Its Author, Its Social Context and Its Themes

Objectives:

• Present Background information on the themes and conflicts present in the play

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• Identify big idea vocabulary of the play

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• Present Background Information on Lorraine Hansberry, author of A Raisin In The Sun by Watching “Seeing Heart” A Documentary Film

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• Present Background Information on the Social Influences of the play and The Great Migration

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• Present Background Information on Lorraine Hansberry, author of A Raisin In The Sun by Watching “Seeing Heart” A Documentary Film

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• Introduce Drama Terms

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Agenda:

• Identify Literary Periods in the United States– a time line. Focus on Modern and Post Modern Period.

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• Introduce Literary Term: Allusion & Simile

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• Read Poem: A Dream Deferred

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Analyze the poem in teams: SOAPS Analysis

Warm-up

Lets play a game…..students will attempt to make shots using the small basketballs into our goal “(trashcan)”

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Who do you think has the best shot: The tallest students? The ones closer to the the basket? The ones who have played the game before? The ones with skill and confidence?

Warm-up

What does the American Dream mean to you? Write about your understanding of the concept from what you may have heard, learned or even experienced.

Warm-up

1. In what ways might the conflict that we see in the opening scene of “A Raisin in the Sun” be connected to “The Great Migration”?

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• Describe with TWO Adjectives each one of the characters we’ve met so far: Ruth; Walter Lee; Travis.

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Warm-up

Why is it important to re-read revise our work? What are some changes that we might make during revision?

Reflection

What did we notice when reading our writing out loud? Why do you think reading out loud is part of a good revision strategy?

Warm-up

Who actually made the most shots? Girls? Boys? Taller students? Students sitting closer to the trash can?

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Warm-up

Who actually made the most shots? Girls? Boys? Taller students? Students sitting closer to the trash can?

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Reflection

How is our game of basketball like life? Who makes the baskets? Who is best poised to be successful? Write a one page reflection about the symbolism of the activity as it relates to real life and the American Dream.

Warm-up

What is the American Dream and what do you think has caused it to change?

Warm-up: My block

Describe your neighborhood. What street do you live on? What are its cross streets? Describe some of the people, places, sights and sounds that you see on a daily basis. If you know them, describe your favorite neighbors, and of their habits or any activity. Your goal is to use imagery so that we can see, hear, feel or experience what it might be like to be on your street, or your block.

Week 6 Objectives

To demonstrate understanding of a text by our generation of questions and answers.

Grammar: To review the use of transitions words and their meaning

To Read our Article of the Week: The Ways We Lie

To ponder “What has happened to the American Dream” and to begin “A Raisin in the Sun”

To learn about Lorraine Hansberry, author of “A Raisin In The Sun”

biographical information and sociocultural information: The Great Migration; Redlining

Agenda

Review Objectives

10 min SSR & Journal Submissions

Warm-up: Transitional Words and Phrases Activity

Class Article: The Ways We Lie

Continue TeamWork: Finish 8-10 Multiple Choice Questions

Homework: SOAPS?

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Student Generated Questions

What should someone who has heard/read the podcast twice know?

Your team’s task is to create 8-10 questions based on the podcast. At least four of the eight questions MUST BE MULTIPLE CHOICE.

Agenda & Objectives

Continue from Week 6: Looking at The American Dream; Gentrification; Academic Vocabulary & SBAC Practice; SSR& Instructional Routines

SSR& Journal Submission

Write/Turn and Talk: How does gen-tri-fication impact the American Dream? How is home ownership important to the American Dream?

Academic Verbs

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Week 10 Objectives & Agenda

To learn about migration, specifically The Great Migration and to connect it to attaining the American Dream;

To write persuasively– a rough draft rebuttal to the restrictive covenant letter using at least one appeal to pathos and one to to logos;

To revise writing for audience, and purpose

To continue to read/finish our Independent Reading and beginning preparation for Independent Reading Tasks

Week 11 Agenda & Objectives

To revise our Persuasive Rebuttal Letter with a focus on: Elaboration, Use of Sentence Frames/Transitions; and A Method of Organization that is best (Definition+Order of Importance)

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To learn more and analyze The Great Migration by listening to a Ted Talk; reading an excerpt from The Warmth of Other Suns; and a poem: The South by Langston Hughes

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To make connections between Immigration and The Great Migration and The American Dream through Qualitative Interviews.

