A Study of A Streetcar Named Desire

Alexandra Dunnan
Grades 9-12 Theatre

Common Core Standards:

1PEExamineandarticulatetheeffectsofcontextonvisualimagery.
1PRDemonstratebasictechnicalskillandcraftsmanshipwithvariousartmediawhencreatingimagesfrom
observation,memoryandimagination.
6PRIdentifyandapplyvisualliteracyasameanstocreateimagesthatarepersonallyexpressive.
3REUseappropriatevocabularytodefineanddescribetechniquesandmaterialsusedtocreateworksofart.
Lesson Summary:
In this lesson, students will read the play A Streetcar Named Desire, written by, Tennessee Williams, and, after
critical examination of the text and small group and class discussion, students will create their own
interpretation of key scenes using modern language and materials. Students will film these scenes and embed
them onto a classroom blog with an essay describing the scene and their interpretation.
Estimated Duration:
The lesson will take up approximately 250 minutes. This will be broken up into one 50-minute period of class
discussion of the play, three 50-minute periods for small group work, and one 50-minute period for viewing of
the final projects.
Commentary: In order to effectively teach this lesson, I will get my students interested in the subject matter
by showing scenes from the movie version of A Streetcar Named Desire starring Marlon Brando and Vivian
Leigh. Having this visual representation for them to watch while we discuss the material will draw them in so
they can better relate to the story. In order to further draw the students in, I will utilize discussion questions
that relate the 1947 material to present day. This way, the students will find it more interesting to discuss and
learn about.

Instructional Procedures:
Day 1:
(Prior to this lesson, the students will have had to read the play, A Streetcar Named Desire as homework)
5 minutes- introduce the project and hand out a rubric for grading
45 minutes- students go scene-by-scene, with script in hand, summarizing the plot and pointing out themes and
symbols as they go. If the students do not identify all of the desired themes and symbols, the teacher should
point out at least; Appearance vs. Reality, Dependence on Men, light and shadow, music, and bathing. During
this, I will assign students into four groups and give each group a scene. When we come to the scene that is
being described, I will play the excerpt from the movie version of that scene. The scenes that the students will
be given are 3, 4, 5, and 7. Scenes 8 and 10 could also be used but only for a mature group considering the
nature of the content.
Day 2:
50 minutes- students will begin to work in their small groups on their own interpretation of the scene that they
have been given. I will be available to answer any questions or give help where needed. By the end of this
class time, students should have their projects completely outlined and the writing for their scene should be
started.
Day 3:
25 minutes- students work in their small groups on their projects
5 minutes- complete a quiz on the kahoot quiz website over the plot in order to assess how well the students
have a grasp on the plot and themes
20 minutes- students continue to work on their projects. By the end of this class period, students should be
almost finished with their papers and their scenes should have begun filming.
Day 4:
50 minutes- students will work in their small groups on their own interpretation of the scene that they have
been given. I will be available to answer any questions or give help where needed. By the end of this class
period, the students should be finished with their papers and their videos should be ready to embed onto the
class blog.
Day 5:
50 minutes- students will spend this time presenting their projects to the class. The videos should be 2.5-5
minutes long and the essay, which will be completed by every individual student as opposed to one per group,
will be 300 words double spaced describing their choices for their interpretation and how it applies to the
original text.

Pre-Assessment:
In order to pre-assess the students overall knowledge on the subject matter, I plan on using the time while
students are going scene-by-scene summarizing the play. If the students are able to successfully summarize
the scene and answer questions about the plot, then I will know that they will be able to complete the project as
a whole.
Scoring Guidelines:
The pre-assessment will be scored by how well the students are able to summarize the scene that they
are asked about. If they are not able to answer questions about the text, then we will have to go over it
in order to be certain that all of the students have a good understanding of the material that they will be
doing their projects on.
Formative Assessment:
Half way through the class time on the third day of the lesson, I will conduct a quiz using the online quiz
website, kahoot.com. The quiz will be short but the questions will ask specific questions about the themes and
symbols that should be represented in the students projects. This assessment will help me to see how well the
students understand their assignment and if they are using the correct information.
Scoring Guidelines:
The kahoot quizzes are scored by the computer immediately based on correct or incorrect answers.
Post-Assessment:
The final assessment will be the completion of the scene that the students must perform, film, and embed onto
the classs blog website, as well as their individual papers explaining their interpretation of the classic scene.
Scoring Guidelines:
Students will be scored on the accuracy of their information, creativity, participation, and completion of
the time requirement of the video as well as basic grammar. The essay portion will be scored on the
accuracy of the information, the clarity and validity of the interpretation and basic grammar and length
requirements.

Differentiated Instructional Support

Students that may be able to work ahead of the class would benefit from extra work in the form of helping
other groups fill roles that they may not want to or be able to play. Students who are seeking extra credit may
also complete a set, lighting, or costume design for their scene. This design would consist not only of
completing the designs for their video but also including a section in their written essay on their design
choices.
For Students that were having trouble or needed extra help with their projects, I would be available for them to
ask questions about the themes and symbols if they are having trouble understanding. I would also have an
example project available for them to use as reference. Sparknotes.com is also a good resource that I would
direct them to for additional information and study material.

Extension
Quizlet.com is an excellent website that students can use for free to quiz themselves on several topics with the
search of a few key words. The quizzes can be ones that are made by random users or students can
find quizzes made by their teacher. Students can also use quizlet online or on the free app or iPhone or
android.

Homework Options and Home Connections

Much of this project is encouraged to be done at home since there are only three in class days devoted to work
as a group. The only part of the project that is required to be done out of class, however, is the actual reading
of the play. Other than that, I would encourage students to use websites such as sparknotes.com to find
additional information and study material to help them outside of class.

Interdisciplinary Connections
While discussing the themes of the play A Streetcar Named Desire, it is easy to also apply the themes to a
psychology class since the symbols of light and shadow as well as bathing applies to the psychological
problems that the character of Blanche exhibits throughout the play. The project could also lend itself to
discussions about American history since the play takes place in 1940s New Orleans. The neighborhood that
the main characters reside in is multiracial which would have been fairly irregular at the time and the character
of Blanche, having come from a plantation lifestyle, would understandably be unaccustomed to the diversity.
However, in present day, this racism would not be accepted as the norm.

Materials and Resources:

For teachers

Computer
Smartboard (to freeze frame excerpts from the movie in order to point out important
imagery)

For students

Video camera or IPad

Computer with IMovie or similar film editing software
Smart Phone

Key Vocabulary

IMovie- video editing software on Apple devises that would be used to organize and edit the student films
Theme- the central topic of a piece of literature
Symbol- a person, place or thing that represents a different meaning within a piece of art or literature