Death of a Salesman Teaching Resources
Find classroom resources to help students understand the complex themes in the classic American drama Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller.
Our production resources incorporate ELA and Social Studies curricula, and adhere to Common Core standards. We offer pre-show materials, such as a synopsis and character descriptions, and interactive post-show activities. Print out copies of our Student Program to share on the bus ride home from the show. Afterwards, engage in a grade-appropriate lesson plan or guided discussion to help students reflect upon their experience.
Common Core Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.7
Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.
CSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.7
Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment (e.g., Auden’s “Musée des Beaux Arts” and Breughel’s “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus”).
Learning Objectives | Understand the pervasiveness of the American Dream as a theme for 20th- and 21st-century artists and how this theme has shaped our perception and interpretation of the past, how it defines the present, and how it informs our future. |
Guiding Questions | What is the American Dream? Is the American Dream achievable? For all? How do artists communicate their feelings on a universal theme? |
Classroom Resources
Use these classroom resources to enhance your student’s experience.
- Lesson Plan
In this lesson plan, students will identify and analyze how Mid-Century visual artists and writers portray, critique, and define the American Dream. - Character Descriptions
- Synopsis
- Discussion/Essay Questions
- Student Program