Developing Sociopolitical Consciousness through Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun: An Interdisciplinary Project

Abstract

This article describes an interdisciplinary project that combined the subject matters of mathematics and English/language arts while adapting the storyline of A Raisin in the Sun (Hansberry, 1984). The key teaching objectives, in this project, were to progress students toward mastery of linear and exponential functions, show them a connection between literacy and mathematics, and educate them on the struggles of Black Americans. We position the mathematics portion of the project within a fitting framework for social justice teaching, discuss its emergence and implementation, and offer teacher and student reflections for future replication and refinement.