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Juniors Versus Wild
Would You Survive the Perilous and Treacherous New England Wilderness?
An Historical Introduction Activity to The Puritans and “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Amanda Hapgood
Olympia High School
Fall 2008
Teaching with Primary Sources
Illinois State University
Boughton, George Henry. Pilgrims going to church.
Photograph of a 1867 painting by George Henry Boughton.
Created between 1940 and 1950. Prints and Photographs Reading Room.
Library of Congress. 20. Nov. 2008.
<http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3a00000/3a06000/3a06800/3a06801r.jpg
This is an interactive, front-loading activity to help introduce a study of the Puritans who settled early America and the play “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller. It is designed to help students understand the conservative, restrictive Puritan community of Salem Village and how the nature of this community contributed to the Salem Witch Trials, which is the main focus of the play.
Overview/ Materials/Historical Background/LOC Resources/Standards/ Procedures/Evaluation/Rubric/Handouts/Extension
Overview Back to Navigation BarObjectives / · As a pre-reading strategy to Arthur Miller’s play “The Crucible,” students will complete an activity where they will form their own community and develop a workable survival plan.
· Students will learn about early Puritan life in America through a lesson involving primary sources.
· Students will make connections between the survival activity and the historical lesson about the Puritans. These two activities will help set the stage for the class study of “The Crucible” which is about the Salem Witch Trials. The goal of the lesson is for students to form a picture in their minds of what early Puritan America was like and how that, in part, caused the witch trials.
Recommended time frame / 3 days—this lesson is structured to fit 80 minute block classes. It may have to be adjusted to fit other class periods.
Grade level / 10th-11th
Curriculum fit / American Literature/American Studies
Materials / · Large sheet of paper or poster board.
· Markers.
· Computers with internet access.
· Handouts.
· KWL sheet.
· http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/thanksgiving/
· http://plimoth.org/
Illinois State Learning Standards Back to Navigation Bar
Language Arts:
Goal 1: Read with understanding and fluency.
· 1.C. Comprehend a broad range of reading materials.
· 1.C.4a Use questions and predictions to guide reading across complex material
· 1.C.4c Interpret, evaluate and apply information from a variety of sources to other situations (e.g., academic, vocational, technical, personal).
Goal 2: Read and understand literature representative of various societies, eras and ideas.
· 2.B: Read and interpret a variety of literary works.
· 2.B.4a Critique ideas and impressions generated by oral, visual, written and electronic materials.
· 2.B.4b Analyze form, content, purpose and major themes of American literature in their historical perspectives.
Procedures Back to Navigation Bar
Day One:
· Students will form a circle—either with their desks or sitting on the floor.
· Place a piece of paper on the floor in the middle of the circle.
· Pass out the Survivor Scenario handout.
· Elaborate on the Survivor instructions—students (only those present in class today) have just ended a very long journey. It is November. They have ended up in an area that is along a rocky coastline that is densely forested and has some clear land that might be suitable for farming. They have enough supplies to last a week and a few basic tools (ax, saw, couple of shot guns with limited ammunition, other non electric/battery powered building tools, basic cookware) and the clothes on their backs. There are not enough supplies to turn back—the group is stuck here. There are also indigenous people who live in the area—some are not at all happy to see you. The goal of the assignment is to create a plan of survival.
· First decide who is the leader/leaders. Explain the method and rational behind this choice.
· Form a survival plan for creating shelters, finding food, and setting up security.
· What else is needed for survival in this harsh land?
· Develop some rules and consequences.
· Set up a government.
· Create a map of their community.
The teacher needs to hang back and let the discussion and process happen. Students need to figure this out themselves. Some groups may function well and immediately come up with an organized plan. Other groups may take longer and struggle with creating their own functioning community. The teacher should step in and guide students if they get too far off topic (like tangent discussions about cannibalism).
Once students are done or the hour is near the end, have students answer the discussion questions on the handout. When they finish writing, have an oral discussion about the activity. The last question is the lead in to the historical portion of the lesson—students probably will respond with the Puritans or something similar—guide their discussion to that of the Pilgrims/Puritans.
Days Two and Three:
· To begin the class period, start with the Puritan KWL chart. Fill out the first two sections as a class. This is a way to judge what students have learned about this topic previously.
· Next divide students into groups of 3-4.
The groups should work on the 7 activities described in the handouts. These could also be set up around the room as different stations—the groups could rotate through each one to add a kinesthetic element to it. The activity could also be jig-sawed or a few of the activities could be done as a big group.
· Once all the activities are complete, bring students back together as a big group and go through each source.
· Ask student to discuss their findings.
· Take some notes as a group (perhaps on an overhead) of what new information they found out about the Puritans and their lifestyle.
· The overall point it for students to form a general image in their minds of the area where the Puritans settled in New England, their religion, morals and the Puritan mindset.
· Next as part of group discussion, fill out the last column of the KWL sheet.
· Assign the Reflection Essay--Who were the Puritans?.
· Begin acting out the play, “The Crucible” on Day Four.
Evaluation Back to Navigation Bar
· Students after the survival activity will immediately complete a worksheet of discussion questions.
· During the historical part of the lesson, students have a set of worksheets to complete.
· The final assessment will be a reflection essay where students will connect both elements of the lesson.
· In this piece, students will explain their groups survival plan, discuss if their group would have survived, what challenges they faced, what would work, what would not work.
· Students will also sum up what they learned in the historical section and compare that to their group experience.
