Valand R. Horton
Black History Unit
Day 5
Subject: Language Arts
Grade Level: 8th Grade
Lesson Duration: 45-50 minutes
State of Michigan Standards/Benchmarks:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and
plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
Lesson Goal: Students will be able to analyze and annotate a piece of literature by drawing
specific details and connections from the text.
Lesson Objectives: Given a Langston Hughes poem, students will identify the tone, theme, and
message with 100% accuracy.
IEP Goal/Objectives: For students with visual impairments, the slides and handouts will be
printed and enlarged. This will allow them to follow along with the rest of the class.
Materials:
• Smart Board or Projector
• Notebooks
• Pens/Pencils
• Popsicle sticks
• Copies of The Big Sea an Autobiography by Langston Hughes
• Copies of Levels of Annotation handout
• Copies of Harlem [A Dream Deferred] and Dream Variations by Langston Hughes
Procedure:
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Begin the lesson by having students do a Problem of the Day. Give them 5 minutes to
respond to the following prompt:
o Last week, we learned about Sojourner Truth, and her role in the abolitionist
movement. We read along as Alice Walker recited, “Ain’t I a Woman”, the
speech Sojourner Truth gave in 1851. We learned that the speech was given at a
Women’s Rights Convention in Ohio, to address African-American rights and
Women’s Rights.
If you were given the opportunity to speak at a school event, what would your
speech be about? Who would it be directed to? What would you say?
Tell students that we are going to shift from the 1700’s and early 1800’s, and learn about
the Harlem Renaissance.
Valand R. Horton
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Give students a brief introduction about what the Harlem Renaissance movement was.
(The Harlem Renaissance will be discussed further on Day 6)
Let students know that several African-American poets, musicians, artists, and writers
emerged from this era such as Duke Ellington, Zora Neale Hurston, and Langston
Hughes.
Tell them that were going to learn about Langston Hughes today.
Pass out copies of The Big Sea by Langston Hughes.
Take one to two minutes, to discuss who he was with the class.
Let students know that we are going to read selections from his autobiography.
Call on students to read the article aloud.
During the reading, pause to ask the students comprehension questions.
Discuss significant events in the story.
After reading, ask students questions about the text.
Discuss Langston Hughes, and his perspective.
Pass out copies of Levels of Annotation handout, Harlem [A Dream Deferred] poem, and
Dream Variations poem.
Review the Levels of Annotation handout with students. Be sure to go over the examples.
Give students 5 minutes to read and annotate Harlem [A Dream Deferred] poem with
their table partners.
When they have finished, have table partners share with another set of partners, so that
there are groups of 4.
Give students 2-3 minutes to discuss their notes.
Go over the assignment with students, having them share their notes.
Using the Popsicle sticks, call on students to share their ideas with the class.
If time permits, have students do the same thing for the Dream Variations poem.
Assessment:
• If there is not enough time for students to finish the assignment in class, have them read
and annotate the Dream Variations poem by Langston Hughes for homework. They will
be graded, based on their ability to identify the theme and tone of the poem. They will
also need to have at least two examples for each level of annotation.
Expansion:
• Any additional time in today’s lesson will be spent working on their Black History
Projects.