THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE
Elisabeth M Horrell
EDRD 730S
March 14, 2012
Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot
fly.
-
Langston Hughes
Elisabeth M Horrell
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When I chose The Harlem Renaissance, I had the goal of exposing my students to many
different forms of art. I tried to pull the most well-known artists of the time and create a
background for each of them and example of their work. While creating this text set, I
discovered so much more than I thought I would. The amount of art, be it Music, Dance,
Theatre, Painting, Sculpting etc. is so great that I feel like I barely scratched the surface. My
hope for this text set would to create an understanding and appreciation for these art forms,
and for the cultural struggle which came before and during and still continues today. I
would want the students to create a showcase as a final project. Being a Theatre teacher, my
first thought was a production, but as I got further into this I realized that each student is
different. Some may want to paint, others may prefer to perform a musical piece and maybe
some would choose to stage one of the many plays written during the time period. Whatever
it may be, it would all be presented as one magnificent throwback to the Harlem
Renaissance.
This text set is intended for grades 9-12.
STANDARDS
ACTING
Standard 2: The student will develop acting skills that allow him or her to portray a variety of
characters in both improvised and scripted dramatic presentations.
RESEARCHING
Standard 5: The student will use appropriate practices to research and inform his or her
understanding of all aspects of theatre.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Standard 6: The student will make connections between theatre and other arts disciplines, other
content areas, and the world
Elisabeth M Horrell
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Valuing and Responding
Standard 7: The student will analyze, evaluate, and derive meanings from improvised and scripted
scenes, live theatre performances, and theatrical performances on film, television, and other
electronic media.
RELATING TO HISTORY AND CULTURE
Standard 8: The student will understand context by analyzing the role of theatre, film, television,
and other electronic media in his or her community and the state of South Carolina as well as in
other cultures, both past and present.
Elisabeth M Horrell
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YOUNG ADULT NOVELS
McKissack, Patricia C. (2007).A Song for Harlem. New York, NY:
Penguin Group
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Summary
Lilly Belle, a young African American girl from Tennessee, spends a summer in New York
City at a young writers work shop in the middle of the Harlem Renaissance. She meets
many interesting, important people, and experiences the culture and change of the time.
Commentary
A song for Harlem is an easy and quick read, but filled with a lot of interesting tidbits about
the culture of the time. The main character, Lilly Belle, meets actual figures and artists from
the renaissance. Being that the story is told from the viewpoint of a twelve year old girl, it
will give students a more relatable feel. At the end of the book there is a time-line, which
takes you through the significant happenings in the twenties. There are also definitions of
some of the important organizations, such as the NAACP and the Universal Negro
Improvement Association.
Tate, Eleanora E. (2007).Celeste’s Harlem Renaissance. New York, NY:
Hachette Book Group USA
Summary
We follow the story of Celeste Lassiter Massey. Celeste is a young girl on the verge of
“becoming a woman”. After her father comes down with TB, she is sent to live with her
Aunt, an actress in Harlem. She experiences the good and the bad of Harlem and in the end
must choice between her new life there, and her old life in North Carolina.
Commentary
This particular novel is much longer and meant for middle and high school students. It
discusses many real issues, like getting your period or getting mugged. It really tells a story
and takes the time to create a story for each character. It will give a student’s an idea of how
people lived then, not only in New York, but in other parts of the US as well. I really enjoyed
the attention to detail with the characters in this book and think it would be a useful
resource as well when working with acting and character development.
Elisabeth M Horrell
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Levine, Gail Carson.(1999).Dave at Night. New York, NY: Harper
Collins
Summary
After Dave’s father dies, he ends up in a home for Hebrew boys in the heart of Harlem. His
new life is much different and he must learn to adjust to the unknown world of new friends,
new enemies and emerging art all around him.
Commentary
Since almost all of the literature in my text set is from the African-American perspective, I
think this book will put an interesting twist on it. Not only is it from a Jewish perspective,
but also from a first time perspective. It is certainly important that the students know that
all different races and religions were present at this time. Again, this book also provides a
great opportunity for character study and evaluation.
Myers, Walter Dean.(2007). Harlem Summer. New York, NY: Scholastic
Press
Summary
Mark, a sixteen year old who would rather play jazz, is forced to get a summer job. He
meets many interesting characters and even gets mixed up with some gangsters along the
way, after starting a job at The Crisis.
Commentary
This is a fun, easy read and brings a lot of the figures which the students have been learning
about into the story. I think it will inspire a lot questions for the students, hearing about
these real people in a fictional story.
Elisabeth M Horrell
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Weik, Mary Hays.(1966). The Jazz Man. New York, NY : Aladdin
Paperbacks
Summary
Zeke travelled to Harlem with his family during the great migration. His worries were often
calmed by the music of the Jazz man who played outside his window.
