The Harlem Shake: the Harlem renaissance in art, literature, music, and culture
Goals and objectives
Students will analyze the various artists and art forms which came to prominence in the 1920s by exploring an interactive website about the time period and collaborating on a written response project.
California State Content Standards
11.5.5: Describe the Harlem Renaissance and new trends in literature, music, and art, with special attention to the work of writers (e.g., Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes).
Common Core Literacy standards
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.7
Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.9
Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.9
Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
Essential Question
How did African-American culture change during the 1920’s?
Lesson Introduction
The teacher will play an audio sample of Langston Hughes reading his poem The Weary Blues. Students will listen to the song, and then do a think-pair-share on the following topic: What is the subject and tone of the poem? What does the poem say about the black experience of 1920’s America?
Vocabulary
Jazz
Harlem
Renaissance
Francophone
Gospel Music
Negritude
Harlem
Renaissance
Francophone
Gospel Music
Negritude
Content Delivery
The instructor will explain via an introductory discussion about the Harlem Renaissance. The teacher will draw upon student’s prior knowledge about African-Americans and their place in early America. The instructor will then explain that in today’s lesson, students will be exploring an interactive website which will discuss not only the important literary and musical movements of the Harlem Renaissance, but also the important social and political aspects of the African-American experience in the 1920’s.
Student Engagement
Students will be placed in groups of three and will explore the John Carroll University interactive site “Harlem Renaissance Multimedia Resource.” This site contains articles on many different subjects during the Harlem Renaissance, as well as artist and activist profiles, and information on the African-American experience in education, the important link between French culture and the jazz movement, and the importance of religion and spirituality in the community. Students will be asked to focus their attention on a few specific topics of their choosing, which will be used later for the lesson closure.
Lesson Closure
In their groups, students will engage in a collaborative writing project about one of the topics presented on the website. Students will answer the five w’s on their topic: who, what, where, when, and why (significance). The instructor will then debrief with the students, and collect their work at the end of the period.
Assessment
Formative: Instructor will monitor student discussions, as well as debrief after the think-pair-share to understand student’s thoughts on the subject. The instructor will also guide students thinking leading into the interactive web activity.
Summative: Instructor will collect the collaborative writing projects and analyze them for future reteaching.
Summative: Instructor will collect the collaborative writing projects and analyze them for future reteaching.
Accommodations for English learners, striving readers, and students with special needs
English Learners, Striving Readers, and Students with Special Needs will be accommodated in this lesson by group placement. Students will be placed in heterogeneous groups, with weaker students paired with stronger students in order to enhance discussions and allow struggling students to gain an understanding of concepts.
Resources
http://www.jcu.edu/harlem/index.htm