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I've put up the first page of the Othello Test so you can know exactly what it will be like. I think the best way to study would be to get together with a few other people and a big piece of paper, have each person find five quotations they think are really interesting from Othello, and put them on sticky notes. Then talk about how these quotations are related and how you would organize them on a page to show these relationships.

If you're having trouble memorizing lines, here are some suggestions:

• Understand what the lines mean -- every word. Work with somebody else until you do understand every word. It's much harder to memorize lines you don't understand.
• Chunk your lines. Break them into chunks of 4-6 lines each, breaking them where your character starts on a new idea. Focus on one chunk at a time.
• Match your lines to your actions. If you're walking onto the stage as you give your lines, chunk them into three groups: One for lines you deliver while you walk, one for lines you deliver once you arrive at your spot, and one for lines you deliver as you turn to another character.
• Get somebody else to read the lines that prompt yours. Have a friend read the other parts. If your lines are a conversation, call the other actor on the phone and practice your lines to each other.
• Copy your lines out onto another sheet of paper. Taking the time to write them out can help you understand (and remember) their structure.
• Repeat! Say them under your breath as you wait in the lunch line. Read them over and over on the bus.

I have been using Google Analytics on mrproctor.net, so I can learn about how people use the site. Here's an interesting graph showing what time of day people tend to log on. I am pleased to see a big jump between 4 and 5 PM, suggesting a lot of people check their homework as soon as they get home. It's also clear which five hours some of you choose to sleep.

The much-missed vocabulary lists are back, and better than ever. There's also a way to quiz yourself here. In other news, mrproctor.net just passed 10,000 pageviews for the year, with almost 4,000 separate visits. That means an average of about 3 visits per student per week (if everyone were using the site).

In class today, a student asked me how I come up with questions for class. It's no secret: I do research. When I'm preparing for a new unit, I'll always go down to the UT library and check out a bunch of books on the upcoming topic. If you're interested in our Othello unit, I can recommend two chapters in particular. They're both college level, so you might struggle with them, but I found the ideas quite accessible...