Name:
Langston Hughes Project Directions:
 Part 1: You are a writer for The Langston Hughes Journal, a journal that is dedicated to
analyzing the literature of the famous African American poet Langston Hughes. You
have been asked to answer the following question about the poem “Mother to Son” by
Langston Hughes in an essay: What theme is the poem teaching? Supporting information
is provided.
 Part 2: The dance company Alvin Ailey would like for you to turn the ideas in “Mother
to Son” into a dance. The dance will be accompanied by the words of “Mother to Son.”
You will be turning the poem into a song or a rap. The words of the poem will remain the
same in your song or rap; you need to create a melody and a rhythm for the song or rap.
You can find beats for your song in the resources area. Supporting information is
provided.
 Resources
The following film clip is an example of matching words of a song to dance:
http://vimeo.com/channels/ailey#31929875
The following website will allow you to play beats that you can write your melody over
http://www.makehitmusic.com/free-beats.php
“Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes
1 Well, son, I’ll tell you:
2 Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
3 It’s had tacks in it,
4 And splinters,
5 And boards torn up,
6 And places with no carpet on the floor –
7 Bare.
8 But all the time
9 I’se been a-climbin’ on,
10 And reachin’ landin’s,
11 And turnin’ corners,
12 And sometimes goin’ in the dark
13 Where there ain’t been no light.
14 So boy, don’t you turn back.
15 Don’t you set down on the steps
16 ’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
17 Don’t you fall now –
18 For I’se still goin, honey,
19 I’se still climbin’,
20 And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
STANDARDS: 6th ELA 2.4 Write responses to literature: Develop an interpretation exhibiting careful reading, understanding, and
insight. Organize the interpretation around several clear ideas, premises, or images. Develop and justify the interpretation
through sustained use of examples and textual evidence. Dance 6th 2.5 Use the elements of dance to create short studies
that demonstrate the development of ideas and thematic material. Music 6th 2.1 Sing a repertoire of vocal literature
representing various genres, styles, and cultures with expression, technical accuracy, good posture, tone quality, and
vowel shape—written and memorized, by oneself and in ensembles (level of difficulty: 1 on a scale of 1–6). 8th ELA 2.4
Write persuasive compositions: a. Include a well-defined thesis (i.e., one that makes a clear and knowledgeable
judgment). b. Present detailed evidence, examples, and reasoning to support arguments, differentiating between facts
and opinion. c. Provide details, reasons, and examples, arranging them effectively by anticipating and answering reader
concerns and counterarguments.
Name:
Part 1 Step 1
Analyze the poem “Mother to Son.” You may work with 1 partner on this. Both of you need to
complete the analysis on separate papers. Name your partner here
Analysis Questions
“Life for me ain’t been no crystal
stair”
What comes to mind when you
think of crystal stairs?
Responses to Questions
“It’s had tacks in it,”
What experiences in life could
resemble or be like tacks? Why
do you say that?
“And splinters,”
What experiences in life could
resemble or be like splinters?
Why do you say that?
“And boards torn up,”
What experiences in life could
resemble or be like boards torn
up? Why do you say that?
“And places with no carpet on
the floor –”
What experiences in life could
resemble or be like places with
no carpet on the floor? Why do
you say that?
So boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps
’Cause you finds it’s kinder
hard.
Don’t you fall now –
What is the theme this poem is
trying to teach?
STANDARDS: 6th ELA 2.4 Write responses to literature: Develop an interpretation exhibiting careful reading, understanding, and
insight. Organize the interpretation around several clear ideas, premises, or images. Develop and justify the interpretation
through sustained use of examples and textual evidence. Dance 6th 2.5 Use the elements of dance to create short studies
that demonstrate the development of ideas and thematic material. Music 6th 2.1 Sing a repertoire of vocal literature
representing various genres, styles, and cultures with expression, technical accuracy, good posture, tone quality, and
vowel shape—written and memorized, by oneself and in ensembles (level of difficulty: 1 on a scale of 1–6). 8th ELA 2.4
Write persuasive compositions: a. Include a well-defined thesis (i.e., one that makes a clear and knowledgeable
judgment). b. Present detailed evidence, examples, and reasoning to support arguments, differentiating between facts
and opinion. c. Provide details, reasons, and examples, arranging them effectively by anticipating and answering reader
concerns and counterarguments.
