The Crucible
Lesson plans and teaching resources

"Are You Now or Were You Ever?"
In this essay Arthur Miller describes the paranoia that swept America and the moment his then-wife Marilyn Monroe became a bargaining chip in his own prosecution.

Arthur Miller and The Crucible
This first of two lessons in this unit examines the consequences of personal conscience in conflict with rigid societal perceptions of what is "right" in human behavior as this conflict is articulated in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Central to this examination is the focus on Puritanism as an embedded strand in the American psyche, infusing attitudes and values that have been both positive and destructive in shaping the American character.

Arthur Miller's The Crucible: Fact & Fiction
This site's subtitle is "Picky, Picky, Picky" because it lists some of the historical facts Miller altered for the sake of the drama. It also acknowledges his artistic license to do so. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for some insightful essay topics.

Character Recipe
Students identify aspects of a character's personality in recipe form. A creative character analysis activity. Includes models.

The Crucible
This site offers theme openers, crosscurricular activities, research assignments, and suggestions for related reading.

The Crucible
Study guide and links to related sites.

The Crucible
An extensive list of post-reading activities.

The Crucible
An extensive list of post-reading activities, including vocabulary, comprehension, and literary analysis.

The Crucible Anticipation/Reaction Guide
Students explore their attitudes toward specific statements both before and after reading the play. MS-Word or compatible application required for access.

Dramatizing History in Arthur Miller's The Crucible
Students examine historical documents related to the Salem trials and compare those facts to incidents in the play. They read the play, act some scenes, analyze Proctor as tragic hero, and write about the play. This unit is very extensive.

An Exploration of The Crucible through Seventeenth-Century Portraits
After reading act 1, students create trading cards to describe and analyze an assigned character. Then they explore portraits of Puritans online to assist them in creating a portrait of the character and present a rationale to explain their work of art.

Famous American Trials: The Salem Witchcraft Trials
The trials from a legal point of view, with an overview, transcripts of testimonies, and other legal documents.

Fire!
This collection of cartoons by Herblock (Herb Block) covers the 50s and McCarthyism. They would lend themselves well to a pre-reading activity.

"Half-Hanged Mary"
This poem by Margaret Atwood imaginatively explores the experience of Mary Webster, who was hanged for witchcraft and survived.

Kazan, Miller, and the McCarthy Era
From the site: "Although director Elia Kazan won an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement at the 1999 Academy Awards, his career and reputation have remained clouded by his 1952 decision to "name names" before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Kazan's testimony not only diminished his reputation; it also led to a personal and artistic rupture with good friend and playwright Arthur Miller. In this set of learning activities, students will use the Miller-Kazan story as an introduction to the McCarthy era ... [and] the political ramifications of censorship."

Salem, Massachusetts, Witch Trials
Information and an interesting variety of links related to the trials from the town of Salem.

The Salem Witch Trials, 1692
A brief summary and an eyewitness account of the trial of Martha Corey.

Salem Witchcraft Hysteria
An interactive site in which students become the accused during the Trials. Outstanding graphics based upon historical records. From National Geographic, and a wonderful example of using unique features of Internet technology.

Still Puritan After All These Years
"Do present-day Americans still exhibit, in their attitudes and behavior, traces of those austere English Protestants who started arriving in the country in the early 17th century?" A report on research that suggests we do.

Suggestions for Pairing Contemporary Music and Canonical Literature
A list of songs that were inspired by reading literature. Organized by the last name of the author (e.g. Chinua Achebe, William Butler Yeats), the list includes song title, performer, year of release, and more. The list includes 9 songs inspired by The Crucible.

A Teacher's Guide to Arthur Miller's The Crucible
Questions for prereading, during reading (divided by act), and postreading; writing prompts; and research questions. This 6-page document requires Adobe Reader for access.

Teaching The Crucible with the New York Times
This generous collection of resources includes reviews of the play from the 1950s, essays by Arthur Miller on why he wrote the play, articles related to recent "witchhunts," reviews of the film, biographies of Miller, and many other related articles on McCarthyism, the historical witch trials and other related newspaper stories.

Teen girls' mystery illness now has a diagnosis: mass hysteria
An informational text to pair with the play. This news report connects events in contemporary life to a possible cause of the Salem witch trials.

Understanding The Crucible
If you're asking your students to research the background of the play, here is the page to start with. This collection of links is divided into five parts: the American colonial period, The Crucible, McCarthyism, Puritanism, and the Salem Witch Trials. A very thorough site!

Victims of Mass Hysteria
In this WebQuest students explore the causes and effects of mass hysteria by researching the Salem Witch Trials, the internment of the Japanese-Americans during WWII, the McCarthy Hearings, and the Robert Roberson case. They write newspaper articles presenting their findings.

Why I wrote The Crucible: An artist's answer to politics
Text of Arthur Miller's essay. Access requires Adobe Reader or compatible application.

Witchcraft in Salem Village: Intersections of Religion and Society
This historical essay points to possible causes of the trials. It also suggests classroom resources and approaches.