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Unionville-Chadds Ford educators recommend play version of The Diary of Anne Frank for seventh-grade whole-class read
Summary
At the April 7 Curriculum, Instruction & Technology meeting, teachers recommended adding the play version of The Diary of Anne Frank to the district's seventh-grade curriculum for community review; the recommendation will be considered by the full board at its May meeting.
Unionville-Chadds Ford School District educators on April 7 recommended that the play version of The Diary of Anne Frank, by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich, be added to the district’s seventh-grade English curriculum for one month of community review before a vote at the regular May board meeting.
The recommendation was presented by Lehi Gutter, identified in the meeting as a seventh-grade English teacher at Patton Middle School, who said the play would support reading comprehension, literary analysis and student engagement. “This Pulitzer prize winning drama offers, a unique and meaningful opportunity to support both academic growth and character development in our students,” Gutter said.
Gutter told the curriculum committee the play is already included in the district’s eighth-grade anthology but has not been taught there in recent years. She said teaching the play as a whole-class dramatization would give students an “essential shared experience” and help them explore elements such as character development, conflict and theme while providing an age-appropriate introduction to World War II and the Holocaust.
Committee members asked logistical questions about book copies and scheduling. In response, staff said using the play for seventh grade would not require purchasing additional books because copies exist in the district’s eighth-grade anthology; teachers expect to coordinate so eighth-grade classes can continue their approved novels without conflict. Board member Justin Allen asked whether the play appears elsewhere in the curriculum; Gutter said students’ first sustained exposure to the story would be through this recommended seventh-grade whole-class read, although the diary had previously been offered as a lit-circle choice in middle school.
Superintendent-level staff also noted a related community resource: Unionville High School will host a traveling Anne Frank Museum exhibit from April 23 to May 23, with trained student docents and a planned community night. District presenters said the exhibit could strengthen classroom work if the play is adopted.
No final vote was taken at the April 7 committee meeting. The plan is to post the recommended text for community review for approximately one month and present the item for board approval at the May regular meeting.
The committee’s presenters and several board members praised Gutter’s classroom experience and the potential for student engagement through drama. The item will be listed publicly for review; the board will record any formal action when it meets in May.
