adjectives and phrases to communicate interpretations not literary devices? Pause the video and answer that question.

The topic sentence provides a concrete interpretation of the Iago through the values of adjective deceitful and the phrase willing to distort for his own gain.

All of the devices, as you can see, are mentioned in the supporting details.

So we can see in the supporting details, we've mentioned the use of soliloquy and inclusive pronouns.

You need to make sure that your devices are part of your supporting details, not your topic sentences.

We are now going to look at the sequencing of topic sentences, so let's reread the thesis statement.

In "Othello", the theme of appearances and reality permeates Iago's character as he deceives almost every character to manipulate their perception of reality.

Iago is Shakespeare's tool to illuminate the idea that outward appearances cannot be trusted.

Topic sentence one is, Shakespeare introduces Iago as deceitful in act one, willing to distort Roderigo's perception of reality for his own game.

The second topic sentence in this essay is, by act three, scene three, Shakespeare shows Iago as a director driving the tragic hero's fate and thus the whole plot.

The final topic sentence of the essay is, the closing scene demonstrates that anyone that trusted Iago suffers a devastating fate, providing a final warning that appearances cannot be trusted.

As I said before, we are looking at connections and the sequencing of topic sentences.

Discuss, what do you notice about the topic sentences as the essay progresses? Pause the video and discuss that question.

These topic sentences develop in a sequence to maintain focus on the argument and gradually prove the thesis.

We can see how topic sentence one talks of Iago manipulating Roderigo and topic sentence two talks about Iago manipulating Othello.

And the last topic sentence talks about how anyone that trusted Iago is shown to be suffering a tragic fate, thereby proving our thesis that Iago is Shakespeare's tool to illuminate the idea that outward appearances cannot be trusted.

I now want you to plan your three topic sentences that you will use to support your thesis statement from earlier.

Remember, the question is, how does Shakespeare use Iago to explore ideas around appearances and reality? Here is your success criteria for topic sentences.

You need to introduce the main idea of each paragraph.

You need to express interpretations, not merely citing devices.

You need to make sure each topic sentence follows in a sequence and that they all link back to the thesis statement.

And you need to make sure your topic sentences work together to prove the argument.

Pause the video and write your three topic sentences for that question now.

Great effort everyone.

I now want you to self-assess your topic sentences using the guiding questions below.

Does each topic sentence introduce the main idea of each paragraph? Do your topic sentences express interpretations, not citing devices? Does each topic sentence follow in a sequence linking back to the original thesis statement? And overall, do your topic sentences work together to prove the argument? Pause the video and self-assess your topic sentences.

Well done.

Remember, planning your topic sentences thoroughly will help you in your essay writing and will save you time in the grander scheme.

Let's go through all we've learned today.

You can develop critically evaluative thesis statements using phrases such as whilst, not only, and crucially.

Thesis statements should address the writer's purpose or message in relation to the question focus.

Topic sentences should contain evaluative adjectives and phrases to communicate interpretations, not devices.

And topic sentences should develop in a sequence to maintain focus on the argument.

Very well done on your learning journey today.

Thank you for joining me, and I hope to see you again soon.