Unit 5: The Harlem Renaissance and Modernism Designer: Laura Bagbey
Block 1
Topic: Introduction to the Harlem Renaissance
Langston Hughes’s “Harlem” and “I, too”
Grade Level :
English 11
Time Frame:
1A—one ninety min lesson
4B—one ninety min lesson
Teaching Dates:
1A—Monday, March 14
4B—Tuesday, March 15
Description of Students: On level 11 th grade students. In 1A the distribution of students is fairly equal with 8 boys and 8 girls, 9 non-white students and 7 white students. In 4B the distribution of students is also fairly equal with 12 boys and 12 girls, 13 non-white students and 11 white students.
Objectives:
 By the end of the lesson, the teacher will have an understanding of the students’ prior knowledge about the Harlem Renaissance as demonstrated by their performance on the preassessment quiz.

By the end of the lesson students will have begun to develop their knowledge of the historical, cultural, and intellectual impact of the Harlem Renaissance as demonstrated by their notes on the PowerPoint.

By the end of the lesson the students will have begun to construct their knowledge of Langston
Hughes and his poems by reading and discussing “Harlem” and “I, too.”

By the end of the lesson, the student will have written a poem about identity in the style of the
Harlem Renaissance.
SOL Objectives:
11.3 The student will read and analyze relationships among American literature, history, and culture.
a) Describe contributions of different cultures to the development of American literature.
b) Compare and contrast the development of American literature in its historical context.
11.5 The student will read and critique a variety of poetry.
a) Analyze the poetic elements of contemporary and traditional poems.
Assessment:
Formative: The pre-assessment will be graded on the thoughtful completion of the assessment, not on the correctness of the answers. The purpose of the preassessment is to provide background knowledge for the teacher.
Summative: The “Comparing Contemporary Poetry to
Langston Hughes” worksheet demonstrates to the teacher that the students have actively engaged with the text.
By writing a poem about identity the students will demonstrate their developing understanding of one of the major themes of the Harlem Renaissance.
Resources:

Student Textbooks

Notecards

Student copies of the pre-assessment
 Student copies of Tupac’s “changes”
 Student copies of “Comparing
Langston Hughes and Tupac”

Student copies of the poetry format

Student copies of “I hear America
Singing”

Content:
Background Information for Teachers on the History of the Harlem Renaissance—
Post-Civil War era: In the writings of Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, James Weldon Johnson, Charles Waddel
Chesnutt, Paul Lawrence Dunbar, and others, the roots of African-American writing took hold, notably in the forms of autobiography, protest literature, sermons, poetry and song. These early writers laid the foundation for and strongly influenced the African-American writers that followed during the early part of the twentieth century.
World War I:
Though many scholars disagree about exactly when the Harlem Renaissance began and ended, many consider WWI as a starting point. Strict immigration laws were enacted during this time, and many recent European immigrants returned to their home countries to take part in the war. This exodus resulted in new employment opportunities in the Northern industrial cities, including opportunities for African Americans. Between 1915 and 1918, so many Southern blacks moved north that their relocation has become known as the Great Migration .
Great Migration —millions of black farmers and sharecroppers moved from the rural South to northern U. S. cities in search of opportunity and freedom from racial hostility, with New York’s Harlem a principal destination for persons of color. The population of Harlem morphed from predominantly white into predominantly black.
Post WWI:
Other scholars believe that the Renaissance began at the end of WWI, when many African-American troops returned to
America. After fighting bravely for democracy in Europe, these men expected America’s respect.
Political leader W.E.B. DuBois wrote, “We return. We return from fighting. Make way for democracy! We saved it in France, and by the Great Jehovah, we will save it in the United States of America, or we will know the reason why.”
Instead of being welcomed home, however, these soldiers returned to a wave of racist persecution. An estimated 300 lynchings occurred between 1919 and 1923.
In response, African-Americans began to mobilize politically. In doing so, they experienced widespread sympathy and support from progressive white people. Some scholars argue that this wave of activism sparked the Harlem Renaissance.
Harlem Renaissance:
During the high-spirited 1920s, Harlem, the black community situated uptown in New York City, became the cultural center of African-American life. Never before had so much African-American artistic creativity bloomed in so short a time.
Writers, poets, philosophers, musicians, visual artists, and filmmakers gathered to form a large and diverse talent base whose achievements reflected and challenged societal conventions.
The Jazz Age:
During the Harlem Renaissance, artistic experimentation was not limited to literature. It also found expression in music.
The sounds of African-American Jazz invigorated and popularized American music, and jazz musicians like Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway became beloved stars both at home and abroad.
Visual Arts:
Many African-American visual artists across the country became prominent at this time. Those most closely associated with the Harlem Renaissance were Aaron Douglas, Palmer Hayden, Archibald Motley, William H. Johnson, Augusta Savage, and
James Van der Zee. African-American painters and sculptors developed a wide range of styles, based on the art of Africa and ancent Egypt, American folk art, and representational and abstract European art. African tribal art in particular, previously dismissed as “primitive,” began to be appreciated for its intelligence and beauty.
The End of the Renaissance:
The great depression hit urban African Americans, including those in Harlem, very hard. When jobs were eliminated, jobs for African Americans were often cut first, and Harlem’s concentration of talent was scattered away from the city. Almost
50 percent of the families in Harlem were out of work, while a mere 9 percent received government relief jobs. The combination of poverty and racial tension led to a race riot on the evening of March 19, 1935. Ten thousand enraged
Harlemites marched down Lenox Avenue, destroying two-million dollars of white-owned property. The riot left 3 African
Americans dead, 30 people hospitalized, and more than 100 in jail. The Harlem Race Riot is considered by many scholars to mark the end of the Harlem Renaissance.
But the gains of the Harlem Renaissance were not lost. African Americans had proven themselves to be as talented and capable of excellence as any other American citizen. The Harlem Renaissance created a new consciousness in both white and black Americans; its importance lies in the legacy of new American art forms and in the socioeconomic changes it helped to advance.

