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    These A Raisin in the Sun project ideas are designed for grades 9-12 ELA. Each one moves students beyond reading comprehension into analysis, creative thinking, research, debate, or performance. Use one task as a final project or offer a choice menu so students can work toward their strengths.

    Contents: A Raisin in the Sun project ideas

    1. Symbols in the Sun (presentation)
    2. Setting the Stage (set design contest)
    3. An Unfamiliar Symbol
    4. “It’s Life, Mama!” (personality test and personal essay)
    5. 1961 Film (viewing guide and critique)
    6. The American Dream (debate)
    7. Feminist Perspective (debate)
    8. Comparing Literature (presentation)
    9. One Scene for Stage or Screen (performance)
    10. The Lost Scene (creative writing)
    11. Historical Context (research report)
    12. Primary Source Gallery
    13. Original Artwork

    1. Symbols in the Sun (presentation)

    Hansberry uses symbolism to develop every major theme in the play. Students choose one symbolic element, collect textual evidence, and compose a presentation explaining how the symbol develops one or more of Hansberry’s messages.

    This project works well because it demands genuine close reading. Students cannot fake it — finding associated words and synonyms across the script requires real engagement with the text. The presentation format also builds speaking and organizing skills alongside literary analysis.

    Symbol options divide into two tiers. The “certainly” symbols have clear, well-developed meanings that most students can locate and analyze with confidence. The “possibly” symbols reward deeper thinking and work well for stronger students.

    Certainly: Mama’s plant, light, the insurance check, Beneatha’s hair, food, rugs and furnishings, Mrs. Johnson
    Possibly: Fire, Mr. Lindner, Joseph Asagai, George Murchison, the Green Hat Club, music (Nigerian, jazz, blues, and hymns), Clybourne Park

    (PURCHASE) The handout walks students through symbol selection, evidence collection, and presentation organization. Available in the A Raisin in the Sun Projects and Essays resource.

    2. Setting the Stage (set design contest)

    Students imagine their theater company has entered a competition to design the set for a new production of A Raisin in the Sun. The challenge: stay true to the play while adding fresh symbolic elements for an audience that already knows the story.

    This is one of the most genuinely creative projects in the menu. Students must ground every design choice in the text — Hansberry’s stage directions are detailed and specific, and students have to justify any changes they make. The project also requires them to add a new symbolic element of their own invention, which pushes them to think like Hansberry rather than simply analyze her.

    The set design reference points are rich. Hansberry’s directions describe a carpet that “fought back,” furniture that lost its original beauty under layers of doilies, and a window that barely admits light. Each detail is symbolic territory.

    Students plan their design, explain their symbolic choices, and present their proposal to the class. Drama vocabulary is required: staging, blocking, props, motivation, symbolism, mood.

    3. An Unfamiliar Symbol

    Students apply their symbolism skills to a text they have never seen before. The default pairing is “Marigolds” by Eugenia W. Collier — a short story set during the Great Depression with a layered central symbol that rewards careful analysis.

    The connection to A Raisin in the Sun is genuine. Both works center on a struggling African American family, both use plants as symbols, and both explore the relationship between poverty, hope, and human dignity. Students who analyze the marigolds in Collier’s story alongside Mama’s plant are doing real comparative literary thinking.

    This works as both a standalone assessment and a warm-up for the larger symbolism presentation above. Some teachers use it before reading the play; others use it after.

    Other short story options: “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe (accessible), “A White Heron” by Sarah Orne Jewett (moderate), “The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne (challenging).

    4. “It’s Life, Mama!” (personality test and personal essay)

    Students take a 16-question personality quiz to find out which character from A Raisin in the Sun they most resemble. The quiz assigns answers to character symbols (Walter Lee = %, Ruth/Mama = $, Beneatha = #, Asagai = @, George Murchison = &), and students tally their results.

    The quiz is intentionally a little silly — students know it is unscientific, and that is part of what makes it work. It drops their guard, gets them talking, and leads directly into a personal essay explaining their actual values. The transition from “which character am I?” to “what do I actually believe?” is where the real writing begins.

    This is a strong unit-opening project because it builds personal connection to the characters before the reading is even finished. It is also an effective unit-closing reflection for students to revisit after completing the play.

    (PURCHASE) The full personality quiz and personal essay handout are available in the A Raisin in the Sun Projects and Essays resource.

    5. 1961 Film: Viewing Guide and Critique

    The 1961 film adaptation stars Sidney Poitier, Claudia McNeil, Ruby Dee, and Diana Sands. It is a strong film — but it is not the play. The filmmakers made significant changes, omissions, and additions, and students who have studied the original script are in a genuine position to evaluate those choices.

