This text takes all the intricacies of the Common Core State Standards and packages them neatly into a format that actually works in a real classroom. With a strong focus on vocabulary building, challenging non-fiction pieces, and digital media to which our secondary students can connect, these units turn A Raisin in the Sun into a cultural, political, analytical learning experience--without taking away the literature.

Meaghan W. Freeman, middle- and high-school English teacher, Willsboro Central School, New York

A reader's understanding of a text is only as comprehensive as the previous experience he or she brings to it. What, then, happens, when the landscape of a reader's life doesn't provide sufficient context? If you feel the impulse to shrug your shoulders and sigh, squelch it. Fisch and Chenelle have created a series of relevant formative activities and assessments to prime the pump for student inquiry. No more flying blind or feeling trapped within the four corners of a text -- students can engage in literature study through a research-informed, "real-world" lens.

Oona Abrams, ELA Teacher, Chatham High School, New Jersey

Fisch and Chenelle have created another collection of compelling informational texts that offer cross-curricular and Common Core-focused connections to core literature taught in middle and high schools across the United States. The authors have picked important and compelling nonfiction that helps students and teachers gain a deeper understanding into A Raisin in the Sun. Included with the informative nonfiction text pairings are Common Core-aligned lessons to address close reading, vocabulary acquisition, critical thinking, and writing skills. The authors invite teachers to utilize and modify each lesson to make it their own and help bridge the connection between literary and informative texts. This is a must-have resource for any teaching A Raisin in the Sun.

Michele L. Haiken, Ed.D., English teacher, Rye Middle School; Adjunct Professor, Manhattanville College

Using Informational Text to Teach A Raisin in the Sun does not shy away from the major social issues Hansberry included (and partly omitted) from her play, which were, and still are almost 60 years later, pressing social concerns: African-American women’s reproductive rights, hair and identity, racism, violence and housing discrimination. Chenelle and Fisch not only directly address these issues, but they encourage all teachers of Hansberry’s play to engage their students with these complex problems facing our society. Their book is a potentially transformative collection reaching across curricular and pedagogical concerns and educational levels with techniques for traditional lecture formats, student-centered learning and MOOC platforms.

Judy M. Bertonazzi, Ph.D., instructor, Cumberland County College