Text: the Crucible by Arthur Miller

Ms. Hernandez

English 2

PBL on False Accusations

Text: The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Driving Questions: What can be done to keep the innocent from being accused and presumed guilty? What do the Salem Witch Trials, McCarthyism, and 9/11 have in common? What social commentary is Miller’s play inferring and is it still relevant to present society?

Overview of Project:

The first two components are to share a personal experience. The purpose is to help you see how false accusations can affect people on a personal and global level. Step three of this project will require you to be able to demonstrate what you have learned about the relationship between 9/11, McCarthyism, and SWT’s.

STEPS:

1.  Journal Assignment: Write about a time in which you felt you were falsely accused. Consider what lead up to the accusation and what the result of the accusation was.

2.  Go to Salem Virtual Witch Hunt (www.nationalgeographic.com/features/97/salem/) to experience what it was like to be falsely accused. Write a one-page journal reflecting on your experience, what it felt like, and what you learned. Write it as if it has really happened to you.

3.  Using what you have learned about all three historical events (your notes), the articles, literature read in class, and historical knowledge for textual evidence, write an argumentative essay in which you state a claim that refutes, supports, or qualifies the following statement:

“It is dangerous to be right in matters about which the established authorities are wrong” -----Voltaire