Including Diversity In Your Class
Directions: Chapter 3 and 4 of the text discuss that fact that textbooks are not enough in classrooms; rather, teachers need to incorporate a
variety of texts into their lessons/units. With that in mind, you are going to complete the following chart by listing various readings you would
use for a particular unit of study. You must use 5 sources for the unit.
Unit Title: Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism
Name of book, article, reading
source that you will use
“The Crucible” by Arthur Miller
(Drama)
Reason Why You chose this resource and a brief description of the contents of the resource.
“The Crucible” is a thinly veiled allegorical story about the “Red Scare.” Within the text, students can
follow the story of the Salem Witch Trials and understand how, in the face of fear and hysteria, friends
can turn on one another to save themselves.
The play itself allows for deep, critical analysis of a variety of literary elements, but also provides an
excellent platform for building students’ understanding about two extremely different (but yet similar)
time periods in American History.
“Salem- Witchcraft Hysteria”
By National Geographic
(Website)
“Why I Wrote the Crucible” by
Arthur Miller
(Non-Fiction Article)
This online simulation (available here) is a great pre-reading activity for “The Crucible.” The website
allows students to complete a “choose your own adventure” type activity to see if they would survive the
hysteria that surrounded the Salem Witch Trials. Although the simulation is less formal, hyperlinks to
character backgrounds and historical facts are included throughout the simulation to help bolster
students’ “prior knowledge” on the topic. In other words, it’s learning that doesn’t feel like learning.
This New Yorker article written by Arthur Miller (available online here) provides an insight into the
author’s intentions and rationale for writing “The Crucible,” and works well as a means for connecting a
fictionalized version of the Salem Witch Trials to the “Red Scare”, the time period during which the play
was written. The text was written nearly 40 years after Miller’s initial writing of the play and he reflects
back on his inspiration for the play’s central plot lines. Within the text, Miller writes “But as the dramatic
form became visible, one problem remained unyielding: so many practices of the Salem trials were
similar to those employed by the congressional committees that I could easily be accused of skewing
history for a mere partisan purpose. Inevitably, it was no sooner known that my new play was about
Salem than I had to confront the charge that such an analogy was specious—that there never were any
Including Diversity In Your Class
witches but there certainly are Communists. ” This quote allows for a post-reading activity in which
students can compare and contrast the actions of those involved in the communist hysteria and the
characters within the play, who were embroiled in the Salem Witch Trials.
Excerpts from Joseph McCarthy’s
“The Enemy Within” speech.
(Non-Fiction/ Speech)
Delivered in Wheeling, West Virginia in February, 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy’s (R-Wisconson)
speech had a dramatic impact on United States History. Within the speech, McCarthy famously claimed
“ In my opinion the State Department, which is one of the most important government departments, is
thoroughly infested with communists. I have in my hand 57 cases of individuals who would appear to be
either card-carrying members or certainly loyal to the Communist Party, but who nevertheless are still
helping to shape our foreign policy.”
These claims set off “The Red Scare” and led to the political climate in which Miller wrote his play.
Because “The Crucible” allows the reader to sympathize with those who have been accused, this text
provides the opposing point of view.
“Are You Now or Have You Ever
Been” and “Letters” by Edwin
Rolfe
(Poems)
These two poems are based upon Rolfe’s own experiences with the HUAC. Upon their arrival in Los
Angeles in 1947, Rolfe was among those blacklisted for their Communist beliefs. Rolfe and his wife Mary
became active in the fight against McCarthyism and Rolfe wrote a collection of poems that attacked
McCarthy’s politics.
These poems can be found in Edwin Wolfe Trees Become Torches: Selected Poems- Published by
University of Illinois Press