We study the Harlem Renaissance as part of our unit on the 1920s. It's a great opportunity to introduce our students to how poetry can be an important cultural artifact, and explore how culture can reveal aspects of the African-American experience during that decade.
My project involves students reading four poems of that era. Everyone reads the Langston Hughes poem "A Dream Deferred" because I'm biased: It's the single most powerful poem I ever read. It literally stopped me in my tracks when I first read it! That poem, and all the other poems, are in a handout of Harlem Renaissance poetry I compiled for them. After reading their poems, students have to complete four tasks and display them on a poster board.
Click here to see my Harlem Renaissance project. The files (handout and readings) are at the bottom of the page.
