A Raisin in the Sun

1. A Raisin in the Sun A guide to teaching the text using multimedia resources

2. Author Background – Lorraine Hansberry • Hansberry’s background in relation to text background • Hansberry’s personal experiences • Provides students with African-American experiences of the time period • http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/corhans.htm

3. Multimedia Connection to Author Background • NPR Interview with Cheryl Corley • “For Morning Edition, NPR's Cheryl Corley reports that the play has its roots in Hansberry's experiences as the daughter of wealthy Chicago parents. Her report is part of NPR's Present at the Creation series about the origins of American icons.” • http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/patc/raisin/

4. Poetry to Introduce the Play • The poem from which the author derived the title • “A Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes • http://www.cswnet.com/~menamc/langston.htm

5. Multimedia Connection to Play • Interview with Lorraine Hansberry • Discusses personal motivations and struggles with the writing experience • http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/patc/raisin/

6. Post-reading Assessments • Write a book review • Write a movie review • Create a storyboard

7. Book Review • Introduce the idea of reviewing texts through reading a book review • Discuss with students point of view, tone, and audience appropriate for book review • http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A6455-2001Jul16&notFound=true • Students will write their own review of the play

8. Movie Review • Watch the film version of the play • Introduce to students a movie review for a current film, Guess Who • http://www.nypost.com/movies/41583.htm • Students will write their own review of the film

9. Storyboard • Class assessment of important events and scenes from the play • In groups, students select 5 scenes to depict on a visual that summarizes the plot • http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz/resources/units/movies/storyboard_example.html • Groups create storyboards elements reviewed on the website, such as a visual and a caption