Students will read A Raisin in the Sun and analyze characters by writing 500-word essays using MLA format. They will discuss characters in small groups and each choose a different character to focus on. After drafting and peer reviewing essays, students will present their analyses in PowerPoint presentations. The class will discuss each character analysis and the teacher will summarize perspectives on the play's characters. The project aims to develop students' critical analysis, writing, and communication skills.

1. IntroductionCritically Assess a Character from Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun The project will involve 11th 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.

2. Task 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.

3. Process 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.

4. Evaluation

5. Conclusion 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.

6. Teacher Page 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 the 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.