The Crucible: Final Project

Name: ______Feb, 2011 Seventh Grade Core The Crucible The Crucible /McCarthy Exhibition

Introduction At its heart, The Crucible is a tragedy. Arthur Miller explores how the citizens of Salem lose their sense of decency and integrity when they get caught up in the mass hysteria of the witch trials. The execution of John Proctor underscores the tragedy that results when a people lose their integrity in the face of social pressure.

Miller wrote this play in the late 1940s when Senator Joseph McCarthy led a movement in this country to rid the government and the nation of Communists. As you have read, many of Miller’s friends were attacked for their so-called pro-Communist beliefs. Miller himself was called before the House [of Representatives] Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1956 to testify against his friends. Like John Proctor in the play, he refused to name names.

In this final project, you will conduct research to learn more about the actions of Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee as well as how those actions relate to the broad themes of The Crucible. ______

The Project In study groups, you will conduct research using books, encyclopedias, periodicals, the web, and interviews on a specific topic related to the “witch hunts” of the 1950s.

Your group will use the information gathered in this research and our discussions of The Crucible to make a three-paneled poster presentation. Your poster should answer the following ESSENTIAL questions: How did the political events of the 1950s influence the writing of The Crucible? Why is tolerance and free speech essential in a pluralistic society?

The Process

1. Choose one of the following topics to explore further:  The Fear of Communism in the 1950s  Senator Joseph McCarthy  House Un-American Activities Committee  The Hollywood Blacklist  Other topic ideas? Check with Matthew first!

2. Begin researching your topic and collecting information on electronic notecards. We will use the same format as we did for the Colonial Research Project. Groups will want to delegate responsibilities for the research. For this project, each individual will use a minimum of 4 sources, and you will create a minimum of 2 notecards for each source, (for a total of 8 notecards per student). We will create these notecards on Noodletools with Jennifer.

3. After completing the notecards for your topic, your group will need to pull your ideas together in order to make connections to The Crucible and answer the main questions fully. These are some suggestions for how you can do this:

• Look for ways McCarthy and other committee members examined and tried witnesses, then recall the methods of Hathorne, Danforth and others in the play. Compare the two. • Examine the hysteria you find in the play and the hysteria you read about in your research of the 1950s. Find similarities and differences. • Explore the theme of hypocrisy. How did the Puritans betray their Christian beliefs? How did the US government betray the country’s founding principles? • Examine the effects of the witch-hunts on both societies. How did the Witch Trials affect the community of Salem? How did the McCarthy hearings affect American society? • The act of “Naming names” is present in both The Crucible and the HUAC hearings. Why did some choose to do it? Why did others refuse? What role does one’s reputation play in this? How does one stay true to their beliefs in the face of social pressure? • What role did intolerance play in the The Crucible and the events of the 1950s? • What is scapegoating? What was the atmosphere in Salem and the US during the 1950s that brought about the scapegoating of a particular group of people? • How does history repeat itself? What are the similarities and differences between both eras? • Others?... (check with Elizabeth)

At a minimum, each group member will answer 1 of the above bullet points, Remember, you are answering this bullet point, but you are also attempting to link your response to the ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS.

4. You will compose your bullet point response in tabloid style, much like a newspaper article. We will learn more this and discuss what this format entails.

5. After your group has completed their bullet points, you can start to construct your poster to share your learning with the class. You will be provided with a three-paneled poster board, or access to a virtual whiteboard. Your presentation should be informative and visually pleasing to the eye.

6. Each poster board must include the following components: 2 tabloid paragraphs of written work per student, including 2 pieces of textual evidence from The Crucible; 1 unifying title (for the entire poster); 1 paragraph, written with the entire group, explaining the overall topic; 2 primary sources, each properly analyzed and related to their topic.

7. LREI has a direct connection to the HUAC hearings. Arthur Miller sent his children here, blacklisted artists taught here, and former Director, Rank Smith, was actually called to testify before McCarthy’s committee. Your group should include research on LREI’s connection to the events of the 1950s in your poster presentation.

8. Use photos &graphics, and be neat! ______EXTRA CREDIT: There are many contemporary, or current, examples of ‘witch-hunts’. Can you and your group think of one? If you choose to do this research, you will receive extra credit

Name: ______Feb, 2011 Seventh Grade Core The Crucible

The Crucible: Final Project Deadlines & Rubric

Deadlines Topics selected and groups formed: Thursday, February 12th Research completed: Monday, February 28th First draft of Traditional Newspaper and Tabloid Friday, March 4th Final draft of Traditional Newspaper and Tabloid Tuesday, March 8th Poster construction and prep for presentation: Week of March 7th Poster Presentations: Week of March 14th

THINGS THAT I NEED TO DO: