The project will involve 11 th grade students reading A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, forming into small groups and each writing a five hundred page essay on character analysis, using MLA format for references. The students will then present their differing analyses of each character for class discussion.

 Students will first read A Raisin in the Sun individually over a period of two days.  After each student has read the play, they will break up into small groups of three to discuss the story and exchange ideas about the characters.  Students in each group will then each choose a character to write about.  A first draft of the essay will be used for peer review within the group.  After the peer review, the students will complete their final draft using MLA format and turn it in for grading purposes.  After the final papers are returned, the students within each small group will work together on a power-point presentation in order to show their character theories to the rest of the class.  The group will present their power-point to the rest of the class with each individual student explaining their own character analysis.  There will be a class discussion regarding each student’s individual thoughts on the character that they analyzed.  The instructor will summarize the importance of character analysis.

 The teacher will review proper MLA guidelines and essay creation techniques before beginning the project.  After reading the play, the students will have broken up into groups in order to discuss and decide which character they will each analyze. This will include the pre-writing stage and a rough draft stage.  In groups the students will research their characters via the text-play or any external references (as long as they are properly cited).  The students will use computer databases to add additional resources to their essays, such as peer reviewed journals.  The students will then draft their essays individually and will conduct a group peer review before turning in their final copy with all of their drafts attached to the instructor for grading.  After the papers have been graded, the students will be able to correct any mistakes before presenting their essays.  As a group, the students will work on their presentation by using power-point. A variety of media can be used to present each character analysis to include movie clips, pictures, audio and text.  The final step in the process will be a classroom discussion about the characters and the play.

Sc or e Le vel s ContentConventionsOrganizationPresentation 4 Is well thought out and supports the solution to the challenge or question. Reflects application of critical thinking and critique. Has clear thesis that presents their critique. Is pulled from a variety of sources, including the play and any other resources found. No spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors. High-level use of vocabulary and word choice. Use of proper MLA formatting for references. Information is clearly focused in an organized and thoughtful manner. Information is constructed in a logical pattern to support the solution. Essays contains a thesis statement, body, and conclusion supported with quotes. Presentation captures audience attention. Presentation is organized and well laid out. Used a clear voice when presenting material aloud. Final drafts are composed in a standard Times New Roman font, 12 pt., double spaced. Final drafts have all rough drafts attached. Power-point presentation accurately showed each student’s character critique. 3 Is well thought out and supports the critique and thesis. Has application of critical thinking. Has clear goal that is related to the topic Is pulled from a several sources. Few (1 to 3) spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors. Good use of vocabulary and word choice. Information supports the thesis.Format is appropriate for the content. Presentation captures audience attention. Presentation is well organized. 2 Supports the critique. Has application of critical thinking. Has no clear goal Is pulled from a limited number of sources. Has some factual errors or inconsistencies. Minimal (3 to 5) spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors Low-level use of vocabulary and word choice Project has a focus but might stray from it at times. Information appears to have a pattern, but the pattern is not consistently carried out in the project. Information loosely supports the solution. Format does not suit the content. Presentation does not capture audience attention. Presentation is loosely organized. 1 Provides inconsistent information. Has no apparent application of critical thinking. Has no clear goal. I pulled from few sources. Has significant factual errors, misconceptions, or misinterpretations. More than 5 spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors Poor use of vocabulary and word choice. Content is unfocused and haphazard. Information does not support the solution to the challenge or question. Information has no apparent pattern. Presentation appears sloppy and/or unfinished.. Format does not enhance content. Presentation has no clear organization. No rough drafts attached. Did not use proper formatting.

 The project will conclude with the students showing their ability to communicate their thoughts and theories both on paper and in a group setting.  The instructor will then summarize some of the different perspectives that the students presented of the characters in A Raisin in the Sun and provide active feedback.

 The project can be adapted for any play or book in a High School English class that requires the students to critically assess any part of an assigned text. The character analysis presented in this project can be substituted for a chapter critique or a verbal summary. The most important aspect in this project is to have students develop an ability to critically assess characters while also showing their proficiency with MLA formatting and their ability to communicate ideas. Integrating technology into the assignment comes from creating a power-point presentation in order for the ideas to be shown to the rest of the class. The entire project should occur over the span of two weeks minimum to allow for the full dissection of the text. The amount of time given to this project can be adapted to longer or shorter lengths depending on how it is formatted by the instructor.  Some useful websites for this project include:   