    The viewing guide moves through the film act by act, asking students to analyze specific directorial decisions: the use of extreme close-ups during Walter Lee’s Flaming Spear speech, the omission of Beneatha’s hair transformation, the addition of scenes at the Kitty Cat Club, and the handling of the N-word in Walter Lee’s preparation for his second meeting with Lindner.

    The final task is a film review written from the position of an expert on the play. Students assign a grade to each major performer and write an argument defending their overall assessment. The standard RL7 comparison of text and adaptation is built into the structure.

    The film is widely available and runs about two hours. The American Playhouse version is a more complete adaptation if you prefer a filmed stage performance.

    (PURCHASE) The full viewing guide with act-by-act questions and film review organizer is available in the A Raisin in the Sun Projects and Essays resource.

    6. The American Dream (team debate)

    The Youngers stake everything on the idea that hard work and risk can improve a family’s life. Hansberry takes that faith seriously — and also puts it under pressure. The debate resolution asks students to take a position on whether the American Dream is a useful concept or a harmful one.

    Resolved: “Americans should discard the harmful concept of the American Dream.”

    Students prepare individually — brainstorming claims, choosing one to develop, and anticipating a counterclaim and rebuttal — before joining a team. The structure keeps every student accountable while building toward a genuine team debate.

    This project pairs naturally with the pre-reading American Dream lesson and the historical context research. Students who have thought hard about the concept before reading the play bring much richer arguments to the debate.

    7. Feminist Perspective (team debate)

    Lorraine Hansberry was the first African American woman to have a play performed on Broadway. Author Imani Perry describes her as “a feminist before the feminist movement.” The play itself, however, delivers mixed messages on gender — and that tension is exactly what makes this debate productive.

    Resolved: “A Raisin in the Sun mainly delivers a feminist message.”

    Students who argue for the resolution point to Beneatha’s refusal to conform to conventional female roles, her pursuit of medicine, and her rejection of George Murchison. Students who argue against note that the play’s emotional climax centers on Walter Lee’s assertion of patriarchal authority, and that Ruth and Mama are largely defined by their domestic roles.

    Both sides have strong ground. That is what makes it a debate worth having.

    8. Comparing Literature (presentation)

    Students choose one text from a curated list, analyze it independently, and present a comparison to A Raisin in the Sun. The list is organized by difficulty level (1-3) so teachers can differentiate without making the scaffolding obvious.

    • “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou (level 2) — the symbolism of the caged bird maps onto the Youngers’ situation with striking precision
    • “I, Too” by Langston Hughes (level 1) — the speaker’s quiet defiance connects directly to Walter Lee’s arc
    • “Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar (level 2) — the caged bird appears again, but with a rawer desperation; compare the mood to Hughes
    • “Let America Be America Again” by Langston Hughes (level 2) — puts the Youngers’ faith in the American Dream in sharp relief
    • “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes (level 1) — compare point of view, tone, and theme to Mama’s arc in the play
    • “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” by Langston Hughes (level 2) — Walter Lee’s transformation into Flaming Spear is the key connection
    • “Song of the Son” by Jean Toomer (level 3) — Mama and Walter Lee’s conversations on family history are essential here
    • “Woman Work” by Maya Angelou (level 1) — use a feminist lens; compare the speaker to Mama, Beneatha, and Ruth
    • “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr. (level 1) — Hansberry and King develop similar themes from different angles
    • “The Atlanta Compromise” by Booker T. Washington (level 3) — Mrs. Johnson and Mama’s argument about Washington suddenly has a primary source behind it
    • “Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others” by W.E.B. Du Bois (level 3) — the Du Bois/Washington debate running through the play finally has a primary source behind it
    • “Back to Africa” by Marcus Garvey (level 2) — compare Garvey’s views on African American advancement to Hansberry’s
    • “The Ballot or the Bullet” by Malcolm X (level 3) — puts Hansberry’s more measured response to American racism in sharp relief

    The reading list is designed to reward different angles of approach — symbolism, theme, point of view, historical context, or authorial craft. Some pairings are intuitive. Others surprise students with how much they illuminate the play.

    The presentation is organized like an informational essay: introduction, body sections, conclusion. Students share the unfamiliar text as part of the presentation — a summary or key excerpts if the text is long.

    9. One Scene for Stage or Screen (performance)

    Student groups select one scene, stage it, and perform it for the class. The task goes well beyond a read-through — groups must analyze the scene’s key elements, plan a directorial treatment, rehearse, and reflect on their choices.

    Every member of the group is accountable. Before staging begins, each student writes an individual proposal recommending a scene and explaining what makes it a strong candidate. Groups then share proposals, select a scene, and document their collaboration process.

