Pursuing Dreams: A Raisin in the Sun

Lesson 21
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ELA

Unit 3

7th Grade

Lesson 21 of 26

Objective


Unpack a prompt, study a Mentor Text, and begin to brainstorm ideas for a setting.

Readings and Materials


  • Play: A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry 

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Target Task


Writing Prompt

Begin to brainstorm what the Youngers' new living room looks like in preparation for completing the following task:

Lorainne Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun ends as the Younger family leaves their cramped Southside apartment to move to a new home in Clybourne Park. The audience is left to imagine what the future might hold for the Youngers as they start this new life.

In this writing task, you will explore the question of what happens after the play ends. Using the first pages of Act I, Scene I, as a model, you will write a short morning scene in the Youngers' new house one year after the final scene of the play. You will begin as Hansberry did—with a detailed description of the setting (in this case, the living room of the new house). You will then write a short dialogue between two characters as they prepare for their day. 

Your scene must:

  • Include two setting paragraphs, one "at rise" paragraph, and at least 10 lines of dialogue (with stage directions)
  • Be formatted like a play
  • Include descriptive details and precise words and phrases
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the characters and their relationships with one another
  • Provide some insight into what life in the new neighborhood has been like for the Youngers
  • Note: Dialogue should be written in dialect appropriate to students' own backgrounds

Sample Response

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Homework


Sketch the layout of the Youngers' new living room as you imagine it. 

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Common Core Standards


  • W.7.3 — Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

Supporting Standards

L.7.6
RL.7.2
RL.7.10
SL.7.1
SL.7.2
SL.7.6
W.7.4
W.7.10

Next

Draft setting paragraphs, focusing on vivid descriptive details.

Lesson 22
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Lesson Map

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