Name:
Part 1 Step 2
Project: You are a writer for The Langston Hughes Journal, a journal that is dedicated to
analyzing the literature of the famous African American poet Langston Hughes. You have been
asked to answer the following question about the poem “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes in
an essay: What theme is the poem teaching? You may work with 1 partner on this. Name your
partner here
. You and your partner need to turn in the essay
individually, but you can share ideas.
Essay Format
Introduction
a.) Begin with a hook (using words, draw an image in the mind of your reader; start with action words;
start with dialogue; start with a question; start with an interesting fact)
b.) The poem “Mother to Son” is about
c.) Thesis: The theme the poem is trying to teach
the reader is
.
Body Paragraph 1
a.)Topic Sentence/ Argument for this paragraph: How does the narrator of the poem view life? (refer to
what she says about stairs to answer this)
b.) The narrator says that life’s
“had tacks in it.” This means
c.) The
narrator says that life’s had “boards torn up.” This means
d.)
(Summarize your argument in this paragraph. Do not repeat what you wrote for your topic
sentence) The narrator views life as
STANDARDS: 6th ELA 2.4 Write responses to literature: Develop an interpretation exhibiting careful reading, understanding, and
insight. Organize the interpretation around several clear ideas, premises, or images. Develop and justify the interpretation
through sustained use of examples and textual evidence. Dance 6th 2.5 Use the elements of dance to create short studies
that demonstrate the development of ideas and thematic material. Music 6th 2.1 Sing a repertoire of vocal literature
representing various genres, styles, and cultures with expression, technical accuracy, good posture, tone quality, and
vowel shape—written and memorized, by oneself and in ensembles (level of difficulty: 1 on a scale of 1–6). 8th ELA 2.4
Write persuasive compositions: a. Include a well-defined thesis (i.e., one that makes a clear and knowledgeable
judgment). b. Present detailed evidence, examples, and reasoning to support arguments, differentiating between facts
and opinion. c. Provide details, reasons, and examples, arranging them effectively by anticipating and answering reader
concerns and counterarguments.
Name:
Body Paragraph 2
a.) Topic Sentence/Argument for this paragraph: How does the narrator want her son to live life?
b.) The narrator tells her son, “Don’t you set down on the steps.” What this means is
c.) The
narrator says to her son, “Don’t you fall now –.” What this means is
. d.) The theme of the poem, then, is
.
Conclusion
a.) In this essay, we have found (restate your thesis statement in a different way as to not exactly
copy what you wrote in your introduction)
b.) What could you say about life that the narrator of the poem left out?
.
STANDARDS: 6th ELA 2.4 Write responses to literature: Develop an interpretation exhibiting careful reading, understanding, and
insight. Organize the interpretation around several clear ideas, premises, or images. Develop and justify the interpretation
through sustained use of examples and textual evidence. Dance 6th 2.5 Use the elements of dance to create short studies
that demonstrate the development of ideas and thematic material. Music 6th 2.1 Sing a repertoire of vocal literature
representing various genres, styles, and cultures with expression, technical accuracy, good posture, tone quality, and
vowel shape—written and memorized, by oneself and in ensembles (level of difficulty: 1 on a scale of 1–6). 8th ELA 2.4
Write persuasive compositions: a. Include a well-defined thesis (i.e., one that makes a clear and knowledgeable
judgment). b. Present detailed evidence, examples, and reasoning to support arguments, differentiating between facts
and opinion. c. Provide details, reasons, and examples, arranging them effectively by anticipating and answering reader
concerns and counterarguments.
Name:
Part 2 of the Project: The dance company Alvin Ailey would like for you to turn the ideas in “Mother to
Son” into a dance. The dance will be accompanied by the words of “Mother to Son.” You will be turning
the poem into a song. The words of the poem will remain the same in your song; you need to create a
melody and a rhythm for the song. You can find beats for your song in the resources area. Supporting
information is provided.
