Lesson 7: A Raisin in the Sun, Act I, Scene 1, Part 3

Use this routine to help students reactivate yesterday’s thinking about characterization before they read the next section of the scene. Seat students with a partner.

Think-Pair-Share

• Say: Take out your notes from Lesson 6, when you tracked how Ruth, Walter, and Travis were characterized in the opening of Act I, Scene 1. In that lesson, we noticed family tension building inside the Younger apartment; today, we take that a step further by comparing how the three main women in the family respond to pressure in very different ways. This matters because later in the unit, you will need to use moments from the play as evidence for how barriers impede people’s dreams.

Say these Directions: Turn to a partner and think back to the argument and characterization work from Lesson 6.

• Ask: In our last lesson, we saw how the Younger family’s apartment is a place where "weariness has, in fact, won in this room” (p. 25). Today, we look at three women, Ruth, Beneatha, and Mama, who live in this apartment. While they share the same space, they each respond to their barriers differently. What pressure was already shaping the Younger family in the previous section?

  • The family was already under pressure from money problems and crowded living conditions. Another big pressure was that everyone had dreams, but not enough space or money to reach them.

Connection to Today's Learning

• Say: Today, as we read, we will compare Ruth, Beneatha, and Mama by asking three questions about each one: What does she want, what stands in her way, and how does she respond?

Use this routine to show students how one word in the stage directions can deepen characterization and symbolism. Students will use the word again in Learning in Action when they discuss Mama’s response to barriers.

Context Clues in Action

Display and read aloud the target sentence.

Target Sentence:

“She crosses through the room, goes to the window, opens it, and brings in a feeble little plant growing doggedly in a small pot on the windowsill.” (p. 39)

Then display and read aloud the surrounding context from the part where Mama cares for the plant:

“Lord, if this little old plant don’t get more sun than it’s been getting it ain’t never going to see spring again.” (p. 40)

• Say: This sentence includes a word we may not fully understand yet. Instead of looking it up first, we are going to use the words around it to make a smart, text-based guess about what doggedly means.

• Say: When I read “feeble little plant growing doggedly,” I notice the plant is weak, but it is still growing. Then I look at the next line, where Mama says the plant has not had enough sun and might not see spring. Those clues tell me the plant is surviving under hard conditions. So doggedly most likely means something like stubbornly or persistently continuing, even when it is difficult.

• Ask: Which words or ideas in the surrounding lines help explain doggedly?

  • The clues are “feeble little plant,” “don’t get more sun,” and “ain’t never going to see spring again.” These show the plant is weak and in bad conditions, but it is still trying to grow.

Say these Directions: In your Personal Dictionary, write the word doggedly, your inferred meaning, and one clue from the text that helped you figure it out. Then, check your definition using a dictionary or other reference material. Does the definition match what we figured out? Revise as needed.

• Then write one sentence using this stem:

  • Mama’s houseplant symbolizes her dream of/for ______ because ______.

• Mama’s houseplant symbolizes her dream for a better home because it keeps growing even when it does not get enough sunlight, just like she keeps hoping for more than the apartment they live in.

Connection to Today's Learning

• Say: As we read the scene, keep watching for which characters respond doggedly to barriers and which respond in other ways.

Part A: Reading the Women’s Responses (RL.7.3) (12 minutes)

Conduct a read-aloud of the next part of Act I, Scene 1, beginning with Walter’s line “We one group of men…” (p. 35) through the stage direction “Beneatha comes in…” (p. 46). Assign student volunteers to read the roles of Ruth, Beneatha, Walter, and Mama and remind them to read their lines with attention to meaning, not speed. Read the stage directions yourself so students continue to hear how Hansberry uses drama structure to build characterization.

Say these Directions: As we read this section of Act I, Scene 1, your task is to identify the specific dreams each woman has, the barriers she faces, and her response. For each woman, you must find at least one line of dialogue or a stage direction as evidence. Make notes in your text and/or journal as you listen.

Teach: Comparing Characters in Drama

• Say: When we compare characters, we do more than list traits. We look at what each person wants, what blocks that desire, and what the person does or says in response. In a play, Hansberry gives us that information through dialogue, stage directions, and how characters react to one another. So as we read, we are collecting patterns, not just isolated moments.

Part B: Compare Dreams, Barriers, and Responses (RL.7.3, RL.7.4) (18 minutes)

Students first think independently by filling in the chart, then compare with a partner, and then share one comparison with the class. Provide each student with a 3-Column Chart graphic organizer.

Think-Pair-Share

Say these Directions: Title the columns in your organizer “Dream,” “Barrier,” and “Response.” Then draw two lines across the organizer to make a section for each female character: Mama, Ruth, and Beneatha. Record what each woman wants, what stands in her way, and how she responds. Start independently and then compare your chart with a partner and revise if needed. Partner A, explain one important difference. Partner B, add a second detail or challenge the idea with another example. Then switch.

Teach: Modeling One Row of the Chart

• Say: I’m going to model Mama’s row first. In the part where she talks about wanting a house with a yard and remembers the dream she and Big Walter had, I can name her dream as homeownership, space, and a better future for the family. Her barriers are money, years of cramped living, and the fact that Big Walter died before reaching that dream. Her response is dogged and hopeful: she keeps saving, planning, and even tending the plant. When I fill in the chart, I want each box to move from evidence to meaning.

Display the following completed sample row if needed for support and guidance:

• Ask: What should you record for Ruth and Beneatha’s dreams, barriers, and responses in this scene?

• Ask: Which differences between two of the women feels most important in this scene, and why?

  • The biggest difference is between Ruth and Beneatha. Ruth responds by focusing on survival and getting through the day, while Beneatha responds by arguing and defending her future.

  • A key difference is between Mama and Ruth. Both want stability, but Mama responds with steady hope while Ruth seems worn down by the pressure.

Provide students with a confidence continuum (i.e., 1–5). As needed, model how to demonstrate a level of confidence using the continuum.

We have spent today comparing how three women in the Younger family face dreams and barriers in the same house but in different ways. Now, students will turn one comparison into a written claim with evidence.

Routine: Quick Write

Say these Directions: Take a moment to review the prompt. Then write a 3-4 sentence response that answers the question:

• Ask: Which woman’s response to barriers stands out most in this section? Include at least two specific details from the scene that support your thinking.

  • Mama’s response stands out most because she stays hopeful even when life has disappointed her. In the part where she brings in the weak plant, she still cares for it even though it has not had enough sunlight, which shows she keeps protecting hope in a hard place. Later, when she talks about Big Walter and their dream of a house with a garden, she does not treat that dream like it is foolish or impossible. These details show that Mama responds to barriers doggedly, with memory, faith, and steady action.

Instruct students to sketch Mama’s houseplant using details from its description in the scene.

Label at least three text-based details that show what the plant looks like and what it might symbolize.