Sample Lesson 1:
Activity:
Family Interview
Purpose:
Students will become more familiar with members of their family outside of their “traditional” role in the family.
It is interesting and fun to learn things about people, even people we think we already know. Ask someone from your family the following questions and see how many new things you learn.
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1. What is your full name?
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2. What was your name before you were married?
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3. Where were you born?
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4. What is/was your favorite subject in school?
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5. What is/was your school like?
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6. Who is your best friend?
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7. What do you like to do with your free-time?
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8. If this is an older relative (parent, aunt, uncle, parent) askWhat are some things you liked to do as a young person?
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9. Where is the most interesting place you have ever lived?
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10. Where is the most interesting place you have ever been? Why?
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11. What do you think is most special about you?
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12. What is your favorite food?
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13. If you could change one thing about yourself or about the world, what would it be? Why?
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14. Is there anything not on this interview that you’d like to tell me about yourself?
Sample Lesson 2:
Activity:
Developing Positive Self-Concepts:
Goal:
To make students feel wanted and valued in your class, to improve positive self-concept and identity.
Procedure:
Students are asked to write autobiographical sketches and bring in pictures of themselves when they were younger. They list their strengths and weaknesses and describe what they want to be when they grow up.
Variation:
Students are asked to write biographical sketches and bring in pictures of some member of their family when they were younger and a recent photo. They detail why they chose this family member and the members importance to them.
Variation:
Students are asked to write a brief “biographical sketch” of some member(s) of the Younger family. They are also asked to draw pictures (photographs) to connect with the biographical sketches.
Sample Lesson Plan 3:
Activity:
Vocabulary Meaning Through Contextual Clues
Students will be given a list of vocabulary words from “A Raisin in the Sun”. They will be asked to listen for these words as they are used in a brief paragraph. They will need to attend to contextual clues to figure out their meanings. The teacher will read the paragraph to the class. Students will try to figure out what each word means, and write the definitions on their worksheet. Example:
Vocabulary Words:
sternly, oppression, vindicated, mutual, appreciation
His mother says
sternly
, “If you don’t take this comb and fix this here head, you better!” Travis puts down his books with a great sigh of
oppression
. He finally puts the books down, turns around, and rolls his eyes at her, knowing the mood has changed and he is
vindicated
. They face each other and embrace in a display of
mutual appreciation
.
Discuss the meaning of the words. Have students support their definitions with context clues from the selection. If they have difficulty defining a word, reread that part of the selection. Then ask for synonyms for the vocabulary word. Finally, have volunteers suggest other sentences using the words.
Sample Lesson 4:
Activity:
Role Playing Students with Positive and Negative Self-Concepts
Goal:
To relate what we know about concepts of positive and negative identity to realistic situations.
Procedure:
The role playing works best with one or more groups of six players. Begin by writing “positive” on three slips of paper and the word negative on three slips of paper. Fold the six slips of paper and put them in a box. Each role player picks out a slip of paper but does not reveal to the others the word he or she has picked. If you picked “positive” your job will be to role play a person with a positive self-concept (however you define it). If you picked negative, your job will be to role play a person with a negative self-concept (however you define it). Students do not know beforehand what role the other group members are assigned although you do know that the three members have picked positive and three have picked “negative”.
When the role playing is over, each player might pick out one other member of the group and describe the behaviors which that member exhibited in the role-playing skit (in this manner each role player’s behavior is described by another member of the group). Next each role player can discuss, in turn, the problem he encountered, if any, in portraying the assigned role. Also, it might be helpful to re-role play the situation, this time exchanging roles.
As with any role playing activity, students will need much encouragement, support, and example. Be prepared to model what you expect by being actively involved as participant and coach.
Variation:
On index cards, write out several examples drawn from the play “A Raisin in the Sun” that illustrate characters involved in either positive or negative behaviors. Students pick an index card and are encouraged to role play the situation.
Sample Lesson Plan 5:
Students will be involved in a creative writing exercise. They will use their theater journals (introduced previously). They will be encouraged to think about what may have happened to the Youngers after they moved into their new neighborhood. They will write several short scenes detailing the Youngers’ “new” experiences.
Sample Lesson Plan 6:
As a culminating activity, the students will have the opportunity for preparation, rehearsal, and production of a scene from “A Raisin in the Sun”, Act III, pages 142-151. (When Walter turns down Mr. Lindner’s offer to buy their house back.)
All students will be able to take part in this activity. Students can take one of a variety of roles: actor, actress, narrator, assistant director, cue card holder, prop carrier/scene changer, video recorder, audience, etc.
In this scene, minimal props will be used. In addition, the performance will be videotaped so that the students will be able to enjoy viewing the final product.