Commentary
This story, paired with the music lesson will help create a further appreciation. I would
include this with the other music lessons.
PICTURE BOOKS
Elisabeth M Horrell
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Sanders, Nancy I. ( 2007) D is for Drinking Gourd: An African American
Alphabet. Chelsea, MI: Thomson Gale
Summary
As the title implies, This book takes us through every letter of the alphabet and teaches us
something about African American history.
Commentary
Being that the Harlem Renaissance was such an important time in African American history,
I think it is very important for the students to have knowledge of that. This book not only
teaches new words ( A is for Abolitionist) but important events (L is for Little Rock Nine).
For each letter there is also a summary of the word or event, to further increase the
learning. I think this book would be a great opportunity to employ Found Poems, and see
where the students would take it.
Elisabeth M Horrell
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Lawrence, Jacob and Myers, Walter Dean. (1993). The Great
Migration. New York, NY: Harper Collins
Summary
A collection of art, by Jacob Lawrence, which tells the story of the great migration. As better
jobs, housing and the promise of a better life became a reality in the North, many African
Americans left the south.
Commentary
I would use this book as a read aloud, and if possible, create a slide show with the art that
would be shown as I was reading it. The words of the story are simple, but I believe the
depth and reality of it is expressed in the art work. Allowing the students to hear the words
of someone who experienced it, and see those words expressed in art is also a great
opportunity for cross-content integration. This could be followed with an art lesson on how
to express and interpret stories through art, which the students can create.
Duggleby, John. ( 1998) Story Painter: The life of Jacob Lawrence.
Seattle, WA: Marquand Books
Summary
Starting with the great migration, when Jacob was born, we follow him and his family. After
his father left them, Jacob became the man of the family at the young age of seven. After
settling in Harlem, he fell in love with the world around him. He began creating art at the
age of thirteen and a student of the buzzing, Harlem arts scene.
Commentary
I would choose this book for the students to read after The Great Migration, which is a
simple story, with complex art. This book would give them the opportunity to learn about
the mind and the person behind this art. This book is filled with even more art and actual
photographs of Jacob Lawrence.
Elisabeth M Horrell
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Pinkey, Andrea Davis and Pinkey, Brian. (1998) Duke Ellington. New
York, NY: Hyperion Books
Summary
Edward Kennedy Ellington, or as we call him, Duke Ellington had a love for baseball, not
music. His parents enrolled him in piano lessons as a child, but it wasn’t until years later,
when he heard ragtime piano that his interest was sparked. He soon began entertaining at
bars, pool halls and country clubs, and the rest, is history.
Commentary
Before we got into our music lessons I would want the students to read this book. Like they
had with the story of Jacob Lawrence, I would want them to be able to put a story to the
figure they were hearing so much about.
McKissack, Patricia and Frederick.(1992) Langston Hughes: Great
American Poet. Hillside, NJ: Enslow Publishers
Summary
Born in Joplin, Missouri, Langston Hughes was raised by his mother and grandmother and
began writing at a young age. Almost all of his writings were about his life in Harlem.
Commentary
Being that Langston Hughes was a huge part of the Renaissance, this book is essential to the
set. I would like to pair this reading with one of his plays. After an introduction to both, I
think it would be a great opportunity for a fishbowl discussion. Langston Hughes plays
were very relevant to the happenings of the time and would lead to great discussion.
Elisabeth M Horrell
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NON-FICTION TEXTS
Giovanni, Nikki. ( 1996). Shimmy, Shimmy, Shimmy, like my sister
Kate: Looking at the Harlem Renaissance through poems. New York,
NY: Henry Holt and Company inc.
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Summary
A collection of poems by some of the best of their time, including work by Langston Hughes,
W.E.B. Du Bois, Countee Cullen and many others. It includes modern authors and even
those who began writing before the Renaissance.
Commentary
This book is one of my favorites in the collection. It embodies what the renaissance was
about and is a great display of the creation of different mediums of art and the different
minds which were represented. I think this book would be a great opportunity for the
students to do read-alouds in small groups. After spending some time with the poems, I
would then give the students the opportunity to write their own poetry and explore the
different styles.
Lewis, David Levering.(1994) Harlem Renaissance Reader. New York,
NY: Viking Penguin
Summary
A collection of essays and memoirs, poems and fiction from the writers of the renassaince
Commentary
My intention for this collection would be for students to use it as a source of reference. Not
only does it contain many artists works, but also provides biographical information for each
one. It is a rather large book and could be intimidating, but I would take the time to explain
how useful it might be for them.