    The scenes that tend to generate the most interesting productions: Walter Lee’s Flaming Spear speech (Act II), the family’s first meeting with Mr. Lindner (Act II), and Walter Lee’s second meeting with Lindner (Act III). Each one has clear dramatic stakes and requires actors to make real choices about motivation, tone, and pacing.

    This project rewards students who have read carefully. The performances are always better when students understand what the scene is doing structurally — why Hansberry placed it where she did, what it reveals, and what it withholds.

    10. The Lost Scene (creative writing)

    The class orchestrates a hoax. Students claim to have discovered a lost scene that Hansberry wrote but cut from the final version of A Raisin in the Sun. After everyone shares, the class votes for the most convincing fraud.

    This is the most demanding creative writing project in the menu — and the most fun. To write a convincing “lost scene,” students must replicate Hansberry’s style: her stage directions, her dialogue rhythms, her use of dialect and allusion, her attention to symbolic detail. Students who try to fake it without actually understanding the play are immediately exposed when the class reads their work.

    The planning process is structured. Students brainstorm multiple scene ideas with placement (e.g., “after Act I, Scene 2”), choose the strongest, explain their narrative and thematic contributions, identify which literary elements they will employ, and then write the script.

    Common lost scene ideas that work well: a conversation between Mama and Big Walter before the play begins, a scene between Beneatha and Asagai after Act III that resolves her subplot, or a confrontation between Walter Lee and Willy Harris.

    11. Historical Context (research report)

    To fully understand A Raisin in the Sun, students need working knowledge of Chicago in 1959 — the Great Migration, restrictive housing covenants, the Civil Rights Movement, second-wave feminism, and decolonization in Africa. This project asks students to research one topic in depth and connect their findings to the play.

    The topic list covers the essential contexts and several that reward more advanced inquiry:

    • The Great Migration
    • Feminism (Second Wave)
    • Decolonization in Africa
    • Civil Rights Movement: Chicago, voting, housing, employment, education, segregation, backlash and violence
    • Lorraine Hansberry’s life
    • The Atomic Age and post-war era
    • The Cold War
    • Gay Rights Movement (including Hansberry’s contributions)

    Students form open-ended research questions, conduct preliminary research, organize sub-topics, and compose a formal report with in-text citations and a Works Cited page in MLA format. The requirement to connect research findings to specific moments in the play keeps the project text-anchored rather than purely informational.

    The Digital Public Library of America’s primary source set for A Raisin in the Sun is a useful starting point for several of these topics.

    (PURCHASE) The handout includes a research template, question-forming guidance, report organizer, and citation guide. Available in the A Raisin in the Sun Projects and Essays resource.

    12. Primary Source Gallery

    Student groups each explore one historical context topic using primary sources — photographs, newspaper articles, speeches, manuscripts, government publications, and other first-hand documents from the period. Each group selects three primary sources to analyze and present to the class.

    The analysis framework asks students to consider origin, significance, key details, point of view, and purpose. That last category — whether a source was intended to persuade or manipulate — is often the most productive discussion.

    This project works especially well as a gallery walk format, where groups display their sources and findings for classmates to examine before a brief presentation. It builds the shared historical knowledge that makes class discussions of the play more specific and substantive.

    13. Original Artwork

    Students create an original work of art inspired by A Raisin in the Sun. The medium is open: sketch, collage, graphic design, painting, sculpture, or digital art. Students choose one or more elements from the play — a theme, a symbol, a character, a mood, an event — and explore it visually.

    The grading emphasis is on ideas, effort, and explanation rather than artistic skill. Every student submits a written analysis using language arts terms (theme, mood, symbol) and art terms (subject, medium, technique, emphasis, tone). The analysis is where the literary thinking lives.

    Two existing posters work as excellent anchor examples for the class discussion. The 1961 Columbia Pictures poster uses negative space and the image of Walter Lee physically eclipsing a withering sun — it captures his transformation into Flaming Spear and the play’s central tension in a single image. A more recent Triad Stage poster uses the silhouette of a woman’s profile with Mama’s plant growing from her thought, connecting identity, heritage, and hope in a clean visual metaphor. Both reward analysis.

    (PURCHASE) The full handout with planning pages, art term reference, and analysis framework is available in the A Raisin in the Sun Projects and Essays resource.

    About the A Raisin in the Sun Projects and Essays resource

    All 13 project handouts — plus 5 essay prompts covered in a separate post — are included in the A Raisin in the Sun Projects and Essays resource. Each handout includes the task description, planning pages, organizers, and assessment guidance. The resource is formatted for print or digital distribution.

    (PURCHASE) A Raisin in the Sun Projects and Essays →

    For the complete unit including 21 lessons, reading quizzes, discussion sets, and a final test, see the A Raisin in the Sun Unit and Materials. Browse all posts at A Raisin in the Sun teaching resources →.

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