Warm-up

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Warm-up #2: Why do you feel home ownership was so important to the American Dream? Do you STILL think home ownership is a major part of the American Dream? What do you know about home ownership? What do you want to know?

The Play

• A Raisin in the Sun, a play written by Lorraine Hansberry, premiered on Broadway in 1959 as a landmark piece of African American artistry and social criticism that preempted the swell of the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement.
• At twenty-nine, Hansberry became "the youngest American, the fifth woman, and the first black playwright to win the Best Play of the Year Award of the New York Drama Critics."
• Hansberry's 1961 film adaptation of the play won a Cannes Film Festival Award and received a nomination for Best Screenplay.  Despite Hansberry's early demise in 1965 at age thirty-four, Hansberry's work, in particular Raisin, continues to be applauded by the public as groundbreaking in establishing black theatre as a part of universal American culture.
• The central theme of dreams is analyzed through each character within the framework of Langston Hughes' poem, "Montage of A Dream Deferred," which inspired the title of the play.

Influences

• The 1960’s & Social Upheaval--The 1960’s were a restless time in the United States when teenagers were outspoken and rebellious. They hated the Vietnam War and the fact that the wealthy could evade the draft.
• There was rampant discrimination and in many cases violence as Blacks and other minority groups wanted the rights that citizenship afforded them
• To voice their dissatisfaction, they had sit-ins and protests:

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Close Analysis of Opening Scene

Why does the play begin with a woman or mother? What might we infer or what do you think the author might want us to generalize or think about?

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Influences continued….

• Historical Moments of the 1960’s: American Forces arrived in Vietnam in 1961
• President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 2, 1963 
• The Beatles arrived in the US in 1964 
• Malcolm X was assassinated Feb. 21, 1965 
• The Civil Rights Movement successfully advocated equal rights
• Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968 after giving a speech “The Other America”
• Robert F Kennedy was assassinated on June 6, 1968 
• Neil Armstrong walked on the moon July 1969

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The Great Migration

• The Great Migration was wen more than 6 million African-Americans would pack up and leave by plane, train, automobile, or bus to Northern and Western cities like Chicago; New York; Detroit; Los Angeles. If was the largest migration the country has ever known….
• Today we will have some independent time to view the resources on The Great Migration on the blog—Litexplorations and Teacher Talk and we will complete the Reflective Journal

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Warm-up

What do you do when you feel stuck in life? Discuss

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Do you think America is equal for women and men, boys and girls?

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How do you feel about traditional gender roles where men work and take care of the household and women are homemakers? Was this a good or a bad thing?

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Do you think men/males are less masculine than in previous generations?

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What do you think causes the most friction between married couples today?

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Do you think women are too ambitious?

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Objectives

To connect home ownership to empowering, favorable conditions and to the American Dream

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To identify, and define historical and systemic actions that limit home ownership of African-Americans

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Agenda

Share: Word Cloud and Reflection: Written

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Warm-up & Discussion

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Read: Sample Restrictive Covenant (SOAPS Analysis & Academic Summary

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Homework: Fryer Model Vocabulary: Restrictive; Covenant; Equity; aspiration; Aspire

Warm-up

How do you connect HOME OWNERSHIP with the American Dream?

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In the middle of your write paper write the words “Home Ownership”

Then, use markers and pens or colors to write out at least 12 words or phrases that you connect home ownership with the American Dream….

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Or that answer the question, “What are the benefits of home ownership? or Why own a home?

Warm-up

If home ownership is so important, why do you think African-Americans, Latinos and other people historically have been denied the benefit of home ownership? What obstacles do they face and are these obstacles all their fault?

Objectives

To finish incomplete work and assignments: SOAPS Analysis on excerpt from The Warmth of Other Suns….

To demonstrate understanding of The Great Migration through A Summary

To revise our rebuttal to the Restrictive Covenant using: the name of the sender; the recipient; the words: Restrictive Covenant; and appeals to emotion/logic/credibility

To revise our letter with a clear introduction; body and conclusion

To learn about the life of Lorraine Hansberry

To choose our Independent Reading Projects.

Agenda

Let’s bring it back: How to Write a Persuasive Letter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TguXJwpUQBY

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Breaking down the business letter:

Which is your main idea of your letter? Is it clearly identifiable?

Construct a thesis statement.

What is a thesis statement?

Construct a rebuttal:

Although , my claim, because…….