Teacher Guide for FAST-R Passage: FAST-R: Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading. A Raisin in the Sun Drama.

Transcription

1 Teacher Guide for FAST-R Passage: FAST-R: Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading At a Glance Approximate Grade Range: Genre: Drama Topic: This excerpt from Hansberry s classic play introduces an African-American father yearning for his son to achieve the American Dream of a white, upper-middle-class existence. Author: Lorraine Hansberry Source: A Raisin in the Sun (1959) Special Note: used on G10 MCAS 2003 A Raisin in the Sun Drama Difficulty Index: Considerate Challenging Structure: Purpose: Richness: Relationships: Vocabulary: Style: Lexile Measure: 560L In this excerpt from the play A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry writes about the power of dreams. Hansberry uses a poem by Langston Hughes as a thematic introduction to her play. Read the poem and the excerpt from the play below. Use information from both selections to answer the questions that follow. What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up Like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore And then run? 5 Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over Like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags Like a heavy load. 10 Or does it explode? Langston Hughes Relationships: The introduction explicitly sets up the relationship between the poem and the play as that of a thematic introduction about the power of dreams. By cuing readers that the characters dreams may be deferred or unattainable the poem and the allusion in the title help set the tone for the play. See especially: Questions 9, 10 Vocabulary: Most of the words in both poem and play are familiar, but understanding of the meaning of deferred is critical. See especially: Questions 1, 2, 3 A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry 1 TRAVIS Well, good night, Daddy. (The FATHER has come from behind the couch and leans over, embracing his son) 2 WALTER Son, I feel like talking to you tonight. 3 TRAVIS About what? 4 WALTER Oh, about a lot of things. About you and what kind of man you going to be when you grow up.... Son son, what do you want to be when you grow up? 5 TRAVIS A bus driver. 6 WALTER (Laughing a little) A what? Man, that ain t nothing to want to be! 7 TRAVIS Why not? Continued on next page Structure: The scene is straightforward and linear, portrayed mainly through dialogue with some stage directions. See especially: Question 7 Style: With no description of the setting and minimal stage directions to supplement the characters words, this scene requires readers to use cues from the dialogue (including the use of spoken dialect) to build a mental image of this working-class African-American family.

2 8 WALTER Cause, man it ain t big enough you know what I mean. 9 TRAVIS I don t know then. I can t make up my mind. Sometimes Mama asks me that too. And sometimes when I tell her I just want to be like you she says she don t want me to be like that and sometimes she says she does WALTER (Gathering him up in his arms) You know what, Travis? In seven years you going to be seventeen years old. And things is going to be very different with us in seven years, Travis.... One day when you are seventeen I ll come home home from my office downtown somewhere Relationships: Walter s relationship with his son is wrapped up with his own aspirations for a better life and a better future for Travis in the form of the the classic American Dream (lines 6-8, 14). This line is the only clue to his wife s mixed feelings about those aspirations. See especially: Questions 5, 6, 8 11 TRAVIS You don t work in no office, Daddy. 12 WALTER No but after tonight. After what your daddy gonna do tonight, there s going to be offices a whole lot of offices TRAVIS What you gonna do tonight, Daddy? 14 WALTER You wouldn t understand yet, son, but your daddy s gonna make a transaction... a business transaction that s going to change our lives.... That s how come one day when you bout seventeen years old I ll come home and I ll be pretty tired, you know what I mean, after a day of conferences and secretaries getting things wrong the way they do... cause an executive s life is hell, man (The more he talks the farther away he gets) And I ll pull the car up on the driveway... just a plain black Chrysler, I think, with whitewalls no black tires. More elegant. Rich people don t have to be flashy... though I ll have to get something a little sportier for Ruth maybe a Cadillac convertible to do her shopping in.... And I ll come up the steps to the house and the gardener will be clipping away at the hedges and he ll say, Good evening, Mr. Younger. And I ll say, Hello, Jefferson, how are you this evening? And I ll go inside and Ruth will come downstairs and meet me at the door and we ll kiss each other and she ll take my arm and we ll go up to your room to see you sitting on the floor with the catalogues of all the great schools in America around you.... All the great schools in the world! And and I ll say, all right son it s your seventeenth birthday, what is it you ve decided?... Just tell me where you want to go to school and you ll go. Just tell me, what it is you want to be and you ll be it.... Whatever you want to be Yessir! (He holds his arms open fot TRAVIS) You just name it, son... (TRAVIS leaps into them) and I hand you the world! (WALTER s voice has risen in pitch and hysterical promise and on the last line he lifts TRAVIS high) (Blackout) Structure: After the accessible dialogue preceding this long speech, some struggling readers may be daunted by this long block of text. Watch for students whose answers or text annotations signal a lack of understanding of Walter s aspirations. Richess: The elaborate detail of Walter s version of the American Dream adds poignancy if the reader is attuned to how unattainable this economic and social transformation would be for an African-American bus driver in 1950s America. See especially: Questions 8, 9 Ideas for Connected Writing Activities Write a letter from Walter to Travis explaining why it is important to dream big. Describe what a person would be like if they had a dream deferred. Use the similies from Hughes poem as a guide and support your descriptions with concrete actions, words, feelings, and behaviors. Humanities Connections Research the history of African-Americans during Reconstruction. How might this history connect to the idea of a dream deferred? Research the life and times of Lorraine Hansberry. Explain the impact of race and gender on her writing and her life. Research the status of both Black and white Americans in the 1940s. What were the similarities in their social conditions and daily lives? What were the differences?

