The only other thing I do before we start reading is show the Pittsburgh Project so students will have a visual context of the setting. This word is not said or read aloud in our class even though we do watch clips of the play that include this word. “ The Meanings of a Word” by Gloria Naylor from the New York Times is a good resource that provides context for our conversation. Finally, we must have a discussion about language – esp the N word – in Fences. I draw attention to August Wilson’s Century Cycle and the different awards the plays have won. I typically read Lloyd Richards’ Introduction and have students read a bio and cultural context of the play that’s in our class textbook. To introduce Fences, we first spend time responding to and discussing the epigraph for Fences: We deal with things that one might front load as they come up. I do not spend a lot of time front-loading texts but instead prefer students to jump in and start reading. I know this is common practice for plays, but because of the time of year (students are able to handle more on their own), the time it takes to read (I would rather spend our time discussing), and language in the play (more on this later), students read individually or some may choose to read in small groups.

And like novels, there is plenty of room for interpretation which can be seen through different clips of the same scene. We do not read this entire play aloud in class. Because plays are performed, they tend to be built around dialogue and action which without a narrator to provide further context, give us room to read between the lines and explore motivation (even though sometimes we are gifted with a monologue or aside to help). This is something we keep in mind the entire time considering and analyzing stage directions. One thing we discuss up front is that plays are written to be performed – not read. I’ll share my approach then Cindy Dixon will share hers. Cindy Dixon and I collaborated on this unit but approach it differently. This post is going to focus on and provide resources for the play Fences, but these ideas and strategies work for any drama.

The division of acts and scenes make for easy discussions about structure.

A play offers so many opportunities for interaction as students can read and act out scenes which easily leads to lessons about, tone, setting, and characterization. I love the possibilities and teaching points that plays provide.

Fences wilson