Students study the socio-historical contexts in which this play was written, set and is read today. They then actively engage with the language, themes and characters prior to presenting their interpretation of a scene from the play and developing essays.
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Phil Coogan
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| Year level
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13
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| Who are my learners and what do they already know?
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See Planning using Inquiry
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| School curriculum outcomes
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How your school’s principles, values, or priorities will be developed through this unit
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Learning Outcomes (What do my students need to learn)
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| Curriculum achievement objectives (AOs) for:
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| English
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Processes and strategies Integrate sources of information, processes, and strategies purposefully, confidently, and precisely to identify, form, and express increasingly sophisticated ideas.
- thinks critically about texts with understanding and confidence
- creates a range of increasingly coherent, varied, and complex texts by integrating sources of information and processing strategies
Ideas Select, develop, and communicate sustained and insightful ideas on a range of topics.
- develops, communicates, and sustains sophisticated ideas, information, and understandings
Language features Select, integrate and sustain a range of language features appropriately for a variety of effects.
- uses a wide range of text conventions, including grammatical and spelling conventions, appropriately, effectively, and with accuracy.
Structure Organise texts, using a range of appropriate, coherent, and effective structures.
- organises and develops ideas and information for a particular purpose or effect, using the characteristics and conventions of a range of text forms with control.
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| Achievement Standard(s) aligned to AO(s)
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AS 90725 Construct and deliver an oral presentation AS 90723 Respond critically to oral or visual text studied,
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Teaching and Learning (What do I need to know and do?)
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| 1-2 related professional readings or links to relevant research
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Planning Using Inquiry English Teaching and Learning Guide [available from February 2011] NCEA Rules and Procedures
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| Learning task 1
| Learning intention(s) Establishing prior learning and linking it to the text
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| KCs/ Principles/Values focus
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KCs: Thinking – explore texts Relate to others – peer discussion
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Learning task 1 Engaging with the issues Examine the consequences of personal conscience in conflict with rigid societal perceptions of what is "right" in human behaviour.
- Make a 3-column grid on the board (with the columns headed: (1) Group (2) Reasons (3) Result) which students copy. Individually, get them to list under "Group" those sections of society (in NZ or elsewhere) who are the subject of prejudice or who tend to be blamed for social, economic and moral ills. Teachers may also wish to draw attention to current events which echo the Salem Witch Trials.
- List the groups nominated on the board under "Group".
- Now in small groups, select from the class list, one of the nominated groups (which preferably appears more than once). Complete the grid for that group: ie. under "Reasons", list understandings of the reasons why that group is subject to blame or prejudice and then the under "Results", list some of the ways that the prejudice/blame is expressed socially.
- Share findings across the class, completing the grid on the board and recording a copy to return to later when looking at themes in learning task 6.
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| Learning task 2
| Learning intention(s) Examining text background
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| KCs/ Principles/Values focus
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KCs: Thinking – explore texts Relate to others – peer discussion
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Learning task 2 Background; About the Author Prior to engaging with the play, use the research topics resource to explore the background of the play and its author, specifically:
- Arthur Miller and why he wrote the play
- Witchcraft
- The Salem Witchhunts of the 1690s
- McCarthyism and the crack-down on communists in the 1950s
Allocate each topic to different groups. Report back findings in two minute mini seminars. Teachers and students will also find useful the notes on the literary background to the play, which includes sections on Social Drama and Tragedy. Also: refer to this list of related quotations which have a philosophical link to Miller's themes:
- Socrates (before his execution)
'Acquit me or not, but whatever you do, know that I shall never alter my ways even though I have to die many times'.
- Voltaire
'Liberty of thought is the life of the soul'.
- Max Beerbohm (Essayist)
'The nonconformist conscience makes cowards of us all'.
- Shakespeare (Hamlet)
'This above all: to thine own self be true and it must follow as the night the day thou can'st not then be false to any man'.
- Martin Luther 'It is neither safe nor prudent to do aught-against'.
- Shakespeare (Hamlet)
'Whither 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them?....'
- John Stuart Mill (Philosopher).
'If all mankind minus one were of one mind and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing the one person than he if he had the power would be justified in silencing mankind. We can never be sure that the opinion we are endeavoring to stifle in false opinion; and if we were sure stifling it would still be evil.
- John Milton (Poet) 'Give me the liberty to know, to utter and to argue freely according to conscience above all liberties'.
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| Learning task 3
| Learning intention(s) Exploring the text through performance
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| KCs/ Principles/Values focus
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KCs: Use language, symbols and texts – structure and express understandings about texts Participating and Contributing – contribute to a group performance
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Learning task 3 Bringing the text to life Reading through the play can be most rewarding and useful when a variety of approaches are used. Hence the class could be engaged in:
- Prepared readings - all class members are allocated a part to read in class. This will mean 2-3 class members are allocated to each significant part. The students becomes the 'experts' about this character. Not only do they share the reading but they are charged with becoming familiar with the stage directions which pertain to that character's speeches so that they are able to explain their speeches, to the whole class. Students need to read ahead each night so that they are comfortable and confident when they come to read in class.
