Summative Activities (remix) for A Raisin in the Sun

Characters and their logic: Have students select scenes from the play where characters either argue or discuss different ideologies and worldviews. Have students account for how logic functions or doesn't function within a particular character's lines from the play. Students will probably need to be familiar with logical fallacies in order to complete the assessment. The mode in which students complete this task is up to individual teachers.

Understanding a character's worldview:  Present students with a series of articles having to do with or explaining current events. Then have students write in a response to the current event in the voice of a character from the play. If teachers prefer, they can opt to have students read canonical nonfiction as opposed to current events and have Walter (or any other character) respond to essays typically featured in Samuel Cohen's 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology (or the like).

Working with "A Raisin in the Sun:" Once students have analyzed their image from the original production of the play, they should work in their groups to consider which scenes from the entire play they believe are key to understanding the narrative (4-6 scenes total). Then, they should determine what the staging of that scene would look like and create tableaus for each scene, being sure to provide a written rationale explaining their choices.

Cross-textual connections - reimagining a novel as a play: As an alternative, students could work in their groups to consider a text previously read in class. In their groups, they should consider which scenes from the novel they believe are key to understanding the narrative (4-6 scenes total). Then, they should determine how those scenes would look if they were revised for a dramatic production. Finally, they should determine the staging of those scenes and create tableaus for each scene, being sure to provide a written rational explaining their choices.

A Modern Update: Working in groups, students should reimagine the play in a modern-day setting. What elements of the play would need to change to fit the new time-period? Teachers may wish to ask students to find contemporary resources (similar to the ones provided in the original lesson plan) to serve as their inspiration/justification for their choices. Finally, teachers may ask students to either provide a script, act out the script, perform a scene, or create a series of tableaus to demonstrate their mastery of the unit.





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