· Rubric for the Reflection Essay
Extension Back to Navigation Bar
Additional Readings About the Puritans
Interpreting The Scream by Edvard Munch
Historical Background
Back to Navigation Bar
Historical Background on The Puritans in America
The Puritans are character group in “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller. The play was written in 1952. The setting of the play is 1692 in Salem, Mass. The premise of the play is determining the causes that lead up to the Salem Witch Trials where 19 men and women were hanged for the capital felony of witch craft; however all were later proved to have been falsely accused. Within the play itself, the author provides many theories about reasons what lead up to the trials, why so many were accused and why it was not halted when authorities realized that most of the accusations were false. Arthur Miller considers this to be “one of the strangest and most awful chapters in human history.” Miller’s main premise is that the unbending, strict, theocratic society is what tore the community apart and caused innocent victims to be hanged. This lesson is designed to help students visualize the religion and lifestyle of the Puritans who settled America and to also show why this strict way of life was needed at first to ensure the survival of the colony. The play later shows how 50 years later the society is still operating in this same strict fashion.
Puritanism was the religion of the first settlers in the New World. They wanted direct communication with God- no ceremonies, priests, art, rituals—and believed the Bible was the final law in all things; they interpreted it directly. A Puritan of 16th and 17th century England was any person seeking "purity" of worship through biblical supremacy and a doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Puritans objected to ornaments and ritual in churches. This was a very zealous, devout group in conflict with the Church of England. This strife stemmed from the Reformation of the Catholic Church in 16th century which had created a desire for change and a time of radical reformation. Puritanism evolved from discontent the Roman Catholic Church.
Many Puritans emigrated to North America in the 1620–1640s because they believed that the Church of England was beyond reform. They went to the New World (America) to set up their own church, free from persecution. The Puritans were a very educated group of people and TOUGH! They really understood hardship and perseverance. They set up a church, a government and schools very soon after they were settled. In the Colony, the church and the government were closely intertwined—needed to be for survival in this wild, new, dangerous place. Minister was an important authority figure and held lots of power. The Puritans who travelled to New England were primarily made up of families. Between 1630 and 1640 over 13,000 men, women, and children sailed to Massachusetts. Puritan ships were full of “ordinary” people, old and young, and families.
The central belief of Puritanism was God’s supreme authority over human affairs, particularly in the church, and especially as expressed in the Bible. This view led them to seek both individual and community conformance to the teaching of the Bible. They formed a government where the religious aspect of life was merged with civics. This meant the ministers were also political figures and held great government power. This form of government is a Theocracy.
These early Puritan communities were very simple, strict and religious—very restrictive—was natural considering their environment, they needed to be close and stick together in order to survive. Consequently, citizens were encouraged to watch their neighbors and report to the minister those who strayed from the “straight and narrow”—ensured survival of the village—everyone had to pull their weight and get along.
Later after the New World was more settled new large towns sprung up and more people arrived from Europe. These people were not as restrictive in their religion. They had fancy clothing, foods, books, music and saw plays. But the small towns, like Salem Village, remained very restrictive and stuck with the old ways. This caused friction among city people and village people. Women, they believed, should be totally subservient to men. By nature, a woman was more likely to enlist in the Devil's service than was a man, and women were considered lustful by nature. In addition, the small-town atmosphere made secrets difficult to keep and people's opinions about their neighbors were generally accepted as fact. “Children should be seen and not heard." Children were at the bottom of the social ladder. Toys and games were seen as idle and playing was discouraged. Girls had additional restrictions heaped upon them. Boys were able to go hunting, fishing, exploring in the forest, and often became apprentices to carpenters and smiths, while girls were trained from a tender age to spin yarn, cook, sew, weave, and be servants to their husbands, mothers, and children. The Puritan way of life was simple and plain. It included hard work, a close-knit family, and strict church attendance. Celebrations of holidays, such as Christmas, were forbidden as frivolous. Puritans also did not approve of dancing, singing, books, theatre, fancy clothing, or extravagant food or toys.
There was a solid belief in Witchcraft in 17th century in Europe and America. Scientific discoveries were slowly emerging with the studies and experiments of Galileo, Newton, and Copernicus; however, most people did not believe in a scientific explanation for natural occurrences. Losses of crops, livestock, and children, as well as earthquakes and bad weather, were typically attributed to the wrath of God or the presence of witch. These people believed witchcraft was REAL and must be fought- there were national, criminal laws against it. People were always on the lookout for witches, but the laws were rarely acted upon. The only time witch trials occurred were when major misfortunes struck on a large scale. The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before local magistrates followed by county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft several counties of colonial Massachusetts, in 1692 and 1693. The hearings in 1692 were conducted in Salem Village, Ipswich, Andover and Salem Town, Massachusetts. Between February 1692 and May 1693, over 150 people were arrested and imprisoned, with even more accused who were not formally pursued by the authorities. The two courts convicted 29 people of the capital felony of witchcraft, 19 of whom (fourteen women, five men) were hanged.
Bibliography
Baker, James. “The Pilgrims as People: Understanding the Plymouth Colonists.” Plimoth Plantation. http://www.plimoth.org/discover/colonial-life/pilgrim-people.php
In Search of History. Salem Witch Trials. VHS Cassette. New York: A and E Television Network, 1996.
“The Mayflower Compact.” Plimoth Plantation. http://www.plimoth.org/discover/colonial-life/mayflower-compact.php
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible and Related Readings. Evanston, IL; McDougal Littell, 1997.
Roach, Marilynn K. In the Days of The Salem Witchcraft Trials. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1996.
“13 Original Colonies—Massachusetts.” The TimePage. http://www.timepage.org/spl/13colony.html#mass accessed through LOC http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/start/inres/ushist/colonial.html
“Timeline of Plymouth Colony 1620-1692 .” Plimoth Plantation. http://www.plimoth.org/discover/colonial-life/timeline.php