Elisabeth M Horrell
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Perpener III, John O. ( 2001). African American Concert Dance: The
Harlem Renaissance and beyond. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois
press
Summary
Starting in 1925, Perpener introduces us to black concert dance, and those who shaped and
changed it throughout the twentieth century. He discusses the artistic influences and lays it
out in a historical context
Commentary
This book would be wonderful for any student who is interested in dance or theatre. It has
an excellent index, for quick reference. With my main goal being to create a production, I
would like to incorporate as many of the arts as possible. This could be used in junction
with the video of the Cotton Club dancers.
Johnson, Dolores (2008) The Harlem Renaissance. Tarrytown, NY:
Marshall Cavendish
Summary
Book number seven, in a series called Drama of African-American History, this book
embraces the artistic creativity of the Renaissance. Beginning in February of 1919, we
follow the progression, the music, the writers and the art.
Commentary
This book is one of my favorites because it creates a timeline and is filled with pictures of
events and people. It also has significant historical facts placed throughout the book. For
example, The red summer, which was a vicious time in which racial violence and murders
were extremely rampant. I would really like to break this book down by chapter, since it
only has six, and do popcorn with each one, to help create a general knowledge.
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Price, Sean. (2007). Rebirth of a People. Chicago, IL: Raintree
Summary
A guide to the popular interests and activities of the people of the Renaiisance. Covers
everything from going to church to parties to sports teams.
Commentary
This book has many interesting pieces of information which the other books do not cover. It
will give the students the chance to identify with the day to day activities. Throughout the
book, important words or phrases are in bold lettering. Those which are bold are identified
in the back of the book. These words would be a great chance to work with concept maps.
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WEBSITES
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Biography TV. Accessed March 4 2012. Harlem-Renaissance
Summary
A more accessible breakdown of the beginning and ending of the Renaissance and other
important information in African-American history
Commentary
This is a great page which has a lot of information regarding African-American history and
has quick links for easier reference
John Carroll University. Accessed March 5, 2012. JCU.edu
Summary
Site was created specifically for researching the Renaissance. Has video and sound clips
Commentary
This is my favorite of the websites. Has a lot of information which the students cannot get
from the books. Most specifically in the audio and video clips
Elisabeth M Horrell
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Iniva.org. Accessed March 4, 2012. Timeline
Summary
This page is simply a chronological timeline from 1919 until 1936
Commentary
I chose this site because it is simple and could be printed out by the students. They could
also use it as an outline while doing research with the other texts
The library of Congress. Accessed March 10, 2012. Materials
Summary
A historical guide of publications from the early nineteen hundreds, all relevant to African
American history and the Harlem Renaissance.
Commentary
What I loved about this site is that you can actually access over a thousand pieces of African
American sheet music from the early nineteen hundreds.
Elisabeth M Horrell
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OTHER SOURCES
Hughes, Langston and Smalley, Webster. (1968).Five Plays by
Langston Hughes. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press
Summary
A collection of five of Langston Hughes plays.
Commentary
This would be a great resource for those students focusing on performance. I would want
them to familiarize themselves with one of these plays, and we would then work together
on how they would choose to cast, stage and perform it. They could also refer to other
material from the text set while working on their character development for the actors.
Those who are learning more towards direction and production could use the other
materials to find design inspiration.
Elisabeth M Horrell
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Cotton Club dancers. Accessed March 10, 2012. Youtube.com
Summary
A performance by two well known dancers from the famous cotton club, accompanied by
Duke Ellington and his band
Commentary
For those students who took an interest in African American Concert Dance, this video clip
would be a great example for them. Even those students who did not look into the book
would still take something from this and get an idea of the popular nightclub, music and
dance scene.
Harlem Renaissance radio special. Accessed March 1, 2012. Columbia
University of NYC
Summary
The intersection of music and religion during the Renaissance. A two-part episode with a
number of interviews and musical clips
Commentary
This is a great discussion for the students to get into, and will also open up an opportunity
to possibly work with technology in the classroom. Thinking back to our hot topic articles,
creating classroom radio shows is a new type of performance. This would give the students
something to go off of and continue their content knowledge as well
Elisabeth M Horrell
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Harlem Renaissance-The music and rhythms that started a cultural
revolution (2004). Kultur Video
Summary
A collection of full song performances by a number of artists, including Fats Waller, Cab
Calloway, Louis Armstrong and many more
Commentary
Giving the students the opportunity to see the past and how it has influenced them today is
the main goal with this film. This film will allow them to really put a face and a voice to the
name they have heard so much about. It is really about the students experiencing the music
and just being allowed to appreciate it
Against the Odds: Artists of the Harlem Renaissance.(2006).PBS
Summary
Actual footage and an introduction to some of the most well known painters, sculptors and
photographers
Commentary
As art comes in many forms, I really want to represent ever art form possible in my text set.
Students of the visual arts would find this especially enjoyable. I would pair this with the
reading and slide show of Jacob Lawrence’s work.
Elisabeth M Horrell
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