Background Information for Teachers on Langston Hughes—
Langston Hughes (1902-1967) was one of the leading poets of the Harlem Renaissance as well as an accomplished novelist, playwright, and essayist. His writings center on poor and working-class
African-Americans, a group whom literature has generally ignored.
In 1912, Hughes enrolled at Columbia University in New York City. He left after one year to travel the world as a cook’s assistant aboard a ship. In 1925, Hughes settled in Washington D.C., and took a job bussing tables at a hotel restaurant. One day Vachel Lindsay, a well-known poet came to the hotel.
Hughes mustered the courage to slip three of his poems, including “The Weary Blues,” beside Lindy’s plate. Lindsay liked the poems, and the next morning’s newspapers reported Lindsay’s discovery of the
“busboy” poet.
A year later Hughes published his first poetry collection, The Weary Blues. His gritty depiction of
“workers, roustabouts, and singers, and job hunters” angered some African-American critics who felt that members of the race should always be portrayed in the best light. Hughes responded to these criticisms saying, “I knew only the people I had grown up with, and they weren’t people whose shoes were always shined...But they semed to me good people, too.”
Poet Laureate of Harlem —As a poet, Hughes kept his language direct; he made no attempt to be obscure or pretentious. He celebrated the lively nightlife and the everyday experiences of workingclass African-Americans, often re-creating the structures and rhythms of blues and jazz music in works such as Montage of a Dream Deferred (1951), a book-length suite of related poems. Hughes became informally known as the Poet Laureate of Harlem and today is universally recognized as the most influential voice of the Harlem Renaissance.

Instructional Strategies and Timings:
Housekeeping: Attendance and Introduction to Harlem Renaissance unit—(5 min)
Harlem Renaissance Pre-Assessment
—(10 minutes)

Pass out the pre-assessment, let students know that the assessment will be graded not on the correctness of answers but on the thoughtful completion of the assessment.

Review the answers with the class

Collect Pre-Assessment
Mini Lecture on the Harlem Renaissance— (20 minutes) POWERPOINT

Pass out the guided notes handout

Instruct students that they will need to take notes
Have a student Read “Harlem” by Langston Hughes —(5 minutes)

Ask students to take out their textbooks and turn to page 840, if they do not have their textbbok they should look on with a neighbor.

Ask students to focus on how the poem describes the community during the period in which it was written
Have students read “Changes” by Tupac out loud— (5 minutes)

Pass out lyrics to changes

Call on students to read
Think Pair Share—Comparing Contemporary Poetry to Langston Hughes— (15 minutes)

Pass out the handout

Allow students to work on their own

Have students share their responses with a partner

Have students share their responses with the class
Have a student read Walt Whitman’s “I Hear America Singing”—(5 minutes)
 Pass out copies of “I Hear America Singing” to students

Ask for a student volunteer to read

Provide a brief explanation of the poem
Have a student read “I, too” by Langston Hughes— (3minutes)
(“I, too” is Hughes Response to Walt Whitman’s “I hear America Singing.” Hughes was a great admirer of
Whitman, believing that Whitman’s work reflected the real meaning of democracy)

Ask for a student volunteer to read

Provide a brief explanation of the poem
Define Identity as “the qualities that a person regards as essential and unique to his or her personality”
WRITE THE DEFINITION OF IDENTITY ON THE BOARD.
Quickwrite —(10 minutes)
What everyday experiences help shape your identity? List images and activities that characterize the way you live: the places you go, the things you like to do, the music you like to listen to, and so on.