3 Spotlight On: Langston Hughes Langston Hughes was born in Missouri in He moved to Illinois when he was 13 years old and it is there that he first began to write poetry. He would later attend Columbia University in New York City, because, according to Hughes, it was close to Harlem. Hughes eventually finished his education at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and published his first book shortly after. Nearly all of his work reflected the life, struggles, and celebrations of the Black American community. Hughes went on to become one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. His best known works include jazz poems, like the one featured here, and depict Black life in America from the 1920 s to the 1960 s. In addition to poetry, Hughes wrote plays, novels, short stories, and even musicals. In one poem, called A Theme for English B, Hughes writes: Sometimes perhaps you don t want to be a part of me./nor do I often want to be a part of you./but we are, that s true!/as I learn from you,/ I guess you learn from me /although you re older and white /and somewhat more free. Many writers, like Hansberry, have drawn their inspiration from the relevant writing of Langston Hughes. Today, in Harlem, East 127th street, the street where Hughes lived and died, is named Langston Hughes Place. Spotlight On: Lorraine Hansberry Lorraine Hansberry was born in Chicago, Illinois in When she was seven, she and her family broke the law by moving into an all-white neighborhood. They had to go to court to defend their right to live in the area. After attending college and moving to New York City, Hansberry wrote A Raisin in the Sun to speak out for the Civil Rights movement and the African American struggle for respect and recognition in American society. Lorraine Hansberry was the first black person to win the New York Drama Critic s Circle award for best play of the year. Since its release, A Raisin in the Sun has been performed countless times. Though she died at the age of 34, Hansberry leaves a lasting legacy as someone who refused to be silenced by the limitations placed on her race and gender.

4 Teacher Guide for FAST-R Passage: FAST-R: Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading A Raisin in the Sun Drama The annotated answer key below highlights common reasons why students might choose each answer, and the sidebar gives more insight into the question types, to help you understand patterns of student responses. Always make time to follow up with students in conferences or small groups to probe their thinking, teach in response to patterns, and help them apply effective reading and thinking strategies to their everyday reading. Note: You may find it helpful to refer to the Types and Levels of Thinking Assessed on FAST-R sheet from your teacher resource folder as you examine your students responses. The icon in the right-hand column, below, corresponds to that sheet s more detailed explanations of the kinds of thinking each type of question asks of readers. 1. Reread line 1 of the poem. Which of the following is a synonym for the word deferred? A. postponed B. accomplished (OOB) C. strengthened (OOP2) D. inspired (OOP1) FE2: Recognize the explicit meaning from varied wording in the text 2. The images in lines 4 through 6 of the poem refer to things that are A. antique. (OOB) B. spoiled. C. valuable. (OOB) D. trivial. (OOB) FE2: Recognize the explicit meaning from varied wording in the text 3. Which simile in the poem supports the idea that a dream deferred becomes burdensome? A. the simile in lines 3-4 (OOP1) B. the simile in lines 5-6 (OOP1) C. the simile in lines 7-8 (OOP1) D. the simile in lines 9-10 MI3: Determine implicit meaning by understanding the organization of information in the text 4. According to the excerpt from the play, how old is Travis? A. 7 years old (OOP1, line 10) B. 10 years old (line 10) C. 17 years old (OOP2, line 10) D. 21 years old (OOB) FE1: Identify evidence explicitly stated in the text 5. According to Travis in lines of the play, what is Mama s attitude toward Walter? A. She respects Walter but wants a better life for Travis. B. She believes Walter should not expect too much from life. (OOP1, line 9) C. She is angry that Walter wants to push Travis too much. (OOB) D. She wishes Walter would make up his mind about what he wants. (OOP2, line 14) MI1: Determine implicit meaning from ideas in context