- Walk throughs - some critical scenes are selected for more physical acting out. Character 'experts' (see above) form groups and rehearse selected scenes (or more probably parts thereof) prior to presenting them to the rest of the class. The following variation is more appropriate: groups are asked to dispense with the text after they have gleaned the key elements of the scene. They then present the scene using modern language. A further variation involves changing the setting and issues so that these too are made contemporary.
- The above can be interspersed with excerpts from the film versions or sound clips from the play.
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| Learning task 4
| Learning intention(s) Examining key text aspects
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| KCs/ Principles/Values focus
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KCs: Use language, symbols and texts – structure and express understandings about texts Relate to others – peer discussion
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Learning task 4 Understanding characters and their conflicts There are a variety of approaches to help understand characters and their conflicts.
- View these stills from the film version. How well the casting for the movie matched their pre-conception of the characters? In what ways were their preconceptions confirmed or challenged. Write answers to the characters resource.
- Group with other class members who became character experts (see learning task 3) . The group takes responsibility for their character and presents that character to the class using the character questions as a guide and illustrating all points with brief dramatisations from the play. Or, again using the character questions as a guide, prepare to hotseat.
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| Learning task 5
| Learning intention(s) Examining key text aspects
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| KCs/ Principles/Values focus
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KCs: Use language, symbols and texts – structure and express understandings about texts Relate to others – peer discussion
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Learning task 5 Exploring the language of The Crucible The dialogue has a quality that could not easily be achieved in a naturalistic play of the present time. The characters are given a certain dignity and distance by quaint turns of phrase and peculiarities of grammar (mainly survivals in America of early usages in English). The use of ‘Mister’ as a form of address and 'Goody' as a title suggests a relationship strangely remote; and such verb-forms as seen in 'Cain were an upright man', 'there be no road between', 'I am thirty-three time in court in my life', a dialect used by judge as well as peasant, draw attention to another age and environment than ours.
It is perhaps natural that people whose daily reading was confined to the Bible should use language with a fine sense of metaphor. it does not sound inappropriate when Hale says, 'If Rebecca Nurse be tainted, then nothing's left to stop the whole green world from burning', or Proctor, 'I have made a bell of my honour, I have rung the doom of my good name'. This heightened language is in tune with the symbolic nature of the characters, the deep emotions they seek to express and the importance of the themes of the play. Form groups with each being allocated one of the following aspects of the language of the play. Find examples of your allocated language feature and report back to the class. In your report you should provide the context for your example and, briefly comment on:
- What function each serves in terms of characterisation, and/or establishing the setting and/or conveying a theme?
- What effect they might have on a modern audience?
- Translate" your example into contemporary English.
Language Features:
- Archaic sentence construction and sentence inversion.
- Metaphorical language.
- Archaic vocabulary usage.
- 'Earthy' language.
- Biblical allusion.
Close reading Use a text extract from the final lines of Act 3 for close reading.
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| Learning task 6
| Learning intention(s) Examining key text aspects
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| KCs/ Principles/Values focus
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KCs: Thinking – close reading Relate to others – peer discussion
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Learning task 6 Themes Use the questions about themes to select from one of these approaches. Write answers to the questions about themes individually.
- Groups could be allocated one of the questions about themes each to report back to the class (and, for examination purposes, provide a one page summary of their responses for each class member)
- Alternatively group members, using the thematic questions, could take on the role of expert to share their findings with other class members. In discussing the following ideas which run through this play, keep in mind that it is important for you to be able to say clearly how Miller develops his ideas - through characterisation? plot structure? language? setting (esp. historical)? conflicts between and within characters? You need to provide examples of these things to illustrate the general points you make about theme.
Questions about themes
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The Need For Social Responsibility, A 'Human Bond', Integrity.
We all have an obligation to combat perceived evil in society yet characters like Parris, the Putnams, the judges and Abigail shirk this responsibility in favour of promoting personal ends. Show how they do this and contrast their behaviour with that of John Proctor who, in placing the well-being of his fellows above his own interests show Miller's belief in a need for personal integrity.
Refer back to the grid you completed at the beginning of this unit in which you listed contemporary examples of the issues raised in The Crucible. Are you able to make a link between any of these issues and the need for social responsibility as expressed by Miller.
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Societal Problems Can Often Be Traced To Individual Human Failings.
Though the trial has religious and super-natural implications Miller tends to show the troubles as stemming from recognisable human failings. Discuss how the following failings are manifested in the play - greed, vengeance, jealousy, ambition, fear, hysteria.
Refer back to the grid you completed at the beginning of this unit in which you listed contemporary examples of the issues raised in The Crucible. Are you able to make a link between any of these issues and Miller's contention that social problems can often be traced back to individual failings?
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Societies Often Try To Suppress Individual Freedom, In Order To Maintain Social Order.
Discuss how this idea is brought out in the play especially through Proctor's struggle in the final act - the judges' insistence on pinning his written confession on the church door and his resistance to this. Also through Giles Corey who tries to maintain his individual rights (but note the contrast with Proctor's motives).
Refer back to the grid you completed at the beginning of this unit in which you listed contemporary examples of the issues raised in The Crucible. Are you able to make a link between any of these issues and the ideas about individual freedom contained in The Crucible?
