Free The Salem Five! by Frederic Schwarz

Students could use the brief article as part of an introduction to studying colonial New England, ELA teachers will find helpful context for reading Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. The first three documents could be used to gain insight to Puritans and colonial New England’s founding. The map gives a great layout of the town of Salem as well as where the executions took place (hint-it’s just west of the Town of Salem). The court documents will give the students a better understanding of the event. The scientific background about ergot poisoning is a possible STEM connection, and the last few documents show government attempts to make amends for its handling of the Salem Witch Trial.

Literature Connections: The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Half-Hanged Mary (poem) by Margaret Atwood