Harlem Renaissance PathFinder
Overview (scope, depth, and usage):
This Pathfinder is designed to assist students, teachers and parents on the topic of
the Harlem Renaissance. The content is suited for students in grades 9-12,however,
the specific Georgia Performance Standards pertaining to this topic are listed below
for 11th grade history and language arts students. This Pathfinder is intended to
guide students as they research the topic and prepare projects and presentations. It
is also presented for the benefit of teachers as they plan lessons around this unit of
study. The developers hope that this Pathfinder will guide students and teachers as
they search for more materials related to the Harlem Renaissance. It is not
comprehensive; instead it is meant to be a launching pad for research.
Georgia Performance Standards addressed in the PathFinder:
SSUSH16 The student will identify key developments in the aftermath of WW I.
a. Describe modern forms of cultural expression; include Louis Armstrong
and the origins of jazz, Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance, Irving
Berlin, and Tin Pan Alley
ELAALRL3The student deepens understanding of literary works by relating them
to their contemporary context or historical background, as well as to works from
other time periods.
a. Relates a literary work to the characteristics of the literary time period
that it represents.
1. Modernism (including Harlem Renaissance)
How to use the Harlem Renaissance PathFinder and explanation:
To begin with, go to http://harlemrenaissancejhs.wikispaces.com/. You will be
taken to the Home page of the Harlem Renaissance PathFinder. On the left hand side
of the home page, you will find the sections of the PathFinder.
1. The print sources section contains both fiction and nonfiction, including
reference materials, for both students and teachers to use. The Dewey
decimal classification number is given in order to provide efficient searching
for materials. See the section below (DDC applicable to the PathFinder
Content) for additional print resources specific to the Harlem Renaissance.
2. These online sources include online reference materials as well as websites
specific to the peoples and events of the Harlem Renaissance. Click on the
URL’s to be taken to the website described.
3. The images sections contains the URL’s for two photo galleries containing a
large number of images relating to the movement of the Harlem Renaissance
and the people influential to the movement.
4. The video and sound clips are all located on the Internet. Teachers may use
this section to identify which clips would be most beneficial for their
students.
5. The Activities and Projects page contains a number of supplemental activities
for teachers to use inside and outside the classroom. The developers have
approved each of these websites and projects as reverent for high school
students.
6. The For the Teachers section contains an overview for the pathfinder as a
whole. Additionally, this section contains the Word Document.
DDC applicable to the PathFinder Content:
The following DDC may be used in order to locate even more useful resources on the
Harlem Renaissance:
700
810 (for poetry)
811 (for poetry)
Biography
Suggestions for OPAC subject searches:
Harlem Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance—Biography
Harlem Renaissance— Fiction
Harlem Renaissance—Dictionaries
Harlem (New York, N.Y.)—poetry
Harlem (New York, N.Y.)—Fiction
Harlem (New York, N.Y.)—Intellectual life
African Americans—Intellectual life—20th century
In addition to the subject searches listed above, Destiny allows the user the ability to
“Browse Subject” function, which gives the user additional subjects that may be
sued to locate additional information.
Annotations for sources:
Print Sources:
Harlem Renaissance: Art of Black America
This book contains over 150 works from the Studio Musuem in Harlem. All works
are by African American artists in Harlem during the 1920s. Introduction by Mary
Schmidt Campbell ; essays by David Driskell, David Levering Lewis, and Deborah
Willis Ryan.
Extraordinary People of the Harlem Renaissance by P. Stephen Hardy and
Sheila Jackson Hardy
There are many creative people who made Harlem such a unique place. This
particular book highlights the artists, photographers, choreographers, musicians,
composers and others that added to the uniqueness of Harlem during the 1920s and
1930s.
DDC: REF 700.92 Har
Shimmy Shimmy Shimmy Like My Sister Kate edited by Nikki Giovanni
This is a collection of poems by African American poets such as Paul Laurence
Dunbar, Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Amiri Baraka. It
includes a brief discussion on the origination of the Harlem Renaissance.
