American Literature Curriculum Guide
Unit
Standards
Instructional
Objectives
 Unit 5:
The Harlem Renaissance
 Essential Questions: How can people honor their HERITAGE?
What drives HUMAN BEHAVIOR?
 Source:
McDougal Littell’s Literature, Grade 11, Unit 3 “The
Harlem Renaissance & Modernism”
 Unit Length:
7 - 9 Class Periods including assessment(s)
§E3-1.1
Compare/contrast ideas within and across literary texts to make
inferences.
§E3-1.2
Evaluate the impact of point of view on literary texts.
§E3-1.3
Evaluate devices of figurative language (including extended
metaphor, oxymoron, pun, and paradox).
§E3-1.4
Analyze the relationship among character, plot, conflict, and theme
in a given literary text.
§E3-1.5
Analyze the effect of the author’s craft (including tone and the use
of imagery, flashback, foreshadowing, symbolism, irony, and
allusion) on the meaning of literary texts.
§E3-2
The student will read and comprehend a variety of informational
texts in print and non-print formats.
§E3-2.1
Evaluate theses within and across informational texts.
§E3-2.2
Compare/contrast information within and across texts to draw
conclusions and make inferences.
§E3-3.2
Analyze the meaning of words by using Greek and Latin roots and
affixes.
§E3-4.1
Organize written works using prewriting techniques, discussions,
graphic organizers, models, and outlines.
§E3-4.6
Edit written pieces for the correct mechanics and usage of written
Standard American English including:
· internal and end of sentence punctuation,
· commas to indicate appositives,
· word placement to avoid ambiguity,
· appropriate coordination and subordination,
· relationship between and among clauses,
· placement of modifiers, and
· shifts in construction
§E3-6.5
Create written works, oral and auditory presentations, and visual
presentations that are designed for a specific audience and
purpose.
§E3-6.7
Use a variety of print and electronic reference materials.
o
Understand the Harlem Renaissance as a literary movement
o
Understand the historical and cultural context of the Harlem Renaissance
o
Connect the legacy of the Harlem Renaissance to modern day
o
Identify and understand the poetic form of sonnets
o
Explore the key ideas of:
‫ه‬
Identity
‫ه‬
Revival
‫ه‬
Outlook
‫ه‬
Personality
‫ه‬
Culture
‫ه‬
Documentary
o
Analyze speaker in poetry and author’s position in all literature
o
Identify and analyze the use of rhythm, repetition, form, and meaning in
poetry
o
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o
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Identify and understand explicit and implicit main ideas
Analyze the characteristics of literary criticism
View a documentary
Research and plan a biographical documentary
Build vocabulary for reading and writing
Additional
What shapes your IDENTITY?
Essential
When does old become NEW again?
Questions
How do you VIEW the world?
What makes you YOU?
Can CULTURE be captures in words?
How do you DOCUMENT a life?
Pre-Reading
Discuss the historical setting, events, and significance of the time period
Activities
1920 – 1930 in America and the world, and especially that of the African
American community of this time.

Analyze and reflect on selections of art used in literature book throughout
the section on the Harlem Renaissance.
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Discuss literary genres. Analyze a book review and have students identify
the elements of literary criticism, including but not limited to genre.
Literature Selections
Resource Selections
♦ Introduction of Unit, pp. 820-837
– Resource Manager
♦ Introduction of and background on:
~
Academic Vocabulary
٠ Langston Hughes, p. 838
~
Vocabulary Practice
٠ Literary Analysis: Speaker, p. 839
~
Vocabulary Strategy
٠ Reading Skill: Analyzing Rhythm and
~
Literary Analysis:
Repetition, p. 839

Speaker
♦ Poetry – Langston Hughes Selections, pp.

Sonnet
840-845

Summary
♦ Introduction of and background on:

Tone
٠ James Weldon Johnson, p. 846

Literary Criticism
٠ Claude McKay, p.846
~ Reading
٠ Literary Analysis: Sonnet, p. 847

Analyze Rhythm and
٠ Reading Skill: Understanding Form
Repetition
and Meaning, p. 847

Understand Form and
♦ Poetry – My City by Johnson, pp. 848-849
Meaning
♦ Poetry – Lift Every Voice and Sing by

Identify Main Ideas
Johnson, outside selection

Identify Author’s Position
♦ Poetry – If We Must Die by McKay, pp.
~ Vary Sentence Structure
850-851
~ Viewing Guide
♦ Introduction of and background on:
~ Close Viewing
٠ Zora Neale Hurston, p. 858
~ Media Guide
٠ Literary Analysis: Tone, p. 859
~ Produce Your Own Media
٠ Reading Skill: Identify Main Idea, p.
– Best Practices Toolkit
859
~ Differentiated Instruction
♦ Biographical Essay – How It Feels To Be
~ Graphic Organizers
Colored Me by Hurston, pp. 860-865

Read Aloud/Think Aloud
♦ Introduction of and background on:

Comparison Matrix
٠ Toni Morrison, p. 868

Writing Template – Poem
٠ Literary Analysis: Literary Criticism, p.

T-Chart
869
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New Word Analysis
٠ Reading Skill: Identify Author’s

Spider Map
Position, p. 869
♦ Critical Essay – Thoughts on the AfricanAmerican Novel by Morrison, pp. 870-874
Composition
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Grammar
Reinforcement
Unit Vocabulary
Assessment
Options
Resources
Materials for
Unit Recovery
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Journal responses to Essential Questions
Write a poem, either as a sonnet or in a format similar to Hughes’ poetry
using the rhythm and repetition of jazz and blues music, on a sociopolitical them, current or past
Write either an autobiographical essay or a documentary on a social,
political, or historical subject matter, varying sentence structure (i.e. –
compound, complex, compound-complex, etc.)
Identify and understand sentence structure, including fragments and runon sentences
Use sentence fragments for emphasis and to vary sentence structure
Harlem Renaissance
Tone
Form in Poetry
Meaning in Poetry
Greek roots cosm/cosmo
Test Generator
Vocabulary in Context, p. 866
Class Presentations of either:
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A poem written by the student, either spoken or performed musically
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An autobiographical essay or documentary, either performed ‘live’ or
filmed and presented to the class
Best Practices Toolkit
Resource Manager
Test Generator
Classzone
Standards Lesson File
NovaNet