1. BUILDING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
(5 MINUTES)

Using the skills sheet Building Vocabulary: Casting Call, familiarize students with terms for key characters (protagonist, antagonist, and narrator) and for structural elements (conflict, characterization) of the play.

2. STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
(5 MINUTES)

Have students preview the play by examining the title, cast of characters, images, and map. Ask: What do you think this play will be about? Who do you think is the protagonist and why?

3. FULL-CLASS READING
(20 MINUTES)

Assign roles and read the play aloud together as a class. Encourage students to use their voices, facial expressions, and posture to convey their characters’ thoughts and emotions.

4. CLOSE-READING QUESTIONS
(10 MINUTES)

Have students write their answers to each question, or use these prompts to guide a discussion. (Answers will vary.)

• MAIN IDEA: What historical event or person is presented in this play?
  
  
• TEXT STRUCTURE/MAKING INFERENCES: What kind of information do the play’s narrators provide? What does that contribute to your understanding of the historical events portrayed?
  
  
• CITING TEXTUAL EVIDENCE: What problem or crisis arises for the play’s main character? How does she deal with it? What does that character’s personal struggle add to your understanding of the broader historical event(s) the play is about?
  
  
• CAUSE AND EFFECT/CLOSE READING: Reread the play’s epilogue. What main point or conclusion does it cite? Then look back through the play. What actions or turning points in the play contributed to that conclusion?
  
  
• MAKING INFERENCES: How does the present-day person or event described in the play’s sidebar relate to what happened in the play? Why do you think the editors chose to pair these past and present stories?
  
  
• CITING TEXTUAL EVIDENCE: Which character in the play, if any, could be described as a hero or a villain? Cite evidence in the text to support your answer.
  
  
• INTEGRATING VISUALS: What do the photos, map, and illustrations add to your understanding of the play’s characters and events? Would they be as effective without the captions? Explain.
  
  
• DRAWING CONCLUSIONS: What is the central message of the play? How is that message revealed?

5. WATCH A VIDEO
Help students learn more about the Civil War by watching “America’s Civil War.”

6. ANALYZE NARRATIVE NONFICTION GENRES
Remind students that, although the dialogue in the play is imagined, most of the people in the play were real, as were the situations described. Ask: How does historical information presented in a play differ from what’s in history books? in biographies? in autobiographies? What are some advantages and disadvantages of each genre?

7. TEXT SET/WRITING PROMPT
Explore the following Text Set at junior.scholastic.com to help place the themes of the play in broader historical context:
• Women’s Rights (“Mary Walker’s War”) 
Have students choose and read one Text Set article to pair with the play (for instance, “Women Warriors”). Then have them write a paragraph comparing the central idea and supporting details of each. 

8. PERFORM THE PLAY
Have students work in groups to rehearse and perform the play. Encourage them to design a set, scenery, props, and costumes to enhance their show. After the performance, let audience members ask the cast