Sonny's Blues Lesson Plan

Histories of Heroin

Kind of Activity:

Classwide Discussion

Objective:

Students will use secondary sources to interpret the historical context of the story

Structure:

Return to today's Thought Question about heroin and heroin use. Although heroin is a drug of choice for Black impoverished communities in "Sonny's Blues," authorities and law enforcement seem to react to it very differently than students might expect. How were heroin use and heroin laws different in the 1950s?

Divide students into two groups. Have one group read this article from the Crime Museum about the history of heroin and one group read this PBS timeline about opium throughout history. They should read...