Harlem Renaissance by Richard Worth
This literature source explores the Harlem Renaissance as a reawakening of African
American culture. It includes various literature pieces, as well as, arts, theater and
music
Harlem Stomp!: A cultural history of the Harlem Renaissance by Laban Carrick
Hill
The Harlem Renaissance highlighted a period of artistic, literary and political
progress for many African Americans. This particular piece of literature offers
insight into this cultural history known as the Harlem Renaissance.
The Cambridge Companion to Harlem Renaissance edited by George
Hutchinson
This literary source provides a comprehensive overview of the going-ons of the
Harlem Renaissance. This companion details the people, authors, works, and the
inner-workings of this movement.
Sorrow's Kitchen: the Life and Folklore of Zora Neale Hurston by Mary E. Lyons
Zora Neale Hurston was one of the most influential people of the Harlem
Renaissance. This particular biography chronicles her life. It contains her novels,
short stories and plays
I, too, Sing America: the story of Langston Hughes by Martha E. Rhynes
One of the most prolific and famous African American writers of all times, Langston
Hughes was one of the faces of the Harlem Renaissance movement. Telling his life
story and the works the made him legendary, this biography chronicles the life of a
true inspiration
Harlem Renaissance by Kelly King Howes
This is an almanac of the Harlem Renaissance that includes a resource lists. It
provides an in-depth look at the nightlife and the famous visual arts movement of
the times
The Harlem Renaissance: A Historical Dictionary for the Era edited by Bruce
Kellner
This dictionary contains one of the most exhaustive records of all things relating to
the Harlem Renaissance. In addition to terms, people, events, and works of art, a 16
page bibliography aids students in even more exploration of the topic of study.
The Harlem Renaissance Forward by Trudier Harria-Lopez and Janet Witalec
project editor
This critical companion for the Harlem Renaissance is a wonderful reference
material for all. Containing primary sources from the period of the Harlem
Renaissance movement, this manual will prove a beneficial aid for research.
Cane by Jean Toomer
One of the many wonderful works of literature that came out the Harlem
Renaissance, Jean Toomer's Cane contains a number of short stories and poems
chronicling the life of African Americans.
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Considered one of the best novels ever written, Their Eyes Were Watching God tells
the story of a woman, Janie. Her struggles through two lifeless and loveless
marriages followed by the marriage she always dreamed comprise the plot of this
classic piece of literature.
Online Sources
Encyclopedia Britannica Online School Edition (High School)
http://www.school.eb.com.proxygsu-wgc1.galileo.usg.edu/eb
Access this database through GALILEO and conduct your own searches on the topic.
The Encyclopedia Britannica will give a wealth of information in different formats-articles, video and sound clips, and images.
Literary Reference Center
http://web.ebscohost.com/lrc/search?vid=5&hid=12&sid=b31597a8-8990-4d8185a8-ffc3baeb0ea0%40sessionmgr13
Conduct a Visual Search on this GALILEO database to find books and articles on your
topic. The Visual Search will order your results in relevance order. This site also
includes a Literary Glossary and a Reference Shelf full of valuable resources.
GALILEO's Theater and Performing Arts Database (High School)
http://www.galileo.usg.edu/high-school/westga/subjects/theater-performingarts/search/
Search this database specifically for articles on your topic. This combined database
will search several sources and separate the search results by database.
(Encyclopedia Britannica is included.)
Poets.org from the Academy of American Poets
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5657
This site is a great place to start conducting your online research on the Harlem
Renaissance. Conduct an advance search for the Harlem Renaissance Movement.
This site focuses on poets such as Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Paul Dunbar
among other important figures.
Bio.com
http://www.biography.com/blackhistory/harlem-renaissance.jsp#tja
This page gives a colorful overview of the topic, with links to information about key
figures of the movement, such as W. E. B. Dubois. Photographs are included.
Langston Hughes Biography: African-American History
http://www.kansasheritage.org/crossingboundaries/page6e1.html
Gather information on this site about one of the leading literary figures of the
Harlem Renaissance Movement. This site includes many photographs of Hughes.
Biographies of the Harlem Renaissance
http://www.42explore2.com/harlem2.htm
This site is a bibliography of biographical websites of prominent figures of the
Harlem Renaissance Movement.
Harlem Renaissance Facts, Information, Pictures
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Harlem_Renaissance.aspx
Use this site as a launching pad to many online materials on the Harlem
Renaissance, including multimedia productions.
