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 activity, students identify the teachings, music and art associated with African Americans in Harlem in the early 20th century. Students...
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
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

VH1 Driven: Jamie Foxx, Lesson 3

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine the blues, poetry, the Harlem Renaissance, and the 12-bar blues form. They watch a segment from the video, "VH1 Driven: Jamie Foxx," participate in a class discussion, and listen to songs by Ray Charles and a poem by...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Being Heard

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Examine the work of contemporary authors who use their writing to express opinions about the struggle against prejudice and oppression in our society. A short lesson on the Harlem Renaissance introduces learners to the most prominent...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Harlem Renaissance

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students, 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 bridge the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changes in African-American Expression from the Harlem Renaissance to the Present

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine and analyze struggle for racial and gender equality, influences on African-American culture during the 1920s, and economic boom and social transformation of post-World War II United States.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Robert Henri, the Harlem Renaissance and You

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Young scholars examine the artwork of Robert Henri. Using his pieces, they compare and contrast it to the works during the Harlem Renaissance. They create a HyperStudio project showing the Ashcan School of Art with music accompanying the...
Lesson Plan
Maryland Department of Education

A Raisin in the Sun and Dreams Deferred

For Teachers 10th Standards
To conclude a study of A Raisin in the Sun and to prepare for a visit to the Lewis Museum, class members analyze Langston Hughes' poem "Harlem." Learners then draw connections to characters in the play and to their own experiences...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Modern Dance and the Harlem Renaissance

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students create an artistic rendering based on what they have learned from the film and the lesson.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African Amercan Images in Harlem (1920-1950)

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders compare and contrast different representations of African Americans in Harlem using visual sources. They detect point of views, themes, contradictions and ironies in sources using designed templates.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Against the Odds: The Trials and Tribulations of the Harlem Renaissance

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students become familiar with the Harlem Renaissance movement. They present information gathered and discuss issues pertaining to African American art through a power point presentation as well as an oral presentation.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

WebQuest on 1940/1950 Harlem

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students perform a WebQuest to fin out why Harlem was an attractive place for African Americans to live. Small groups perform the research together, and report to the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Migration

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore how migration to Harlem created a new life for African Americans. In this cross curricular lesson, students illustrate maps showing the migration, paint murals representing African American life in the South and...
Lesson Plan
Academy of American Poets

Teach This Poem: "Theme for English B" by Langston Hughes

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Langston Hughes' "Theme for English B" is featured in a lesson that asks pupils to first read a biography of Hughes and list things about his life they think are important. The class then reads the poem and compares what they learned...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Digital Fashion Show

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students research the dress of the 40's/50's in Harlem and create a multimedia presentation of at least 15 slides. They present a Fashion Show for the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Focused Learning Lesson: American History

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders examine the 1920s which was known as the "Roaring Twenties". They identify the Harlem Renaissance, Prohibition, and the Women's Suffrage movement.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Poetry of Langston Hughes

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students read aloud Langston Hughes poems. They select a poem and read aloud to music.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Negro Renaissance

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students research the Negro Renaissance, its important contributors, and society's affect upon the Negro Renaissance contributor's products. Students create an online biographical presentation of Negro Renaissance contributors as a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Story Quilts

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students listen to Tar Beach, by Faith Ringgold, and create story quilts.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Symbolism Lesson Plan

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students define the terms symbolism and mood. In groups, they read a poem by Robert Frost and identify the concepts in the poem. As a class, they discuss how the two elements give a meaning to the writing. They also give their own...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Map Making Exercise

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students complete a Web Quest in order to determine why Harlem was an attractive place for African Americans to live. They study a map of Harlem in the 1930's.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Use of Symbolism to Convey the Author's Message - The Negro Speaks of Rivers

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students identify the literary devices, symbolism, and first-person narration in the poem A Negro Speaks of Rivers. For this poem analysis lesson, students discuss African Americans and the Harlem Renaissance. Students watch a video...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Analyzing Photographs: From Theory to Practice

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze photographic images and use cameras to document their own life.  In this analyzing photography lesson, students apply formal analysis techniques to images, then create a documentary of photographic images with...