Pass out notecards to students


Allow students 3 minutes to brainstorm their ideas on a note card.
Make a list on the board (list may include):
Clothing/ various clothing brands/ stores - Magazines/ various publications
Music/ various bands/ musicians - Hanging out
Television/ various shows - Video games
Facebook/ cell phones/ texting/ twitter
Writing Poetry
—(15 minutes)
 Pass out the “I am” poetry worksheet

Have students write a poem about their identity using the provided format
Oral Presentations —(10 minutes)

Have students share their poems with the class

Adaptations:
1A—
Student 1:

Cool off period for 5 minutes outside of classroom door. Issued a pass.

Cool off period with Case Manager as needed to consult with teacher about classroom concerns

Extended time on assignments as class work as long as he remains on task (not to exceed 2 periods)

Preferential seating away from distractions.

Special Education Teacher/General Education Teacher/Para educator will check notebook on a bi –weekly basis and assist in techniques for note taking to help with his understanding academic materials.

Special Education teacher/General Education teacher will refocus him in class

Teachers will provide weekly update via Edline or e-mail communication on student’s status in class.
Student 2:

Clarification of directions

Copy of backup notes (as per student request and demonstrated effort)

Preferential seating

Retake tests of 67% or less. This is student initiated, to be retaken once, arrangements to retest made once, and excludes semester exams. The grade will be averaged into existing scores.

Assistance with reading

SOL Test Accommodations: Assistance with directions (i.e. simplifying or clarifying directions) and Reading in English of Test items (except for Reading)
Student 3:

Allow opportunity to retake tests less than a D using an average of the two grades.

Avoid placing student under pressure of time or competitive situations.

Explain directions as needed

Extended time for assignments as arranged with instructor

Minimize auditory distractions

Differentiated Instructional Support:
Instruction is differentiated according to learner needs to help all learners either meet the intent of the specified indicator(s) or, if the indicator is already met, to advance beyond the specified indicator(s).
Struggling:

If a student has difficulty taking notes provide that student with a blank notes outline to scaffold the note-taking activity
Gifted/ Enrichment:

After the students read “I, too” have them research Jim Crow laws. Students could create a poster listing some examples of Jim Crow laws and display it in the classroom.
Reflection/Recommendations for Future Use:
Another song that works well with this assignment is
Kanye West’s Heard Em’ Say.
SOE Student Teaching Competencies:
1. Demonstrates understanding of subject matter and pedagogical knowledge for instruction.
6. Plans lessons that align with local, state, and national standards.
3. Demonstrates understanding of the central role of language and literacy in student learning:

Understands the role of reading in student learning

Understands the role of writing in student learning

Understands the role of speaking in student learning

Understands the role of listening in student learning

Understands the role of viewing (i.e. interpreting visual representation) in student learning

Understands the role of illiteracies in student learning
9. Teaches based on planned lessons

Communicates objectives of the lesson clearly

Explains content accurately

Provides clear directions for student activities


Provides guided and independent practice of skills
Summarizes/Reviews major concepts of lessons
20. Organizes for effective teaching

Uses appropriate grouping strategies to align with instructional goals (e.g. cooperative groups, peer groups, small groups, whole groups)

Organizes classroom for instruction

Has all materials needed on hand
Citations: https://www.courses.psu.edu/arth/arth497c_jhr11/harlemren1.html
Many of the images in my PowerPoint presentation come from this website.

Name:_____________________________________ Date:____________________ Period:____________
Harlem Renaissance Pre-assessment
1. When did the Harlem Renaissance begin?
A.
At the beginning of the 1960s.
B.
At the beginning of the 21 st century?
C.
At the end of the Great Depression
D.
At the end of WWI
2. What was the mass movement of blacks to the north called?
A.
The Big Move
B.
The Great Leap
C.
The Great Migration
D.
The Travel North
3. The center of the creative movement among black academics and artists during the 1920s was in which major city?
A.
Boston
B.
Cleveland
C.
Detroit
D.
New York
4. What does the word renaissance mean?
A.
Period of great activity in art, literature, and learning.
B.
The second time something valuable happened in a place.
C.
A period when many people moved to the U.S.
D.
An era of great struggle.
5. How did Langston Hughes use elements from other black art forms in his writing?
A.
He named characters in his stories after his friends and fellow artists.
B.
He used jazz rhythms in his poetry.
C.
He illustrated his books with works by black painters.
D.
He wrote histories of black contributions to music, dance, and literature
6. What is a primitive form of freestyle hip hop music?
A.
Blues Rock
B.
Free Form Poetry
C.
Jazz Poetry
D.
Lyrical Ballads
7. When did the Harlem Renaissance begin to decline?
A.
When the Stock Market Crashed.
B.
When WWI began.
C.
When the real estate market began to decline.
D.
When Vietnam began.