Directions: Complete all steps. Each member of the group needs to have their personal form filled
out.
Part 2 Step 1: Get into groups of no more than 4. Write the names of your group members below:
Part 2 Step 2 Directions: Draw your dance moves to support the words of the poem “Mother to
Son”
Draw your dance
move here to
match the words
Draw your dance
move here to
match the words
Draw your dance
move here to
match the words
Draw your dance
move here to
match the words
Draw your dance
move here to
match the words
Well, son, I’ll tell
you:
Life for me ain’t
been no crystal
stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn
up,
And places with
no carpet on the
floor –
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been aclimbin’ on,
And reachin’
landin’s,
And turnin’
corners,
STANDARDS: 6th ELA 2.4 Write responses to literature: Develop an interpretation exhibiting careful reading, understanding, and
insight. Organize the interpretation around several clear ideas, premises, or images. Develop and justify the interpretation
through sustained use of examples and textual evidence. Dance 6th 2.5 Use the elements of dance to create short studies
that demonstrate the development of ideas and thematic material. Music 6th 2.1 Sing a repertoire of vocal literature
representing various genres, styles, and cultures with expression, technical accuracy, good posture, tone quality, and
vowel shape—written and memorized, by oneself and in ensembles (level of difficulty: 1 on a scale of 1–6). 8th ELA 2.4
Write persuasive compositions: a. Include a well-defined thesis (i.e., one that makes a clear and knowledgeable
judgment). b. Present detailed evidence, examples, and reasoning to support arguments, differentiating between facts
and opinion. c. Provide details, reasons, and examples, arranging them effectively by anticipating and answering reader
concerns and counterarguments.
Name:
Draw your dance
move here to
match the words
Draw your dance
move here to
match the words
Draw your dance
move here to
match the words
Draw your dance
move here to
match the words
And sometimes
goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t
been no light.
So boy, don’t you
turn back.
Don’t you set
down on the steps
’Cause you finds
it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now
–
For I’se still goin,
honey,
I’se still climbin’,
And life for me
ain’t been no
crystal stair
Part 2 Step 3
Write down the names of the dancers for your performance
Write down the names of the singers for your performance
Part 2 Step 4 Make a melody or rap using the all words of “Mother to Son” in your song. Do not add
words to the poem. You can use the beats found at http://www.makehitmusic.com/free-beats.php as a
base for your melody/lyrics.
Write down the name of the beat on the website you will use
Part 2 Step 5
Practice the dance with the song, so that both the song and the dance seem like they flow
together. Practice this until you would feel comfortable performing in front of your audience.
Part 2 Step 6: Perform your dance with the accompanying song in front of the class!!!
STANDARDS: 6th ELA 2.4 Write responses to literature: Develop an interpretation exhibiting careful reading, understanding, and
insight. Organize the interpretation around several clear ideas, premises, or images. Develop and justify the interpretation
through sustained use of examples and textual evidence. Dance 6th 2.5 Use the elements of dance to create short studies
that demonstrate the development of ideas and thematic material. Music 6th 2.1 Sing a repertoire of vocal literature
representing various genres, styles, and cultures with expression, technical accuracy, good posture, tone quality, and
vowel shape—written and memorized, by oneself and in ensembles (level of difficulty: 1 on a scale of 1–6). 8th ELA 2.4
Write persuasive compositions: a. Include a well-defined thesis (i.e., one that makes a clear and knowledgeable
judgment). b. Present detailed evidence, examples, and reasoning to support arguments, differentiating between facts
and opinion. c. Provide details, reasons, and examples, arranging them effectively by anticipating and answering reader
concerns and counterarguments.
Name:
Langston Hughes Project Rubric: Part 1
Criteria
Introduction of
Essay
4
-It begins with an effective hook
- It correctly tells the reader what
the poem is about
- It has a clear thesis that shows
a careful reading of the poem
Body
Paragraph 1 of
Essay
-It begins with a topic sentence
that correctly answers the
question: How does the narrator
of the poem view life?