Online Sources: Images
Library of Congress/Prints & Photographs Online Catalog
http://www.loc.gov/pictures
Search the Library of Congress site for many portraits and photographs from the
Harlem Renaissance
Musicians of the Harlem Renaissance
http://asms.k12.ar.us/classes/humanities/amstud/97-98/jazz/PAGE1.HTM
Click on the link above to access photographs of several musicians who were part of
the Harlem Renaissance Movement.
Online Sources: Video and Sound
The Rise of the Harlem Renaissance
http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=AA10ADEA-753F4ABB-8187-14A623266265&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US
This video from Discovery Education explains the migration of African Americans
from the South to the North. Affordable housing in Harlem made it an ideal place for
southern African Americans and black immigrants to settle, and this new
community promoted a sense of pride and hope.
The Harlem Renaissance and the Formation of the Negro Baseball Leagues
http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=6A853A50-3A3E4BB8-93CF-34F344959898&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US
The Harlem Renaissance of the early 20th century encouraged African-Americans to
explore their own culture in music, art, and literature; it also saw the formation of
African-American baseball leagues.
Harlem Renaissance Facts, Information, Pictures
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Harlem_Renaissance.aspx
Find several video clips on the topic of the Harlem Renaissance, including poet
Langston Hughes, on this site.
Fats Waller piano
Fats Waller in Muscle Shoals Blues
Enjoy the sounds of the Harlem Renaissance through the intricate piano playing of
Fats Waller in Muscle Shoals Blues.
Ethel Waters Singing
Ethel Waters in You Can't Do What My Last Man Did
Listen to Ethel Water’s captivating voice in this sound clip of her famous song “You
can’t do what my last man did.
Dizzy Gillespie featuring Louie Armstrong
Dizzy Gillespie with Louis Armstrong in Umbrella Man
Get taken back to the days of the Harlem Renaissance through this live performance
of Dizzy Gillespie featuring the iconic Louie Armstrong.
Online Sources: Activities and projects
Venn Diagram: Harlem Renaissance
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/harlemrenaissance-retrospective-connecting-252.html
This online interactive tool allows your students to create a Venn diagram that
represents the connections across the art, music, and poetry of the Harlem
Renaissance.
Portray A Person
http://www.virtualsalt.com/oralrpt.htm
Choose a person from the Harlem Renaissance, actor, musician, artist, etc. Dress up
as that person and give a 3-5 minute oral report on that person. Think of a costume
as a one-person, minimalist skit. You can dress up as a particular person (famous or
infamous), or in a particular style. Quite effective is the two-in-one costume, where
one costume is worn over another and then removed at the appropriate time, during
a "before and after" presentation.
Harlem Renaissance: A Living Museum
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/2302/
As an introduction to African-American History Month (February), students will
listen to a reading of the book Harlem by Walter Dean Myers to learn more about
the places and people that figured prominently in the Harlem Renaissance. Students
will research the lives of famous African-Americans of the Harlem Renaissance era.
They will write short monologues in the voice of these individuals, and present them
as part of a living museum exhibit. Students will also create backdrops to
correspond with the figures they have studied, and to complement the performance
of the monologue.
Visualizing Jazz Scenes of the Harlem Renaissance
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/music-styles/lesson-plan/4846.html
This lesson begins with a summary of the history and chronology of the Harlem
Renaissance. Historical background consists of topics such as the northern
migration of African-Americans, prohibition, postwar conditions and race relations.
During this historical overview, students focus on Harlem as a "Mecca" for African
American artists, musicians, and writers. Students read and respond to literary
selections that either portray the Harlem jazz scene or were written during the
period; they also listen and respond to relevant jazz pieces and view videotapes that
illustrate the distinctiveness of the Harlem Renaissance jazz scene. Finally, students
demonstrate their understanding of the Harlem Renaissance jazz scene by
constructing an exhibit and producing written, artistic and musical interpretations.
APA references
A Harlem Renaissance Retrospective: Connecting Art, Music, Dance, and Poetry.