Tupac—Changes
Come on come on
I see no changes wake up in the morning and I ask myself is life worth living should I blast myself?
I'm tired of bein' poor & even worse I'm black my stomach hurts so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch
Cops give a damn about a negro pull the trigger kill a nigga he's a hero
Give the crack to the kids who the hell cares one less hungry mouth on the welfare
First ship 'em dope & let 'em deal the brothers give 'em guns step back watch 'em kill each other
It's time to fight back that's what Huey said
2 shots in the dark now Huey's dead
I got love for my brother but we can never go nowhere unless we share with each other
We gotta start makin' changes learn to see me as a brother instead of 2 distant strangers and that's how it's supposed to be
How can the Devil take a brother if he's close to me?
I'd love to go back to when we played as kids but things changed, and that's the way it is
[Bridge w/ changing ad libs]
Come on come on
That's just the way it is
Things'll never be the same
That's just the way it is aww yeah
[Repeat]
[2]
I see no changes all I see is racist faces misplaced hate makes disgrace to races
We under I wonder what it takes to make this one better place, let's erase the wasted
Take the evil out the people they'll be acting right
'cause both black and white is smokin' crack tonight and only time we chill is when we kill each other it takes skill to be real, time to heal each other
And although it seems heaven sent
We ain't ready, to see a black President, uhh
It ain't a secret don't conceal the fact the penitentiary's packed, and it's filled with blacks
But some things will never change

try to show another way but you stayin' in the dope game
Now tell me what's a mother to do bein' real don't appeal to the brother in you
You gotta operate the easy way
"I made a G today" But you made it in a sleazy way sellin' crack to the kid. " I gotta get paid,"
Well hey, well that's the way it is
[Bridge]
[Talking:]
We gotta make a change...
It's time for us as a people to start makin' some changes.
Let's change the way we eat, let's change the way we live and let's change the way we treat each other.
You see the old way wasn't working so it's on us to do what we gotta do, to survive.
[3]
And still I see no changes can't a brother get a little peace
It's war on the streets & the war in the Middle East
Instead of war on poverty they got a war on drugs so the police can bother me
And I ain't never did a crime I ain't have to do
But now I'm back with the facts givin' it back to you
Don't let 'em jack you up, back you up, crack you up and pimp smack you up
You gotta learn to hold ya own they get jealous when they see ya with ya mobile phone
But tell the cops they can't touch this
I don't trust this when they try to rush I bust this
That's the sound of my tool you say it ain't cool my mama didn't raise no fool
And as long as I stay black I gotta stay strapped
& I never get to lay back
'Cause I always got to worry 'bout the pay backs some punk that I roughed up way back comin' back after all these years rat-tat-tat-tat-tat that's the way it is uhh
[Bridge 'til fade:]
Some things will never change

Name:_____________________________________ Date: _________________________ Period: ___________
Comparing Langston Hughes and Tupac
1. This poem is about Langston Hughes’ community in Harlem. What impression do you get of Hughes’ community in this poem?
2. Based on this poem, do you think life in Hughes’ community is easy or hard? Why?
3. Is Tupac’s song similar to Langston Hughes’ poem? If so, in what ways?








4. This poem is about Tupac’s community. What impression do you get of Tupac’s community?
5. Based on this song, do you think life in Tupac’s community is easy or hard? Why?




6. How is the dream described by Tupac similar or different to that described by Hughes?




7. Is your community similar to the community described by Tupac? Why or why not?

I am
I wonder
I hear
I see
I want
I am
I pretend
I feel
I worry
I cry
I am
I understand
I say
I dream
I try
I hope
I am
Title:_____________________________________________
By: _______________________________

Rubric for grading the “identity” poem
________ 5 points for the thoughtful completion of each statement (85 points)
________ 5 points for the title
________ 10 points for time on task and behavior during writing activity
Total: ________

I Hear America Singing.
Walt Whitman (1819-1892)
I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,
The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work,
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deck-hand singing on the steamboat deck,
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands,
The woodcutter's song, the ploughboy's on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,
The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing,
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.