Pre-Show Activity

A person in a gold dress and tall, gold hat smiles and stretches their hands to the audience. — Photo of Melanie Brezill by Michael Brosilow.

A central feature in Stokely: The Unfinished Revolution is the tape recorder that Kwame Ture uses to record his memories and bring the audience on a journey through the past. This activity invites you to consider how you might use the buttons on a recorder to examine and “record” your own personal history.

This activity is suitable for learners of all ages.

Play, Pause, and Rewind

Activity Preparation
- Supplies:
  - Play, Pause, Rewind handout (one per person)
  - Writing utensil
- Set-Up:
  - If engaging in this activity in a pair or group, determine if you will reflect independently and then share, or engage directly in discussion.

This activity will take approximately 15 – 30 minutes.

Learning Sequence
1. Examine the descriptions of each recorder button in the handout. Determine which ones you would most like to reflect on: record, play, rewind, fast-forward, stop, or pause. The instructions guide you to select three, but you may choose as many or as few as you like.
2. In the table provided, record your response to your selected prompts. You may choose to write (bullet points, prose, poetry), draw (illustrations, symbols, or even collage), or simply discuss with a friend.
3. In a play that touches on many parts of a long career or organizing and activism, the figure that constantly returns is May, Stokely/Kwame’s mother. If your life up to this point were turned into a play, what person or people would be featured prominently in your narrative?

This activity addresses the following standards:
- Illinois Arts Learning Standards
  - Anchor Standard 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
  - Anchor Standard 6: Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.
  - Anchor Standard 10: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
- Common Core State Standards
  - CCSS.ELA.W3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
  - CCSS.ELA.W4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
  - CCSS.ELA.SL Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Posted on May 20, 2024 in Learning Guides, Productions