Propp’s Propaganda

I am forever thankful to my former principal / asst. super. for having our district trained in Thoughtful Classroom.  The other day I did an activity and it really went well.  Of course I tweeked what I learned into what I needed but it still went really well.  I am serious, a great class, in my case 84 minutes!, is a natural high!  What made it even better was I am teaching a new play right now that I usually teach with my honors class. I am finding my regular students are engrossed in the story line and so far have been able to verbalize the deeper themes this play provides.  It is such a powerful feeling to hear my students intelligently discuss literature!

Over the break I have been trying to relax but at the same time, I realize I am procrastinating on getting ready for school to start back up.  I realized I haven’t been on my blog in a really long time. Perhaps renewing this will get me motivated.  I am teaching a new play to my juniors this year called Fences.  In the past I have taught it with my Honors English 11 class but thought I would try something different.  My colleague and I have decided our theme for this year’s literature is the American Dream.  We started with Of Mice and Men.  Fences is my second piece that takes place in the late 1950s to around 1965 and centers on an African American family trying to make their mark in a blind and ignorant society.  That part plays up the American Dream portion.  The other part is about family and the family dynamic.  A dominant father so desperately wants to take care of his family, the mother wants to keep everyone happy and close (thus the title fences) but like life, things don’t always work out as we plan.  Like Of Mice and Men reflects the importance of friendship, this focuses on dreams and the importance of family relationships.  It is certainly not the “Leave it to Beaver” type of family.  This is one of the reasons why I thought this play would be a good choice for my students who daily have to struggle with family relationships. 

Since I have a block class of 84 minutes, I need to make sure to plan accordingly and effectively.  Much of the play has already brought about  discussion of the time period by incorporating excellent media footage of the civil rights movement from Youtube!  However, I need to think of other activities to supplement this play. We cannot read for 84 minutes!  Do any of you have any literature that would go along with my theme? Have any of you ever taught Fences?  I would appreciate any and all suggestions.  I need a spark to go back to school.