The Great American Playwright
By Michaella Scholz
Unit Objective:
Students will show their understanding about how American Playwrights shape theatre by
completing a presentation that shows why their assigned playwright is the Greatest American
Playwright.
Class Level:
High School Beginning Theatre Students
Prior Experience:
Students should be able to analyze texts. Students should also have experience some acting so
that they have context so they can relate how acting is shaped by texts and playwrights.
2014 National Arts Core Theatre Standards:
#TH:Re7. Responding. Process Component: Reflect
Anchor Standard: Perceive and analyze artistic work.
Grade HS Proficient: Formulate a deeper understanding and appreciation of a drama/ theatre
work by considering its specific purpose or intended audience.
#TH:Cn10.1 Connecting. Process Component: Empathize
Anchor Standard: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
Grade HS Proficient: a. Investigate how cultural perspectives, community ideas and personal
beliefs impact a drama/theatre work.
#TH:Cn11.2 Connecting. Process Component: Research
Anchor Standard: Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to
deepen understanding.
Grade HS Proficient: Use basic theatre research methods to better understand the social and
cultural background of a drama/theatre work.
Big Ideas:
Playwriting, Research, Interpretation of texts
Lesson 1: Project Model
Learning Objective:
Students will demonstrate their understanding of the project that is expected of them by
completing 3-2-1 partner response.
Lesson 2: Guided Research on Playwrights
Learning Objective:
Students will demonstrate their ability to research by filling out guided research worksheets.
Lesson 3: Text Analysis
Educational Objective:
Students will demonstrate their understanding of the playwright’s life by analyzing a piece of text from
them and being able to find parallels to the personal life of the playwright.
Lesson 4: The Great Playwright Debate
Learning Objective:
Students will demonstrate their ability to connect with their playwright by creating a top 3 reasons why
their playwright is the Great American Playwright.
Lesson 5: Presentation Day 1
Learning Objective:
Students will demonstrate their understanding of their peer’s presentations by taking notes.
Lesson 6: Presentation Day 2
Learning Objective:
Students will demonstrate their understanding of their peer’s presentations by taking notes.
Lesson 7: Test and Reflection
Learning Objective:
Students will demonstrate their understanding of playwright’s and their significance by completing a
test that includes a free response.
Lesson 1: Project Model
Learning Objective:
Students will demonstrate their understanding of the project that is expected of them by
completing 3-2-1 partner response.
Supplements:
Arthur Miller Video, Arthur Miller PowerPoint, Project Instructions, Project Rubric.
Materials Needed:
Copies for Students of Project Instructions and Project Rubric. For Project Instruction the
assigned Playwright needs to be written/typed in.
Hook:
Celebrating Arthur Miller at 100
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt6_A_upfp8
Step 1: Ask the students what they saw? What they felt? Is Arthur Miller the Greatest American
Playwright? Should others be considered? Explain to them that we are going to find out. That
we through a research project are going to decide who the great American playwright is.
Step 2: Tell the students that you will be modeling the project they will be expected to present.
Pull up the Arthur Miller Presentation and present as you want the students to. You should not
be reading off the slide and should be able to be understood. Notes on the bullet points are
included on the PowerPoint for each slide which should be said as you are presenting.
Step 3: Once the presentation has finished pass out the materials that they will need to have
for the project. Explain to them that they will have some time to work in class but a lot of the
work will be done at home and classwork will be helping them focus their research and
thoughts.
Step 4: Have a student read-a-loud the Project Instructions. Ask the class to explain the
instructions in their own words. Go over the due dates of assignments that are due throughout
the unit leading up to the presentation. And then make sure to iterate the final due date for the
project. Tell students that they can volunteer to go first but the lesson before presentations
happen they will be assigned a random order that they will give their presentations.
Step 5: Students with do a 3-2-1 Partner response; Students will share 3 things they learned, 2
things they feel unsure about, and 1 question.
Conclusion: Come back for a group discussion to answer any questions that didn’t get
answered.
Lesson 2: Guided Research on Playwrights
Learning Objective:
Students will demonstrate their ability to research by filling out guided research worksheets.
Supplements:
Guided Research Worksheet
Materials Needed:
Library/Computer Lab and copies of the Guided Research Worksheet-One for each student.
Hook – Have students walk in and ask them to answer the questions on the board on a
separate piece of paper. “What is your playwright’s last name? What was their most famous
work? Were the ever considered a failure? What were their kid’s name?” Students should not
need a lot of time because they shouldn’t know the answers, the point is not to shame them to
feel bad for not answering the questions but make them realize that they are going to need to
research. Ask students if they were able to answer these questions off the top of their head.
Why or why not? How can we find out these answers?
Step 1: Ask students what makes a bad research presentation. What techniques have they used
to find reliable sources? How can you know that a source is reliable? Why are reliable sources
important? Make sure that students understand that they can find reliable sources from
scholarly journals and higher academic books and websites. But they can also cross reference
sources to make sure they have correct information.