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Often People Tend to Think in 'Black and White'.
(eg. good or evil, god-like or devilish, capitalist or communist). The upholders of the social order like Danforth are forced into this sort of thinking. How? Even Elizabeth Proctor associates John's sexual transgression with evil but what does she come to see.
Refer back to the grid you completed at the beginning of this unit in which you listed contemporary examples of the issues raised in The Crucible. Are you able to make a link between any of these issues and Miller's contention that people tend to think in "black and white"?
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| Learning task 7
| Learning intention(s) Preparing and delivering an oral presentation
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| KCs/ Principles/Values focus
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KCs: Use language, symbols and texts – structure and express understandings about texts Participating and Contributing – contribute to a group performance
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Learning task 7 Performance assessment
- Form small groups which will plan and deliver a performance of a small section of the play - either chosen by the group or allocated by the teacher to ensure coverage of the play. This section should offer sufficient opportunity for each student to provide enough evidence for assessment of individual performance. You must check with your teacher before preparing and presenting a group performance.
- In your group, discuss and record what you intend to show in the performance of your allocated extract. Consider:
- atmosphere/mood of the extract
- the nature of relationships between characters
- important ideas.
As a group, read through the text. Pause to discuss and annotate photocopies of individual scripts to suggest possible ways you could use tone of voice, pace, pitch, volume, contrasts, emphasis, rhythm and actions to reflect the ideas you identified. Annotate photocopies of individual scripts to suggest possible ways you could use gesture, facial expression, stance, eye contact, movement, use of props, use of costume to reflect the ideas you identified.
Rehearsal
As a group rehearse your performance, adding in costumes and props (where practical) once everyone is confident with using voice, body, movement to interpret the script. Keep referring each other back to the ideas you recorded to ensure whatever you do adds to the atmosphere or conveys the meaning of your extract. You will be assessed on how well you:
- develop and support ideas about your topic
- use a range of appropriate presentation techniques
- how well you construct and deliver your presentation to your audience.
Look at the ‘speaking standards clarification’ for information expectation regarding a Level 3 oral presentation.
Performance
- Present your performance as a group - preferably to another class using your teacher to provide a narrative link between scenes.
Developing an essay
- As formative work for AS 90723 Respond critically to oral or visual text studied, develop an essay on a topic linked to your work in the earlier learning tasks. In selecting a topic, it is vital that you select one suited to your understandings about it. As a first step in making a selection, consider the topics set in previous exam papers. Talk with your teacher about the most appropriate topic for the learning completed. In selecting a topic, give preference to a topic in a paper from the last few years.
- Look at the 2008 AS90723 exemplars. Additional exemplars are also available for this achievement standard by ordering the NZATE exemplar resource.
- Look over the Assessment Reports for AS 90723. As identified in the report, an excellence level response:
- sustained a cogent argument/discussion of the question
- displayed maturity and insight of critical response
- displayed judicious and/or insightful personal response and judgement
- integrated liberal, detailed relevant evidence and reference to texts to support ideas, throughout the essay
- explained and explored with insight and perception, the relevance of teacher notes, critics’ comments, reviews etc to the topic and to the candidate’s own position as viewer or performer
- structured a lucid, focused essay, using sophisticated expression and language
- wrote accurately and expressed ideas confidently in academic writing
- Having selected a topic, develop an essay. Write at least 400 words. Support your ideas with specific details from your work in earlier learning tasks.
- After completing a first draft, read your piece aloud to help identify parts of the writing that require reworking. Before writing a final version of your piece, proof-read it to improve on technical accuracy. Prior to writing the final draft, you should return to the exemplars to help reflect on whether any changes or additions are needed in your own final draft. You should also refer to the Assessment Schedule for AS 90723.
Preparing for AS90723 at the end of the year
- Look back at the essay you developed earlier and use it to help prepare for the external standard. Don’t rote learn this essay then attempt to somehow adapt a learnt essay to a topic in the exam. You will be much better prepared if you familiarise yourself again with the text as well as its ideas and supporting evidence, then adapt your understandings and supporting evidence to fit the requirements of the topics set.
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| Learning task 8
| Learning intention(s) Extending learning
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| KCs/ Principles/Values focus
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KCs: Thinking – explore texts
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Learning task 8 – Additional Resources Print
- Miller A. The Crucible
- Locke T. (1998) Close Up on Literary Text. Longman
Electronic
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Assessment and Evaluation (What is the impact of my teaching and learning?)
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| Formative and/or Summative assessment task(s), including how will feedback be provide
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AS 90725 Construct and deliver an oral presentation AS 90723 Respond critically to oral or visual text studied
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| Provision for identifying next learning steps for students who need:
- further learning opportunities
- increased challenge
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This piece of writing should be an integrated part of the year’s writing programme. Refer to
for more details.
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| Tools or ideas which, for example might be used to evaluate:
- progress of the class and groups within it
- student engagement
leading to :
- changes to the sequence
- addressing teacher learning needs
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See: Planning Using Inquiry
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If you are not able to access the zipped files, please download the following individual files.
