Classroom Activities
Let the Objects Speak: Understanding Historical Context
Before diving into The Crucible, it is important to introduce students to the historical context, especially the Puritan way of life because this will be something that isn’t that familiar to them. By focusing on physical objects such as the exterior and interior of their homes, this will have them explore familiar ideas in an unfamiliar time and place. These objects will encourage wonder in this examination of historical context. Ulrich et al. describes how “asking students to study an object— any object— almost always leads them in unexpected directions.”55 By showing students pictures of objects and using the object investigation and mapping strategy, teachers can have students think about life during colonial times, tapping into their visual and tactile natures. Teachers will walk through the exterior and interior of Puritan homes as students take visual object mapping notes on each object as described in the object investigation and mapping teaching strategy. I plan to have a Google Slides presentation with these images with bare minimum descriptions. Students will be paired in groups of two to three. For example, when showing the exterior of a Puritan home, students will be asked to first label the object and do a quick sketch of the house. Let students know this does not have to be perfect. Off to the left, have students write down their first impressions or emotions about the exterior of the home and draw a circle around it. Then off to the right, students will answer the questions in bullet point style from Ulrich et al.: “What is it? Who made it? How did it get here? What is it worth?”56 Depending on the object shown, you could add other questions as to who would use this? Who would live here? How would you feel living here or using this object? Where did the material of the object come from? Then have them draw a box around those answers. For part three, on the top of their sketch, have them use as many of five senses to think about and describe the object – again, this will create a connection to the object and its purpose in the Puritan world. They should draw a triangle around these sensory descriptions, about four to five ideas. After they have done this and below their sketch, they can jointly create a short narrative about this object, who would use it and what its purpose is. Encourage students to be as creative as they can be. Then draw a scalloped circle around this, like the shape of a cloud. This object investigation and mapping technique will provide a visual aid to what each object tells us about the Puritan way of life. Everything they write down in their groups can then be used for a whole class discussion where teachers can help guide students’ thinking about these objects even further, and students can write down any added information they deem interesting in the white spaces around their original map. This will be a unique way to infuse the visual and tactile into a lesson that is essentially about historical context, making it more engaging for students and heightening the understanding of a world and time period far from theirs.
She’s a Witch!: Social Media Pamphlet
After studying the witchcraft propaganda and after Act II of the play, students will create a pamphlet cover for a character in The Crucible. Teachers will want to wait until after Act II because that will be after the many accusations will be made. They can choose any character who was accused in the play that they want, and teachers can have students do this activity in a variety of ways. For example, they can choose Sarah Good, Sarah Osburne, Tituba, Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, Giles Corey, or Martha Corey – all characters who were accused of witchcraft from the play. After students choose their character, they can either draw or find a picture off the internet– maybe of the characters from the 1997 movie The Crucible. They will then need to manipulate the image in a way that would showcase the stereotypes that the witchcraft pamphlets from the 16th and 17th centuries created and emphasized like warts and long noses – maybe a familiar. Students can print a picture out and draw over it or they can create their own image using pencils, pens, or even the computer if they have those skills. Stylizing their image to look like the pamphlets would be ideal. They will also have to produce a creative headline, mimicking the headlines and stories used in these primary source documents studied, utilizing literary techniques such as alliteration and sensationalist adjectives to draw the reader's attention. This activity is designed to show students the power of words and images and how they can be used to provoke fear and manipulate their readers. Teachers can take this activity further by having a contest on who creates the most disparaging image and enticing headline. Having students write a rationale for the words and image they used and why they chose that character, and then connect that rationale to the text will be another way to extend this activity to include more writing in the classroom.
The Crucible Museum Curation
At the end of the play and for our final project, I want students to create a fictional museum for The Crucible. This will marry our study of objects and artifacts to our reading against the grain and critical analysis of characterization. Before introducing this project, it will be beneficial to have students think about museum curation. This can be done as a 15-minute beginning of class activity. A teacher could walk them through a virtual exhibition from a local museum or use the Peabody Museum which houses the Salem Witch Trials exhibition.
Teachers should point out some of the problematic issues with current exhibitions and classifications seen in museums today, as museum exhibitions can be seen as problematic and inherently imperialistic. For example, the labeling of Native American exhibits as “primitive” and heroization of problematic characters from history like Christopher Columbus are some issues that can be pointed out. Teachers should highlight the power museums have over storytelling and history and explore other controversial topics surrounding museums, such as returning of indigenous works housed in these institutions to their rightful owners.
Teachers can give examples of current museums that use juxtaposition of exhibitions to have their patrons think critically about issues like racism and colonization. By providing students a brief overview of why museums can be problematic, students will understand the importance of telling a well-rounded, multi-sided story about their character through objects and artifacts, hopefully realizing that they should not ignore the critical issues each character brings up in the play and how complex they are. Students will focus again on any character from the play. This can be Abigail, Judge Danforth, Reverend Parris, Elizabeth Proctor – whoever they want to focus on and that they feel has a story to tell and an issue about life and society to reveal.
Students will choose three to five objects mentioned in the play to represent that character. For example, if they choose Reverend Parris, they may think about using the silver candlesticks, his Bible, his lock box which held his valuables, and his whip he used on Tituba. These items can show off his concern for his reputation, his hypocrisy, his focus on materialism, and the fact that he was a slave owner. Have students sketch these objects out or find pictures from the internet of objects from this time period. Then students will create museum labels for each object (teachers may want to show examples of what these look like) and write rationales for each object – what does each object reveal about the character, the time period, and any critical issue it exposes. They should also write about what the viewer of the object should consider. This will bring in the skills we used at the beginning of the unit where we used the object investigation and mapping technique and allow them to work through and write about each object as we modeled earlier in the unit.
Teachers may want students to write down where in the play they found the object mentioned to connect their rationale to the text. One extension that can be used is to have students find two quotes from or about that character to display on the museum wall, again writing about why those quotes were chosen and what they reveal about character or society. Finally, students will have to choose one character’s exhibition to place theirs next to. For example, maybe Reverend Parris’s objects are placed next to Tituba’s to juxtapose slave owner and slave, the respected and the outcast, and white and black. Students will write about why they placed them next to the character they chose and what critical analysis their viewers should think about and question. This activity will allow students to highlight their critical reading and understanding of The Crucible while thinking about how objects, artifacts, and literature can help us understand our complex world, navigate our tough history, and combat serious issues like the use of fear to control, scapegoating, and demonization of others.
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