The Poet's Voice: Langston Hughes and You

Explore writers of the civil rights movement through a focused lesson on the Langston Hughes poem I Look at the World. Learners listen to the poem, then complete episodic notes in a graphic organizer. They focus on specific parts of the...

Sixth through twelfth graders engage in a learning activity to prepare for more rigorous textual analysis. They discuss point of view, theme, and inference as they read the Langston Hughes short story, "Thank You Ma'am" and "The...

Use Langston Hughes's poem, "Words Like Freedom," to explore the concepts of freedom and liberty. Learners read the poem, determine the theme, and use the provided graphic organizer to examine the connotative and denotative meanings of...

Being able to compare and contrast various images or media to events portrayed in written mediums is a vital skill. Sixth graders compare the Langston Hughes poem, "A Dream Deferred" to images related to the Rosa Parks story. A Venn...

Study some of the most prominent poets and works of poetry in history with a language arts poetry unit. From Virgil to Shakespeare to Dickinson to Angelou, the resources present biographies and examples of poetic elements to the sixth...

Discuss the meaning of the phrase tone of voice with the class. They respond to a variety of scenarios where a particular tone would be prevalent. They then read "Mother to Son" without knowing the title and answer some questions about...

A band of brothers or the Devil's agents? Nobel warriors freeing the oppressed or mercenaries working for the military/industrial complex? Groups examine poems from the Civil War, World War I, and World War II to determine the poets'...

Students analyze the use of voice in Langston Hughes' poetry. In this poetry analysis lesson, students define voice in poetry and write journal entries to develop their voice as writers. Students write a poem with a clear voice or write...

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...

Add a strong poetry lesson to your literature unit. Middle and high schoolers investigate their writing voices with journaling and group discussion, then choose a famous poet to study. They write letters to their chosen poets, explaining...