5 Grades 8-9 Drama A Raisin in the Sun 6. Why does Travis say he wants to be a bus driver when he grows up? A. He loves to drive. (OOB) B. He wants to be just like his father. (line 9) C. He wants to make his mother proud. (OOP2 line 9) D. He does not want to go to college. (OOP2 line 14) 7. Read the stage directions in the box below WALTER s voice has risen in pitch and hysterical promise What does this stage direction tell the reader about Walter? A. The more he talks about the future, the more excited he becomes. B. Walter is upset with his son s lack of ambition. (OOP1) C. Talking about the future leaves Walter confused about the past. (OOB) D. Walter is questioning his son about his career goals. (OOP2) 8. Which word BEST describes the father in the play? A. defensive (OOB) B. content (OOP1 could be inferred from his laughing, embracing son, etc., but not supported by his words) C. ambitious D. unemotional (OOP2 line 14, final stage directions) 9. Which of the following BEST describes Walter s dream in line 14? A. He wants to be famous. (OOB) B. He wants to own a Cadillac. (OOP2 line 14) C. He wants to be an executive. (OOP1 line 14) D. He wants to live the American Dream. 10. A Raisin in the Sun contains a direct reference to an image from a Langston Hughes poem. This is an example of A. plagiarism. (OOP2) B. allusion. C. dramatic irony. (OOP1) D. simile. (OOB) MI1: Determine implicit meaning from words in context FE2: Recognize the explicit meaning from varied wording in the text MI1: Determine implicit meaning from words in context MI2: Determine a single implicit meaning from the total of a particular paragraph MI5: Determine meaning by using an understanding of literary concepts

6 FAST-R + Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading Name A Raisin in the Sun Drama Date Teacher/Class In this excerpt from the play A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry writes about the power of dreams. Hansberry uses a poem by Langston Hughes as a thematic introduction to her play. Read the poem and the excerpt from the play below. Use information from both selections to answer the questions that follow What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up Like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over Like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags Like a heavy load. Or does it explode? Langston Hughes A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry 1 TRAVIS Well, good night, Daddy. (The FATHER has come from behind the couch and leans over, embracing his son) 2 WALTER Son, I feel like talking to you tonight. 3 TRAVIS About what? 4 WALTER Oh, about a lot of things. About you and what kind of man you going to be when you grow up.... Son son, what do you want to be when you grow up? 5 TRAVIS A bus driver. 6 WALTER (Laughing a little) A what? Man, that ain t nothing to want to be! 7 TRAVIS Why not? 8 WALTER Cause, man it ain t big enough you know what I mean. 9 TRAVIS I don t know then. I can t make up my mind. Sometimes Mama asks me that too. And sometimes when I tell her I just want to be like you she says she don t want me to be like that and sometimes she says she does.... Spotlight On: Langston Hughes Langston Hughes was born in Missouri in He moved to Illinois when he was 13 years old and it is there that he first began to write poetry. He would later attend Columbia University in New York City, because, according to Hughes, it was close to Harlem. Hughes eventually finished his education at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and published his first book shortly after. Nearly all of his work reflected the life, struggles, and celebrations of the Black American community. Hughes went on to become one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. His best known works include jazz poems, like the one featured here, and depict Black life in America from the 1920 s to the 1960 s. In addition to poetry, Hughes wrote plays, novels, short stories, and even musicals. In one poem, called A Theme for English B, Hughes writes: Sometimes perhaps you don t want to be a part of me./nor do I often want to be a part of you./but we are, that s true!/as I learn from you,/ I guess you learn from me /although you re older and white /and somewhat more free. Many writers, like Hansberry, have drawn their inspiration from the relevant writing of Langston Hughes. Today, in Harlem, East 127th street, the street where Hughes lived and died, is named Langston Hughes Place. Continued on next page

