Day 1

Sonny's Blues Lesson Plan

Reading Assignment, Questions, Vocabulary

Read the first half of "Sonny's Blues," up to "My trouble made his real."

Common Core Objectives

  1. 1

Note that it is perfectly fine to expand any day’s work into two days depending on the characteristics of the class, particularly if the class will engage in all of the suggested classroom exercises and activities and discuss all of the thought questions.

Content Summary for Teachers

"Sonny's Blues," first half

The narrator, a teacher in a Harlem school, reads in the paper about the arrest of his brother, Sonny, for heroin use. He remains at school for a long time after the students leave, processing his emotions with some confusion. Leaving school, he runs...

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