I almost forgot how much I love this play! A Raisin in the Sun is a fun read, political poignant, and ends on a good note.
One thing never fails, though, when assigning a play to read - students don't want to volunteer to read out loud. We eventually got there and I am happy with the reader's we do have - they help to get us into the play better.
To help kids make connections I choose to use lyrics as poetry with blues music from the time period of the play. It works really well. Students understand the hard times the Youngers struggle with, connect with situations the characters find themselves in, and even laugh or are audibly surprised when they should be. Their reaction of shock to Walter's off-hand comment about babies was priceless having soon discovered that Ruth may or may not of had an abortion.
Overall this week I learned that my students are up to the task of the class and are still having fun even as we near the last week of school.
I am proud of them.
One thing never fails, though, when assigning a play to read - students don't want to volunteer to read out loud. We eventually got there and I am happy with the reader's we do have - they help to get us into the play better.
To help kids make connections I choose to use lyrics as poetry with blues music from the time period of the play. It works really well. Students understand the hard times the Youngers struggle with, connect with situations the characters find themselves in, and even laugh or are audibly surprised when they should be. Their reaction of shock to Walter's off-hand comment about babies was priceless having soon discovered that Ruth may or may not of had an abortion.
Overall this week I learned that my students are up to the task of the class and are still having fun even as we near the last week of school.
I am proud of them.