True (Opera) Detective
CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS
English/language arts, American history, social studies, drama
MATERIALS
- Handouts
- Scissors or paper cutter
- Envelopes or packets (optional)
- Large notepad or board (optional)
COMMON CORE
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.5
Analyze how a drama’s or poem’s form or structure (e.g., soliloquy, sonnet) contributes to its meaning.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.3
Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.3
Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.
CORE ARTS
TH:Re7.1.7.a
Compare recorded personal and peer reactions to artistic choices in a drama/ theatre work.
MU:Cn11.1.7.a
Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.
Introduction
Creating an opera is hard enough when it’s fiction, but the stakes are even higher when treating the life of an iconic and controversial historical figure. Anthony Davis’s X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X—whose story was provided by his brother Christopher Davis and libretto composed by his cousin Thulani Davis—tackles this challenge by highlighting key moments in its protagonist’s trajectory. The libretto thus adds a personal, intimate dimension to events that might otherwise be found in a newspaper or textbook.
In this activity, students will be encouraged to confront their own prior knowledge (and misconceptions) about Malcolm X before diving into the opera proper. Through close analysis of the libretto and individual scene descriptions, they will piece together operatic clues to derive the narrative sequence of X—gaining a deeper understanding of its characters and conflicts in the process.
Steps
STEP 1. REFLECT
Begin the lesson with a quick warm-up activity. You can do either one or both of the following options. First, select a free word-cloud generator from the list below:
freewordcloudgenerator.com
wordclouds.com
monkeylearn.com/word-cloud
Students may access the generator on their personal devices (phones, laptops, or tablets). Ask students to submit terms that come to mind when they think of Malcolm X. Encourage students to use only one-word responses. Once you have generated the word cloud, have the class consider the result:
- What do they notice about the terms? Are there any notable similarities or differences among them?
- What kind of words are used most frequently, and why?
- Are there any terms that are surprising?
- Are there any terms that students might disagree with? Why?
Next, you can take this exercise a bit further. Using a large piece of chart paper or chalkboard/whiteboard, write the following question for students: “What do you know about Malcolm X, and where did you learn it?” Record the responses, even if they are incorrect or unclear. Take the time to dispel misinformation whenever appropriate; you can also put an asterisk next to items that merit further discussion. Leave this information on the board so that the class can refer to it at the end of the lesson. The objective here is to establish a baseline for students’ engagement with X and consider the many common myths and misconceptions tied to Malcolm X’s legacy.
STEP 2. INVESTIGATE
Divide the class into small groups of no more than three to five students. (They can also work in pairs.) Print one copy of each of the two included handouts, “Scene Clues” and “Libretto Clues,” for each group or pair. (Character names have been removed from the libretto clues.) Each handout has 12 “clues” that students will be tasked with matching and putting in the correct order. Using scissors or a paper cutter, separate the clues on each handout, shuffle them, and place them together in an envelope or packet. Each group should receive one packet containing the mixed scene and libretto clues together.
For this game, students will have to match excerpts from the libretto with the corresponding scene in the opera. Then, they will have to arrange the scenes in the correct order that they appear in the opera. They can do this in one of two ways: match the libretto and scenes clues before arranging them or arrange the scene clues before matching them to the libretto. Use your knowledge of the class dynamic to determine how much time to give them to complete this task. As your students work through the exercise, encourage them to consider the following:
- How do you determine if a libretto clue matches a scene clue?
- What kind of evidence are you looking for?
- How does the libretto’s language indicate who might be speaking and why?
- How do you decide the order of scenes?
- Did you begin by matching the clues or arranging the scenes? Why?
STEP 3. SHARE
Once you have given students enough time to complete the task (or make an attempt), reconvene the class and have groups share their responses to the exercise. Ask:
- What was most challenging?
- What was most surprising?
- How confident are you in your answers?
- Where were there ambiguities, and how did you resolve them?
Then, go over the correct sequence with the entire class. The clues are already in the right order on each handout, but an answer key is also provided on the following pages.
STEP 4. REVISE
Now that students have learned more about Malcolm X’s life and Anthony Davis’s opera, return to their early responses to the question, “What do you know about Malcolm X and where did you learn it?” Using their newfound knowledge, ask students to revise this collection of facts—adding new terms and ideas and removing those that no longer apply.
Diving Deeper
For an additional in-class or take-home writing assignment, you can have students come up with a new sequence of events for their own version of an opera based on Malcolm X’s life. Encourage them to consider how rearranging the scenes would affect the narrative or dramatic arc of the opera, or if there are any moments in Malcolm’s life that they think should be included (or excluded) in an operatic adaptation.