Step 2: Ask students what is plagiarism. Why can’t we pass other’s work as our own? What
happens when we plagiarize? How can we prevent plagiarizing? Make sure students
understand that plagiarizing will earn them a zero on the project and trip to the principal’s
office.
Step 3: Explain to students that we will be going into the Library to do research. Remind them
to take what we have talked about into account because they will be filling out a worksheet
about their assigned Playwrights and getting points today on whether or not they filled it out.
Step 4: Go in the library and have students and pass out research worksheet.
Step 5: Have students once they complete the worksheet raise their hand so that you can go
and check so that they can receive points for the day.
Step 6: If students are done they can have the choice to start working on their presentation or
they may get in small groups and discuss what they have found.
Conclusion: Ask students if they would be able to answer the questions from the beginning of
the class now that they have had time to research. Ask students if they need to research more?
Tell Students will take worksheets home to help with the project and that they may need to
research more in depth in order to find the information they need.
Lesson 3: Text Analysis
Educational Objective:
Students will demonstrate their understanding of the playwright’s life by analyzing a piece of text from
them and being able to find parallels to the personal life of the playwright.
Supplements:
Text Analysis Worksheets for Lillian Hellman, Lorraine Hansberry, Tennessee Williams, Christopher
Durang, Eugene O’Neill, Neil Simon and August Wilson. Monologue from The Crucible.
Hook:
Have notes on each of the students’ desks each one saying: “Take a piece of paper out and write a story
based on an event that has happened this week. The speaker can be you or someone else involved in
the event. The event can be anything but keep it to about 1-2 paragraphs. Think about how you felt,
what the event looked like, and something you learned. After you are finished with that write a
monologue. The topic can be anything but keep it 1-2 paragraphs. Flip your paper over when you are
finished. No talking”
Step 1: Students write monologues. After students have finished their thoughts, instruct them to flip
their monologues back over and reference back to them while we are talking.
Step 2: Ask the students to look at their stories and their monologues and compare them. Which one
was easier to write? Which one do you like better? Does one of them have a lesson that it teaches? Is it
easier write what we know? What we see? What we want to discover? Are plays based off of real life?
Were our playwrights affected by their own lives?
Step 3: Pass out Hale’s Monologue from the Crucible. Have students read it silently. And then put the
monologue up on the projector/board.
HALE
Proctor, I cannot think God be provoked so grandly by such a petty cause. The jails are packed, our
greatest judges sit in Salem now----and hangin’s promised. Man, we must look to cause proportionate.
Were there murder done perhaps, and never brought to light? Abomination? Some secret blasphemy
that stinks to heaven? Think on cause, man, and let you help me to discover it. For there’s your way,
believe it, there is your only way, when such confusion strikes upon the world. Let you counsel among
yourselves; think on your village and what may have drawn from heaven such thundering wrath upon
you all. I shall pray to God open up our eyes.
Step 4: Analyze Hale’s Monologue as a class. Ask Students: What is going on in the monologue? What
can we infer? Did Arthur Miller ever feel these feelings? Did he create characters he could relate to?
How can we tell? Are their parallels between the Crucible and Arthur Miller’s life? Students should recall
on the information they learned from the model project about Arthur Miller. If they need a little
direction, remind them that Arthur Miller was accused of being a communist and was blacklisted. And
how he felt he was wrongly accused.
Step 5: Give students a monologue from the works of their assigned Playwrights (Lillian Hellman,
Lorraine Hansberry, Tennessee Williams, Christopher Durang, Eugene O’Neill, Neil Simon and August
Wilson) allow them to get into small groups. Tell them that the monologue has a small synopsis of the
play and that they will be answering the questions on the worksheet with their knowledge of the
playwright, the monologue, and the play synopsis to answer the questions. Students will be able to work
in their small groups but tell them that they should discuss and then write the answers on their own.
Allow them time to analyze it and try to pull in their playwright circumstances into the meaning of the
monologue.
Step 6: Come back together as a class and ask them why having their personal lives and feelings in their
works is important? Ask them if that is an important quality of the Great American Playwright and why?
Students should be able to answer this question in the discussion because they have the completed the
questions on the worksheet.
Conclusion: Have them add any last comments on their Playwright Analysis and turn it in.
Lesson 4: The Great Playwright Debate
Learning Objective:
Students will demonstrate their ability to connect with their playwright by creating a top 3 reasons why
their playwright is the Great American Playwright.
Supplements:
Presidential Debate Video Clip
Hook:
Play “Debate Highlights Songified!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ti2S7Py25wActivity
Step 1: Ask students what they saw? What is a debate? Why do we have debates? What makes a good
debate? Does someone win? How do we know who won?
Step 2: Ask students what people do in preparation for debates? Tell students that they will have the
opportunity to walk around the room and interview other students and get interviewed so that they can
brainstorm and practice answering as their playwright in preparation for the debates. Allow students to
walk around the classroom and interview each other as if they were the playwright.
Step 3: What are the expectations for a debate? Should we have rules for the debate? For the speakers?
