African American History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in US history.聽This week we will look at the legacy of African American playwrights.
A Raisin in the Sun聽is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that聽tells the story of a Black family鈥檚 experiences in the Washington Park Subdivision of Chicago鈥檚 Woodlawn neighborhood as they attempt to 鈥渂etter鈥� themselves. With A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry was the first African American woman to have a play produced on Broadway. 聽invites students to explore the things relevant to a character from Lorraine Hansberry鈥檚 play聽A Raisin in the Sun, such as Mama鈥檚 plant, to unlock the drama鈥檚 underlying symbolism and themes. Students explore character traits and participate in active learning as they work with the play. Students use an interactive drama map to explore character and conflict, and then write and share character-item poems.
Another African American playwright, August Wilson, won critical acclaim,聽including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play, for his play Fences. It’s currently聽a major motion picture directed by Denzel Washington, starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis. Students can read聽Fences, then watch the film and compare the two.
Another August Wilson play,聽The Piano Lesson, invites students to ask a number of questions鈥攂ig and small鈥攁bout the characters, setting, conflict, and symbols in the work. After reading the first act, students learn how to create effective discussion questions and then put them to use in student-led seminar discussions after Act 1 and again at the end of the play. Read more in the ReadWriteThink.org lesson plan, “.”
from the Library of Congress presents ten plays written by Zora Neale Hurston, author, anthropologist, and folklorist. Read more about those plays from .听滨苍听, a book in the 楼凤天堂 High School Literature Series, readers will discover new ways to share the work of this important author with students. The book offers a practical approach to Hurston using a range of student-centered activities for teaching Hurston’s nonfiction, short stories, and the print and film versions of聽Their Eyes Were Watching God.
Interested in musical theater? for some fascinating details about historical聽Black musical theater.
Curious about the 楼凤天堂 and Library of Congress connection? Through a grant announced recently by 楼凤天堂 Executive Director Emily Kirkpatrick, 楼凤天堂 is engaged in new ongoing work with the Library of Congress, and 鈥渨ill connect the ELA community with the Library of Congress to expand the use of primary sources in teaching.鈥� Stay tuned for more throughout the year!
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