7 10 WALTER (Gathering him up in his arms) You know what, Travis? In seven years you going to be seventeen years old. And things is going to be very different with us in seven years, Travis.... One day when you are seventeen I ll come home home from my office downtown somewhere 11 TRAVIS You don t work in no office, Daddy. 12 WALTER No but after tonight. After what your daddy gonna do tonight, there s going to be offices a whole lot of offices TRAVIS What you gonna do tonight, Daddy? 14 WALTER You wouldn t understand yet, son, but your daddy s gonna make a transaction... a business transaction that s going to change our lives.... That s how come one day when you bout seventeen years old I ll come home and I ll be pretty tired, you know what I mean, after a day of conferences and secretaries getting things wrong the way they do... cause an executive s life is hell, man (The more he talks the farther away he gets) And I ll pull the car up on the driveway Spotlight On: Lorraine Hansberry Lorraine Hansberry was born in Chicago, Illinois in When she was seven, she and her family broke the law by moving into an all-white neighborhood. They had to go to court to defend their right to live in the area. After attending college and moving to New York City, Hansberry wrote A Raisin in the Sun to speak out for the Civil Rights Movement and the African American struggle for respect and recognition in American society. Lorraine Hansberry was the first black person to win the New York Drama Critic s Circle award for best play of the year. Since it s release, A Raisin in the Sun has been performed countless times. Though she died at the age of 34, Hansberry leaves a lasting legacy as someone who refused to be silenced by the limitations placed on her race and gender.... just a plain black Chrysler, I think, with whitewalls no black tires. More elegant. Rich people don t have to be flashy... though I ll have to get something a little sportier for Ruth maybe a Cadillac convertible to do her shopping in.... And I ll come up the steps to the house and the gardener will be clipping away at the hedges and he ll say, Good evening, Mr. Younger. And I ll say, Hello, Jefferson, how are you this evening? And I ll go inside and Ruth will come downstairs and meet me at the door and we ll kiss each other and she ll take my arm and we ll go up to your room to see you sitting on the floor with the catalogues of all the great schools in America around you.... All the great schools in the world! And and I ll say, all right son it s your seventeenth birthday, what is it you ve decided?... Just tell me where you want to go to school and you ll go. Just tell me, what it is you want to be and you ll be it.... Whatever you want to be Yessir! (He holds his arms open fot TRAVIS) You just name it, son... (TRAVIS leaps into them) and I hand you the world! (WALTER s voice has risen in pitch and hysterical promise and on the last line he lifts TRAVIS high) (Blackout)

8 FAST-R + Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading Name A Raisin in the Sun Drama Date Teacher/Class Directions: Answer the following multiple-choice questions by filling in the circle for the best answer on your answer sheet. 1. Reread line 1 of the poem. Which of the following is a synonym for the word deferred? A. postponed B. accomplished C. strengthened D. inspired 2. The images in lines 4 through 6 of the poem refer to things that are A. antique. B. spoiled. C. valuable. D. trivial. 3. Which simile in the poem supports the idea that a dream deferred becomes burdensome? A. the simile in lines 3-4 B. the simile in lines 5-6 C. the simile in lines 7-8 D. the simile in lines According to the excerpt from the play, how old is Travis? A. 7 years old B. 10 years old C. 17 years old D. 21 years old 5. According to Travis in line 9 of the play, what is Mama s attitude toward Walter? A. She respects Walter but wants a better life for Travis. B. She believes Walter should not expect too much from life. C. She is angry that Walter wants to push Travis too much. D. She wishes Walter would make up his mind about what he wants. Continued on next page

9 Name Date School Teacher/Class 6. Why does Travis say he wants to be a bus driver when he grows up? A. He loves to drive. B. He wants to be just like his father. C. He wants to make his mother proud. D. He does not want to go to college. 7. Read the stage directions in the box below. WALTER s voice has risen in pitch and hysterical promise What does this stage direction tell the reader about Walter? A. The more he talks about the future, the more excited he becomes. B. Walter is upset with his son s lack of ambition. C. Talking about the future leaves Walter confused about the past. D. Walter is questioning his son about his career goals. 8. Which word BEST describes the father in the play? A. defensive B. content C. ambitious D. unemotional 9. Which of the following BEST describes Walter s dream in line 14? A. He wants to be famous. B. He wants to own a Cadillac. C. He wants to be an executive. D. He wants to live the American Dream. 10. A Raisin in the Sun contains a direct reference to an image from a Langston Hughes poem. This is an example of A. plagiarism. B. allusion. C. dramatic irony. D. simile.

10 Teachers: Please duplicate and use this answer sheet only for students for whom you did not receive a pre-printed answer sheet! FAST-R Answer Sheet Name School Date Grade Class Passage Title Completely fill the circle for the correct answer. Teacher Name Write your answer to the open response prompt in the lined space below if your teacher directs you to do so. 1. A B C D 2. A B C D 3. A B C D 4. A B C D 5. A B C D 6. A B C D 7. A B C D 8. A B C D 9. A B C D 10. A B C D OFFICE USE ONLY RESEARCH: Y N OPEN RESPONSE: