LESSON DAY 9:
TITLE:
Crucible Act III & IV: Viewing, Reading, Discovering Meaning
SUBJECT:
American Literature and Composition
GRADE:
10th
QCC(s):
29, 36, 38, 41, 43, 44
GENERAL
OBJECTIVES: (IRA/NCTE standards for the English Language Arts)
Students will:
•
Apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and
appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with
other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts,
their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual
features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context,
graphics). (No. 3)
•
Participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a
variety of literacy communities. (No. 11)
SPECIFIC
OBJECTIVES: (Georgia’s Quality Core Curriculum)
Students will:
•
Read, discuss, and analyze American literature representing diversity (e.g.,
gender, ethnicity). (Topic: Reading/Literature – L.A.
9-12 No. 29)
•
Engage in discussion as both speaker and listener, critically and
constructively interpreting, analyzing, and summarizing ideas. (Topic:
Reading/Literature – L.A. 9-12 No. 36)
•
Evaluate messages and effects of mass media (newspaper, television, radio,
film, and periodicals). (Topic: Speaking/Listening – L.A.
9-12 No. 38)
•
Write in narrative, descriptive, persuasive, and expository modes with emphasis
on exposition. (Topic: Writing/Usage/Grammar – L.A.
9-12 No. 41)
•
Engage in the research process using appropriate print, electronic, and
interview sources; cites sources according to a standard style sheet (MLA, APA,
or other). (Topic: Writing/Usage/Grammar – L.A. 9-12 No.
43)
•
Write coherent, multi paragraph compositions. (Topic: Writing/Usage/Grammar – L.A. 9-12 No. 44)
PROCEDURES/TEARCHER
NOTES:
Daily Writing
Prompt:[10
minutes]
As
students enter the class each day they will be given a new expository prompt
either in a handout, written on the board or projected by an overhead. Students
will respond to the text by writing a paragraph.
Prompt:
There
is no maxim, in my opinion, which is more liable to be misapplied, and which
therefore, needs more elucidation than . . . that the interest of the
majority is the political standard of right and wrong. . . . it
would be the interest of the majority in every community to despoil and enslave
the minority of individuals; and in a federal community, to make a similar
sacrifice of the minority of component States. In fact, it is only
re-establishing, under another name and a more specious form, force as the
measure of right . . . .
Letter from
James Madison to James Monroe, Octr 5th, 1786 (Madison, 1865, I,
pages 250-251)
Question
the students will answer: Think about
what you have just read. Write an expository paragraph to turn in explaining
your response to the text.
Quick
Write: Students will create a fast response paragraph as quickly as possible.
When the students have finished their fast response, they should place it in
their class folder, put their pen/pencil down and remain quiet.
Overview of
main lesson:
The teacher
will
review the events in Act III with students. Then the students will view Act IV,
the conclusion of the film.
Step
1: [10 minutes]
Introduction
–The teacher will ask a few review questions of Act III.
Possible
questions could be:
Act III
1)
As this act opens, what accusation does Giles Corey make?
2)
When John Proctor arrives at court with Mary Warren, what
does Reverend Parris accuse him of?
3)
What is going to happen to the 91 people who signed the
testament stating a good opinion of Elizabeth, Martha Corey, and Rebecca Nurse?
4)
What is Giles Corey’s proof that Thomas Putnam is
"reaching out for land."? Why won’t he reveal his source?
5)
What is Reverend Hale’s advice to John Proctor as he is
about to read his disposition before the court?
6)
What does Abigail do when suspicion that she might be
pretending falls on her?
7)
What does John Proctor mean when he says, "God is
dead!"?
8)
What does Hale do when Proctor is arrested?
Step
2: [25 minutes]
The
students will view the remaining 25 minutes of the film The Crucible. This amount of the movie will cover the events in Act
IV.
Step
3: [10 minutes]
The
teacher will ask a few questions reviewing the conclusion of the film that also
covers the events in Act IV, the conclusion of the play.
Possible
questions could be:
1)
What happens to Giles Corey? (Clarify if necessary why he
was pressed to death instead of hung, and what it meant.)
2) What does Hale request of Elizabeth Proctor?
3) How has Elizabeth changed since we first met her?
4) After John confesses, what does Danforth want him to do?
What you think John
Proctor means when he says, "I have given you my soul; leave me my
name!"
Step
4: [10 minutes]
The
students will take turns reading the beginning of Act IV aloud.
Step
5: [20 minutes]
The
students will use the remainder of the class period to work on their paper. The
teacher will circulate and note on a list next to the student’s name which
topic they will be writing on, and at the same time see what point they are at,
and if they are stuck and need any help.
CLOSING:
With any remaining time, the teacher answer any questions about the essay
paper. The students will be reminded again that their essay paper is due on the
following Monday (Day 11). The teacher will also let them know that they can
work on the paper in class the next day as part of Free Reading/Writing Friday.
Homework:
Students need to read Act IV, p. 121-145.
MATERIALS:
The Crucible, TV/VCR, Film The
Crucible, dry erase markers
ADDITIONAL
TEACHER NOTES: What also needs to be touched on in discussion is the difference
between the film version and the text version of The Crucible. Possible
questions:
a)
Are the differences, confusing or distracting?
b)
Does the film version give too much additional information?
c)
How do the differences effect your view of the characters:
their personalities and their motivations?
SUPPLEMENTARY
MATERIALS: Students will need to have paper, pen/pencil.
EVALUATION:
Discussion:
The students’ response to Act III & IV prompter questions will show how
well students understand the film and the text of The Crucible.
Essay:
The students’ essay paper will provide a final assessment of the level of
understanding each student has reached on The Crucible.
ACCOMMODATIONS: See accommodation sheet
Also
special attention will be paid to the two students diagnosed with Attention
Deficit Disorder, to make sure that they have a clear plan on what they are
writing. It will also be determined if they will be working with their peer
helper on their paper during the next class, Free Reading/Writing Friday.
REFERENCES:
Madison,
James. and Fendall, Philip R., ed. Letters and Other Writings of James
Madison, Published by order of Congress
1865. 4 volumes. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1995.
Miller,
Arthur. and Weales, Gerald, ed. The Crucible: Text and Criticism. New
York: Penguin Books, 1996.
The
Crucible: Unit Plan [English Online]. 22 Nov 2001.
http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz/resources/units/crucible/home.html
The Crucible, Dir. Nicholas Hytner. Perf. Daniel Day-Lewis, Winona Ryder, Paul
Scofield and Joan Allen. 1996. Videocassette. Fox Video,
1997.