Individuals expressed the Harlem Renaissance in diverse forms of art, ranging from poetry to photography to painting. Learners explore pieces using a carefully curated collection from the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Included lessons ask...

Introduce your seventh graders to the Harlem Renaissance with a unit that explores this dynamic period's music, literature, and ideas. The 160-page guide includes a unit calendar, an introduction to the unit, 10 richly detailed lessons...

Aaron Douglas, Meta Warrick Fuller, Palmer Hayden, William Johnson, and James Lesesne Wells, the painters and sculptors of the Harlem Renaissance, are featured in a unit study of artists of the Harlem Renaissance.

Take poetry off the page and put it into terms of movement, physical space and, finally, music with this series of three lessons from the Smithsonian Institution. This resource introduces students to two poetic forms that originated as...

Rhyme, rhythm, free verse, imagery: Do these words describe poetry, or jazz music? The answer is both! A resource explores these similarities as scholars watch a video, engage in discussion, read author biographies, write poetry and...

A 10-lesson unit takes high schoolers through a novel study of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. To start, students learn about Fitzgerald's background and gain historical context that prepares them for a reading of the book. The...

Three lessons in the Let Freedom Swing concert tour resource guide packed with information, materials, and activities that provide the context for any study of American history.

Over the history of the world, music has been at the heart of some of the greatest social and political movements. Scholars discover their musical roots as they dive into the sounds and emotions of renowned jazz players. They see how...

This lesson is an introduction to a unit on The Harlem Renaissance, the period between the end of WW I through mid 1930s when African Americans were recognized for their literature, music, and art. It discusses their themes and lists...

This lesson focuses on the Harlem Renaissance poet Jean Toomer and his poem "Reapers." It features a short bio, a link to his poem, and lists of leveled questions to help analyze poetry: Surface level, Deeper level, Application level,...

This lesson focuses on the Harlem Renaissance poet Claude McKay and two of his poems: "If We Must Die" and "The Tropics of New York." It offers a short bio and links to the two poems, and then explains the style and meanings of the poems.

This lesson focuses on Countee Cullen, a Harlem Renaissance poet who based his works on Romantic poets and downplayed racism. It features links to three of his poems: "From the Dark Tower," "The Loss of Love," and "Saturday's Child." It...

A learning module that begins with "The Harlem Renaissance" by Jessica McBirney, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free...

This lesson focuses on Langston Hughes and two of him poems: "Theme for English B" and "I, Too." It provides links to the two poems including an audio version of "I, Too" and a handout worksheet for "Theme for English B." It asks student...

This lesson focuses on the practice for the SAT test. I offers links to a full practice test, SAT vocabulary word lists, and the College Board website.

This lesson focuses on comma usage including rules and examples. It features links to rules, an exercise, and a quiz for comma usage, and a self-assessment quiz.

Watch and listen to a webcast of David Kresh, Reference Specialist in Poetry at the Library of Congress, discuss Langston Hughes, including his poetry and other writings, and the impact of his life and work both during the Harlem...

Some of the African-American writers and poets who were prominent in the early part of the twentieth century are featured on this page. They were important voices during what became known as the 'black Renaissance'. Here, you can listen...

From The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes, by permission of David Higham Associates, a recording from The Dream Keeper and Other Poems and a written version of "I, Too", written by Langston Hughes are provided on this site. Multiple...

Excellent research site on Langston Hughes. Includes theme, perspective, form, style, audience, comparison and contrast of the famous Harlem Renaissance author's work.

This is a self-guided learning unit on the topic of poetry. Included are lessons, self-assessments, background information, learning activities, and related literature. Learn how to analyze poetry, appreciate figurative language, and...

This is a succinct biography of Claude McKay, infamous Harlem Renaissance poet who expressed the need for the African American community in America to speak out against racism. See "Claude McKay Activities" for related materials.

Describe the life of Duke Ellington and his contributions to the field of jazz, write an original poem using a variety of popular vocabulary from the 1920's and respond to Ellington's composition "Mood Indigo" by creating a painting.

Grimes is well known for her award-winning books written for children and young adults. The poem "David's Old Soul" appeared in her book One Last Word, a collection inspired by poems from the Harlem Renaissance that follow the "Golden...