-It correctly explains what life
“had tacks in it” means
-It correctly explains what life
has “boards torn up” means
-It has a conclusion sentence
-It begins with a topic sentence
that correctly answers the
question: How does the narrator
want her son to live life?
-It correctly explains what
“Don’t you set down on the
steps” means
-It correctly explains what
“Don’t you fall now –” means
-It states the theme of the poem
in the concluding sentence
-The thesis is restated in a nonrepetitive way.
-Other things that the poet did
not say about life are discussed,
showing insight on the topic
Body
Paragraph 2 of
Essay
Conclusion of
Essay
Spelling,
Capitalization,
Grammar,
Punctuation
TOTAL:
There are very few errors
3
-It begins with a
hook
- It tells the reader
what the poem is
about
- It has a clear
thesis
It contains 3 of the
4 elements
2
It contains 2
of the 3
elements
1
It contains 1 of
the 3 elements
It contains 2
of the 4
elements
It contains 1 of
the 4 elements
It contains 3 of the
4 elements
It contains 2
of the 4
elements
It contains 1 of
the 4 elements
-The thesis is
restated
-Other things that
the poet did not say
about life are
discussed
There are a few
errors
It contains 1
of the 2
elements
There was an
attempt to
write the
conclusion
There are
quite a few
errors
There are too
many errors
/20
STANDARDS: 6th ELA 2.4 Write responses to literature: Develop an interpretation exhibiting careful reading, understanding, and
insight. Organize the interpretation around several clear ideas, premises, or images. Develop and justify the interpretation
through sustained use of examples and textual evidence. Dance 6th 2.5 Use the elements of dance to create short studies
that demonstrate the development of ideas and thematic material. Music 6th 2.1 Sing a repertoire of vocal literature
representing various genres, styles, and cultures with expression, technical accuracy, good posture, tone quality, and
vowel shape—written and memorized, by oneself and in ensembles (level of difficulty: 1 on a scale of 1–6). 8th ELA 2.4
Write persuasive compositions: a. Include a well-defined thesis (i.e., one that makes a clear and knowledgeable
judgment). b. Present detailed evidence, examples, and reasoning to support arguments, differentiating between facts
and opinion. c. Provide details, reasons, and examples, arranging them effectively by anticipating and answering reader
concerns and counterarguments.
Name:
My Job Was
Langston Hughes Project Rubric: Part 2 (Performance/Planning)
Criteria
Planning the
Dance (All
students)
Music (graded
based on your job)
Performance
(graded based on
your job)
Total:
4
-Part 2 Step 2 has
been completed
(All students)
-You have
matched the words
of the poem to
movements so that
both make sense
together (all
students)
You have created a
song for your
dance:
-The song has all
of the words of
“Mother to Son” in
it, as if the poem
were a song
-You have not
added your own
words to the song
The performance
was rehearsed:
-All of the dancers
memorized the
dance
-All of the singers
memorized the
words and the
melody of the song
2
1 of the 2 elements
met
0
0 of 2 elements
met
1 of the 2 elements
met
0 of 2 elements
met
You needed more
rehearsal
0 of 2 elements
met
/
STANDARDS: 6th ELA 2.4 Write responses to literature: Develop an interpretation exhibiting careful reading, understanding, and
insight. Organize the interpretation around several clear ideas, premises, or images. Develop and justify the interpretation
through sustained use of examples and textual evidence. Dance 6th 2.5 Use the elements of dance to create short studies
that demonstrate the development of ideas and thematic material. Music 6th 2.1 Sing a repertoire of vocal literature
representing various genres, styles, and cultures with expression, technical accuracy, good posture, tone quality, and
vowel shape—written and memorized, by oneself and in ensembles (level of difficulty: 1 on a scale of 1–6). 8th ELA 2.4
Write persuasive compositions: a. Include a well-defined thesis (i.e., one that makes a clear and knowledgeable
judgment). b. Present detailed evidence, examples, and reasoning to support arguments, differentiating between facts
and opinion. c. Provide details, reasons, and examples, arranging them effectively by anticipating and answering reader
concerns and counterarguments.