Day One:
Main Objectives:  to help students gain an understanding of what is involved in the physical production of a play, including a broad consensus on how these three-dimensional factors might influence our interpretations of the play.  To help students get to know each other and become comfortable with reading lines in front of the class.

Because this play comes at the beginning, we will begin by discussing general concepts and terminology we will be using over the course of the semester (i.e., "blocking", stage directions, discussing the roles of director/author/audience and interpretation, etc.).  The class will then divide into 3 or 4 small groups, each of which will be responsible for deciding how to block and perform a short scene from the play.  They will be responsible for performing this in front of their peers and discussing their interpretations of the characters' motivations and delivery.  If enough time remains, we will move to a discussion of set design, costuming, and other physical factors which influence the play's performance.

Day Two: 
Main Objectives:  To discuss thematic concerns of the play, particularly as it relates to or differs from the short story.  To come to a consensus on the distinct features of each genre represented and the effect these differences have on interpretation.

Beginning with a refresher of Friday's class, we would move from a discussion of the play as performed to a discussion of the play as written.  Here I will call on students to read from or summarize their short (1-2 pages) response paper which details the differences between the play and the short story and discusses the function of these differences.  We will discuss the roles the author, audience and director play in these two works and how our interpretations might differ depending on the genre.  Next, we will move to a discussion of themes.  I particularly want to discuss representations of gendered activities and relationships between the genders (i.e., housekeeping vs. law-making, private vs. public spaces, marriage and citizenship, etc.), the historical context of the play, and the ways in which Gaspell genders the critical issues at stake (legality and morality).  I want to avoid a discussion of who is "right" today--that is the meat for Day Three's discussion--in order to focus on modes of expression within the play (quilting vs. speaking).

Day Three:
Main Objectives:  To familiarize students with DIWE software, particularly Respond and Interchange functions, and to move them toward a written argument about the play (a jump start on Paper #1).

In Garland Computer Lab, we will begin with a Respond sequence which asks us to consider several larger issues at stake in the play -- legality vs. morality, justice vs. mercy --and they way each is gendered in the play.  Upon completion of Respond, we will move to an Interchange sequence which asks us to come to a consensus on which character was "right" (including a definition of what they mean by that word) and, more importantly, what their selection implies (i.e., If you sympathize with the women, are you condoning murder?  If you sympathize with the men, are you condoning abusive relationships?)

Hopefully, our discussion of this twentieth century play--which will seem familiar to us in setting and dramatic action--will prepare our way for the discussion of our next play, Antigone, which is similar in theme, but much less familiar in setting and conceit.

English 105W - Collaborative Learning Exercise

First, introduce yourselves to your group members.  Then, choose a Recorder and assign parts to the other group members (feel free to be creative--you can cast these however you want to).  Read over the list your group has been assigned silently and then begin discussing the characters' motivations.  The recorder will write down what you discussed and report back to the whole class when we reconvene.  In your discussion think about the following questions (but don't limit yourself to these):

    How would each character deliver the lines in this section.  Why?
    How would you characterize this character in the play?  What kind of personality does he/she have? 
        How would this affect your performance of this person?
    What contemporary actor or actress would you cast as this character?  Why?
    What does this character look like (age, size, facial expression)?

And, if you have time:

    What would the set for this play/section of the play look like?
    What props would you have to have in order to realistically perform this?
    If you were directing this play now, how would you change the set or props to reflect our time period?

After you get a feel for these characters, run through your lines as a group.  When we meet back as a class, each group will perform for the class.  Don't worry about standing up in front of your peers--this will feel harder now at the beginning of the semester, but it will help you become more comfortable with each other.  After each group has delivered their lines, we will compare and contrast the ideas about character motivation and performance that your group discussed.