“So I’m going to have a copy of this play put in the cornerstone and the people a thousand years from now’ll know a few simple facts about us.” Our Town is used as the text in a Common Core exemplar that examines the dramatic and theatrical aspects of Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize winning drama. Class members are challenged to examine how Wilder uses dialogue to develop meaning rather than lighting, props, and scenery. (“There’s some scenery for those who think they have to have scenery”). 

Additional Tags

thornton wilder, Pulitzer Prize for drama, english language arts

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Pros

• The activities are carefully scaffolded so that all participants can be successful
• Worksheets not only ask groups to list and analyze all references to sights and sounds in each act of the play, but to also add or modify their assertions after full-class discussions
• Participants are encouraged to make text-to-self connections

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.11-12.1 RL.11-12.3 W.11-12.3.a W.11-12.3.d