(n.d.). Homepage - ReadWriteThink. Retrieved June 307, 2010, from
http://readwritethink.org
Digital History. (n.d.). Digital History. Retrieved July 4, 2010, from
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/music/type_noncopyright.cfm
Download & Streaming : Audio Archive : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive:
Free Movies, Music, Books & Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 4, 2010, from
http://www.archive.org/details/aud
Driskell, D. C., Lewis, D. L., & Willis, D. (1987). Harlem Renaissance: art of Black
America. New York: The Studio Museum in Harlem.
EduScapes. Biographies of the Harlem Renaissance. Retrieved July 7, 2010, from
http://www.42explore2.com/harlem2.htm
Encyclopedia.com. Harlem Renaissance Facts, information, pictures. Retrieved July
7, 2010, from
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Harlem_Renaissance.aspx
Encyclopedia Britannica online school edition. Retrieved July 3, 2010, from
http://www.school.eb.com.proxygsu-smus.galileo.usg.edu/eb
GALILEO database. Theater and performing arts. Retrieved July 3, 2010, from
http://www.galileo.usg.edu/high-school/mcsdga/subjects/theaterperforming-arts/search/
Gill-Thompson, J. (n.d.). Harlem Renaissance: A Living Musuem. ARTSEDGE:
ARTSEDGE Home. Retrieved July 01, 2010, from http://artsedge.kennedycenter.org
Giovanni, N. (1996). Shimmy shimmy shimmy like my sister Kate: looking at the
Harlem Renaissance through poems. New York: H. Holt.
Hardy, P. S., & Hardy, S. J. (2000). Extraordinary people of the Harlem Renaissance.
New York: Children's Press.
Harlem Renaissance - Black History Milestones on Biography.com. (n.d.).
Biography.com. Retrieved July 3, 2010, from
http://www.biography.com/blackhistory/harlem-renaissance.jsp#tja
Harris, R. (2008, September 24). Ideas for Enhancing Oral Reports. VirtualSalt.
Retrieved July 01, 2010, from http://www.virtualsalt.com
Howes, K. (2001). Harlem Renaissance. Detriot: UXL.
Hurston, Z. N. (2006). Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: Harper Perennial
Modern Classics.
Hutchinson, G. (Ed.) (2007). The Cambridge companion to the Harlem renaissance
(Cambridge companions to literature). New York: Cambridge University
Press.
Kansas Humanities Council. Langston Hughes biography: African-American history.
Retrieved July 7, 2010, from
http://www.kansasheritage.org/crossingboundaries/page6e1.html
King, K. (n.d.). Musicians of the Harlem renaissance. Retrieved July 4, 2010, from
http://asms.k12.ar.us/classes/humanities/amstud/97-98/jazz/PAGE1.HTM
Literary reference center. Retrieved July 3, 2010, from
http://web.ebscohost.com/lrc/search?vid=1&hid=111&sid=866a8a6c-aaaf449c-b793-0bb956f6b4e6%40sessionmgr113
Lyons, M. E. (1993). Sorrow's Kitchen: The Life and Folklore of Zora Neale Hurston
(Great Achievers). New York: Aladdin.
Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. (n.d.). Library of congress home. Retrieved
July 5, 2010, from http://www.loc.gov/pictures/
Rhynes, M. E. (2002). I, Too, Sing America: The Story of Langston Hughes (World
Writers). Greensboro, North Carolina: Morgan Reynolds Publishing.
The Harlem Renaissance: A Historical Dictionary for the Era. (1984). New York:
Greenwood Press.
The Rise of the Harlem Renaissance. (2006). Welcome to Discovery Education.
Retrieved June 30, 2010, from http://discoveryeducation.com
Toomer, J. (1993). Cane. New York: Liveright Publishing Corporation.
Visualizing scenes of the harlem renaissance. (n.d.). Teacher Lesson Plans,
Printables & Worksheets by Grade or Subject - TeacherVision.com.
Retrieved July 02, 2010, from http://teachervision.fen.com
Walton, A. (n.d.). A brief guide to the Harlem Renaissance. Poets.org - poetry, poems,
bios & more. Retrieved July 3, 2010, from
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.p
Witalec, J. (Ed.) (2002). Harlem renaissance: a gale critical companion. Missouri:
Gacl.
Worth, R. (2009). The Harlem Renaissance: an explosion of African-American
culture. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow.