Learning Resource Type

Lesson Plan

"I Too, Sing America" - Harlem Renaissance Art and Poetry

Subject Area

Social Studies

Grade(s)

11

Overview

In this lesson, students will analyze poetry and art from the Harlem Renaissance. Students will discuss major themes of the Harlem Renaissance. Then, students will write their own poems reflecting these themes through the website StoryJumper.

    Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 11 - United States History II

    SS10.US2.5

    Evaluate the impact of social changes and the influence of key figures in the United States from World War I through the 1920s, including Prohibition, the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, the Scopes Trial, limits on immigration, Ku Klux Klan activities, the Red Scare, the Harlem Renaissance, the Great Migration, the Jazz Age, Susan B. Anthony, Margaret Sanger, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, W. C. Handy, and Zelda Fitzgerald. (Alabama) (A.1.a., A.1.b., A.1.d., A.1.f., A.1.i., A.1.j., A.1.k.)

    Unpacked Content

    UP:SS10.US2.5

    Vocabulary

    • prohibition
    • Nineteenth Amendment
    • Scopes trial
    • Ku Klux Klan
    • Red Scare
    • Harlem Renaissance
    • mass culture

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • The causes, effects, and impact of social and political events in the United States from World War I through the 1920, including Prohibition, passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, the *Scopes Trial, limits on immigration, Ku Klux Klan activities, the Red Scare, the Harlem Renaissance, the Great Migration, and the Jazz Age.
    • The impact of influential individuals on social, political, and economic realities in the United States from World War I through the 1920, including Susan B. Anthony, Margaret Sanger, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, W. C. Handy, and Zelda Fitzgerald.
    • The impact of media on social and political realities in the United States from World War I through the 1920.
    • The impact of major works of American artists and writers from World War I through the 1920, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Langston Hughes and H.L. Mencken.
    • The importance of technological innovations through the 1920s and the impact these had on social, economic, political, and individual realities in the United States.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Explain social, economic, political, and cultural changes in the United States during specific historical periods and related to specific historical events.
    • Describe the influence of specific individuals and groups on the United States during specific historical periods into modern times.
    • Analyze the impact of technical innovations and changing media on American social and political realities.
    • Determine central ideas of primary and secondary sources.
    • Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • There were significant impacts of the social changes and the influence of prominent figures in the United States from WWI through the 1920s.

    Primary Learning Objectives

    Students will be able to characterize the era of the 1920s by analyzing poetry and art from the Harlem Renaissance and composing a poem that reflects their understanding of the major themes of the time period.

    Procedures/Activities

    Before:

    Display the painting Midsummer Night in Harlem by Palmer Hayden (1930) on the projector. Ask students to share their first impressions. Then, guide students in a discussion on the colors, theme, historical context, and message of the painting.

    During: 

    Introduce students to the term "Harlem Renaissance" by reviewing the word Renaissance and by discussing the city of Harlem. You may want to show them this History Channel video as an introduction.

    - Assign students a partner and allow them to get their computers or tablets set up.

    - Give each student a copy of the Harlem Renaissance graphic organizer.

    - Each pair will choose two poems and two pieces of art from the Harlem Renaissance to analyze. You can let them find these on their own through an internet search tool or you can give them websites. The following are websites on which to find poetry and art:

    - After each poem or piece of artwork is viewed, pairs will analyze the piece using the graphic organizer.

    - When students are finished (about twenty-thirty minutes), bring class back together to lead students in a discussion on the major themes of the Harlem Renaissance. Require students to cite specific evidence from the poems or art. Make a list of themes on the board for students to view.

    After:

    Give students time to work individually to write their own poems that incorporate the major themes of the Harlem Renaissance. You may want to make this a homework assignment.

    - Next, students will log in to their StoryJumper account that you have set up for them. Each student will type their poem into their storybook. Require students to break up their poem into several pages so that it reads like a storybook. Students will then add pictures or photographs to reflect the themes of their poems. The StoryJumper website allows students to select artwork from the site or upload their own photographs. Students can gather pictures from the internet to upload to their stories.

    Assessment Strategies

    - An informal formative assessment takes place during the class discussion after the poetry and art analysis. Check for students' understanding of the Harlem Renaissance here.

    - Formal assessment: StoryJumper poem books. From your teacher account, you can access your student books to grade. Use the rubric to assess effort, creativity, and understanding of the Harlem Renaissance.

    Acceleration

    - Students can read and share their poetry with the class.

    - StoryJumper also allows you to make student stories public. You can have students read and analyze each other's poems.

    Intervention

    - Pre-select poems and art for students who have reading difficulties. You can choose poems with simpler vocabulary and clearly show the themes of the Harlem Renaissance.

     

    Approximate Duration

    Total Duration

    91 to 120 Minutes

    Background and Preparation

    Background/Preparation

    - Students will need to have a basic understanding of the major themes and trends of the Roaring Twenties.

    - Students will need to have a thorough understanding of the experiences of African Americans in the United States prior to the Harlem Renaissance (slavery, Jim Crow laws, voting restrictions, lynching, Great Migration, etc.)

    - You will need to take time before this lesson to set up your StoryJumper teacher and student accounts. The website is free and instructions on creating a teacher account with class accounts are here: http://www.storyjumper.com/main/classroom

    - Creating a class through StoryJumper allows you to manage and view students' completed projects.

    - For the poetry and art analysis, students will be working in pairs. You may want to group intentionally to accommodate weaker or more advanced students. Set these up before class.

    Materials and Resources

    Materials and Resources

    Technology Resources Needed

    - Projector

    - Teacher laptop

    - Laptop or tablet for each student

    - Internet Access

    - List of links to poetry and art websites

    - StoryJumper website accounts

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