Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating the Harlem Renaissance

For Teachers 11th - 12th
The work of Langston Hughes opens the door to research into the origin and legacy of the Harlem Renaissance and how the literature of the period can be viewed as a commentary on race relations in America. In addition, groups are assigned...
Lesson Plan
PBS

The Harlem Renaissance

For Teachers 7th - 12th
A reading of Walter Dean Myers' "Harlem" sets the stage for studying the literature, art, and music of the Harlem Renaissance. The instructional activity begins with a review of the social, political, and economic conditions of the 1920s...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Door Panels and Details: Renaissance Revival/Aesthetic Cabinet

For Teachers K - 5th
Students investigate the history of cabinetry and furniture, specifically the Renaissance period.  In this art history lesson, students investigate photographs of the Renaissance Revival/Aesthetic Cabinet, and examine the small...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reviving the Renaissance

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Bring the Internet and the Renaissance together in this presentation assignment. Middle schoolers give a presentation on the Renaissance, using computers to both research and create the slides. The lesson includes a short assessment as...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ambassadors of Art

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Have your class create their own art exhibit. Learners study the exchange of artwork between the Louvre in Paris and two American art museums, and create an introductory exhibit featuring European and American art from the Renaissance...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Harlem Renaissance Births a Black Culture

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students examine the men and women who were a part of the Harlem Renaissance. Individually, they recreate their favorite pieces of art from the time period and create their own original works after reading poem from the movement. In...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Analyzing the Use of Irony in a Short Story

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders examine how literature connects to real-life and see how irony aids in the development of theme. They read Shirley Jackson's The Lottery, and discuss elements of foreshadowing and situational irony. Then learners will write...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poets Got Them Blues

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Contemplate what music learners listen to and why they listen. Can they find poetry within music lyrics? Specifically hone in on blues lyrics and ruminate upon the social issues prevalent in the themes. Particular song lyrics coincide...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rhythm and Improv, Jazz and Poetry

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Connect the ideas of jazz improvisation and art to writing poetry. Learners collaborate and write different lines of poetry, imitating the jazz styles of improvisation and freewriting. Take a close look at the poems "Tenebrae" by Yusef...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Education Element of the Harlem Renaissance and Its Impact on the New Negro

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate African American history by researching culture. In this Harlem Renaissance lesson, students identify the teachings, music and art associated with African Americans in Harlem in the early 20th century. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Renaissance: How did it change the world?

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders identify the conditions in Medieval Europe that contributed to the beginning of the Renaissance. They find characteristics of the Renaissance in its art, economy, discoveries, and ideas. They examine the ideas of Humanism...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Harlem Renaissance: Black American Traditions

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the time period of the Harlem Renaissance. As a class, they are introduced to five artists and discuss their art and techniques. Using the internet, they also research the philosophers of the time period and how...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Harlem Renaissance

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Learners investigate the African American culture in the 1920's and the Harlem Renaissance. They read and analyze poems written by poets of the Harlem Renaissance, listen to jazz music and identify the characteristics of the music, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Renaissance in Your Backyard

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Pupils research the demographic and environment changes in their local community over the past years. They identify areas that need rehabilitation. Students create a plan for improvement and create a diorama to illustrate their...
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Four Armed Men From the Renaissance!

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Students study the Renaissance and the important art from the period. In this Renaissance lesson, students discuss the black plague and religion during the Renaissance. Students read the Renaissance worksheet and learn vocabulary words...
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Jacob Lawrence's Migration Series: Removing the Mask

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Describe, analyze, compare and contrast poets from the Harlem Renaissance. Critical thinkers analyze the imagery, characterization, tone, symbolism, and historical context of Jacob Lawrence, Helene Johnson, and Paul Laurence Dunbar. A...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pre-Reading Preparation

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students research the English Renaissance era. In this research activity, students complete this activity before reading the story The Prince and the Pauper to learn about the history. They pick topics and work in groups to research...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Renaissance Man Comparison Poster

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars watch a PBS video entitled Suleiman to help them identify characteristics associated with Renaissance notables. After watching the video, individually or in small groups, the students will research a notable Renaissance...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Harlem Renaissance and Toni Morrison's Jazz

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners study the historical time of the Harlem Renaissance, including key events and figures. They read literature that weaves fiction and history and survey some of the references to the Harlem Renaissance in the novel, Jazz, by Toni...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The South, the North and the Great Migration: Blues and Literature

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Here is a complex lesson plan that interweaves the history of the Jim Crow South and the Great Migration with the study of poetry, art, and blues music from the Harlem Renaissance. The plan helps young historians develop a deep...
Lesson Plan
National Gallery of Canada

Reading Symbols

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Introduce your upper-elementary young scholars to printmaking. Class members view prints, select and research symbols in a piece, and create their own sets of prints using styrofoam trays. Pupils can wash off the paint on their trays to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Heroes Portrait

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders investigate art appreciation and Renaissance portraits through time. They create a portrait.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Harlem Renaissance

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers, after researching/analyzing the movement "Harlem Renaissance" and Africa as well as reading literature from that time period, create lists of the major characteristics of the movement and its important writers. They...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jazz Scenes of the Harlem Renaissance

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify and connect themes of selected nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and art to Harlem Renaissance jazz. They compare and contrast historical and fictionalized versions of the jazz scenes of the Harlem Renaissance. They...