For the audience? Write these on the board. What should happen if they don’t follow the rules? Can we
all agree to the rules? If not, why not? Fix the rules until everyone agrees.
Step 4: Have students get into small groups based on their playwright. Have two groups come to the
front in preparation to debate. Tell them that they have 7 minutes up here and that they are able to
converse with each other before talking to the class. Set the timer and begin asking questions. Students
are allowed to pass questions but their opponent will still be able to answer. After 7 minutes is up have
different groups come up and face off. You can continue until everyone has gone or till each group has
gone up a couple times. This step can be lengthened or shortened depending on time limits.
Questions for students’ debate: What contribution has your playwright given America? What makes
your playwright better than your opponent? How does your playwright represent America? What can
your playwright do for us? What does your playwright have to teach us? How can we relate to your
playwright? Why should we care about your playwright? Has your playwright ever helped out the
American People? If so, how? Why should we vote for your playwright as the Greatest American
Playwright? Is there anything that your playwright would like us to know?
Step 5: Ask students if there was a winner to the debate? Do we all have to think that same person
won? Can we have differing opinions? Do debates dictate the winner of the election? If a candidate wins
the debate, do they automatically win the election? What/How can we learn from this?
Step 6: Have students write their top three reasons why their playwright is the Greatest American
Playwright and turn it in.
Conclusion: Ask students how they can apply what they learned to their presentation. Remind students
that within their presentation they will claim that their playwright it the greatest and they will need to
have reasons to back it up. Ask students if anyone wants to go tomorrow, assign random order for
presenting over the next two days.
Lesson 5: Presentation Day 1
Learning Objective:
Students will demonstrate their understanding of their peer’s presentations by taking notes.
Hook:
Pick beforehand a student to have an “announcement” for the class. While student is giving the
announcement have a couple students that were picked beforehand be very rude and loud while the
one student is giving their announcement.
Step 1: Ask the student with the fake announcement who they felt when others were being distracting
while they were trying to talk. Remind students that it is nerve-wracking to present in front of other
people and by being a bad audience it makes it worse. Ask students what a good audience looks like.
Have them model this behavior.
Step 2: Before having students present, remind students that they will be tested on this material and
that they should be taking notes. Have students present one at a time. Students will be required to hand
back the rubric before they are able to present. Students should also ask the class their three questions
at the end of their presentation and call on students to answer them.
Step 3: Half way through the presentations for the day have students get up and pair up with someone
and answer the question based on the presentations so far “If I could have one of the playwrights over
for dinner, who would it be or why? Or who I wouldn’t want to come over”.
Step 4: Have students go back to their seats. Remind them again about being a good audience and
resume presentations.
Conclusion: Ask the students now that we’ve talked about some of these great playwrights why does
that matter? Who cares? How does this help us in class? In acting? Design? Does knowing more about
the Playwright and play help us?
Lesson 6: Presentation Day 2
Learning Objective:
Students will demonstrate their understanding of their peer’s presentations by taking notes.
Hook:
Ask a couple to students to share their response to last lesson’s question about what playwright they
would like to have over for dinner.
Step 1: Remind students what a good audience looks like and that they should be listening and filling out
their study guide in preparation for the unit test.
Step 2:. Have students present one at a time. Students will be required to hand back the rubric before
they are able to present. Students should also ask the class their three questions at the end of their
presentation and call on students to answer them.
Step 3: Half way through the presentations for the day have students write down a Twitter Post as one
of the playwrights and get up and share with someone.
Step 4: Have students go back to their seats. Remind them again about being a good audience and
resume presentations.
Conclusion: Carry on from yesterday’s discussion if there are any remaining questions or insights. Ask
them what makes a playwright great? Who should be considered the Great American Playwright? Can
there only be one? Why does it matter to have this title?
Lesson 7: Test and Reflection
Learning Objective:
Students will demonstrate their understanding of playwright’s and their significance by completing a
test that includes a free response.
Supplements:
Test, Free Response, Playwright Word Search
Materials Needed:
Copies of each of e supplement materials for each student. Jeopardy Game.
Hook:
Students will play a game of Playwright Jeopardy. Students will break up into small groups not based on
their playwright. Jeopardy will be created to review key concepts and questions that will be on the test.
Questions and concepts will be taken from students presentations. This game can be made with post-its,
PowerPoint, or www.superteachertools.us/jeopardyx/
Step 1: Have students put away all notes and take out a pencil. Remind them that they should not be
talking or looking around and that cheating will result in a zero. Pass out the test.
Step 2: When students are done with their test they will hand it in and pick up the free response paper.
The free response will be answering the question, who is the Great American Playwright and why does
that matter? Students will write their reply on the paper and once it is done have them turn it in. Once
students are done with the test and free response allow students to pick up a playwright word search
until everyone is finished.
Conclusion: Once everyone is finished. Ask students if they think we should vote on who the Great
American Playwright is. And why or why not? If students want to allow them to vote. Ask students what
they can do with this information in regards to this class? Outside class?