Instructions for the Notes & Questions Assignments

1.) For the Notes & Questions assignments, you will submit your notes from the readings and videos earlier in this unit.

2.) Then, you also will write any questions you have on the specific readings, the literary genre, and/or the course itself.

If you do not have any questions, you’ll need to explain why. In your response, briefly explain your understanding of the readings and literary genre.
Taking Notes

In order to ensure a solid grade on your notes, please take detailed notes.

In your notes, you should include two things:

  • First, a basic outline of the storyline and the work’s major ideas.
  • Second, you should take notes using at least three of the concepts listed below.

Basic Concepts for Interpreting Drama

When interpreting drama readings, students should consider taking notes on the following elements:

  • Dialogue: Pay attention to the conversations and interactions between characters, noting their words, tone, and subtext.
  • Stage Directions: Take note of the instructions given by the playwright regarding character movements, gestures, and expressions.
  • Characters: Analyze the traits, relationships, and motivations of the main characters, as well as their development throughout the play.
  • Conflict: Identify the central conflicts driving the plot, whether they are internal or external, and how they create tension.
  • Theme: Identify the overarching themes or messages explored in the play, such as love, power, justice, or identity.
  • Setting: Note the time, place, and social context in which the play is set, as it may influence the characters and their actions.
  • Symbolism: Look for symbolic elements, objects, or actions that carry deeper meaning and contribute to the overall themes of the play.
  • Stagecraft: Observe the use of lighting, sound, props, and set design to enhance the dramatic effect and convey meaning.
  • Dramatic Structure: Analyze the organization of the play, including acts, scenes, and the progression of events.
  • Subtext: Consider the underlying meanings, emotions, and intentions conveyed indirectly through the dialogue and actions of the characters.

These elements provide a starting point for interpreting drama readings, but it’s important to adapt and expand based on the specific play and its unique features. Additional elements such as dramatic irony, character dynamics, theatrical conventions, and the use of monologues or soliloquies may also come into play depending on the script being studied.
Attaching Your Notes

Perhaps the easiest way to take and submit detailed notes is to take your notes digitally, by typing them into a document offline.

To that end, it may be easiest to take, save, and submit your notes digitally, in another document that you can upload later.

However, since studies show that handwriting your notes may aid in learning retention, you may also submit photos of your hand-written notes, instead. However, they will need to be photographed and written clearly enough for me to read. To upload those photos, click the “Attach Files” button below, as when uploading .PDF files.
A Reminder about Daily Reviews of Your Notes

There are several reasons for taking careful notes in the course, beyond the challenges of keeping track of the readings for your essays later in the course.

One of the best ways to learn and retain what you study is to flip or scroll through your notes each day. It only takes a minute or two, and you needn’t read them in any detail. However, simply refreshing your mind each day — just by looking at them, however briefly — will help you in several ways:

  • Reviewing your notes daily will help you remember your studies later on, including for your quizzes, essays, and final exam.
  • These one- or two-minute-long reviews will also help clarify your thoughts and ideas about the readings and the course itself.
  • Ideas and concepts that once seemed complicated will become clear, as if by magic.
  • Plus, it’s a positive way to remember all that you’ve accomplished so far! 
  • In these ways, and more, brief daily reviews help you see the big picture and direction of the course, preparing you to move forward into new territory.

highly recommend briefly reviewing your notes daily.