Langston Hughes and the Blues

A carefully crafted three-day lesson integrates poetry and visual art. By analyzing and comparing Langston Hughes' poem "Mother and Son" and Romare Bearden's collage "The Dove," readers explore the theme of hope. The lesson activates...

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...

When delving into such writings as "I Too Sing America" or "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" by poet, novelist, and playwright Langston Hughes, don't forget to provide this important historical background information on the Harlem Renaissance...

Langston Hughes' collection of "Weary Blues" is posted on this page by Blues Online. With eleven poems and a picture of the Harlem Renaissance poet.

"The Blues I'm Playing" by Langston Hughes is featured in this Masterpiece Theatre site on "Cora Unashamed". A good teaching tool to use along with the film.

Explore the idea of democratic poetry. Upper graders read Walt Whitman, examining daguerreotypes, and compare Whitman to Langston Hughes. They describe aspects of Whitman's I Hear America Singing to Langston Hughes' Let America Be...

This site provides a biography of Langston Hughes, followed by several of his poems (some complete with audio clips) and a bibliography of his more influential works.

If you are looking for biographical information on Langston Hughes and/or excerpts and reviews of his work, this site is a bonanza! The table of contents makes it easy to click to the section you want.

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...

Encourage your pupils to imagine their own dreams for the future. After studying three poems by Langston Hughes and listening to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech, young poets craft their own dream stanza.