The Literature Of The Harlem Renaissance Lesson Plan for 11th Grade Students

Topic: The Harlem Renaissance

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the key themes and concepts of the Harlem Renaissance.
• Students will be able to identify and analyze the role of different artists, writers, and activists in the Harlem Renaissance.
• Students will be able to communicate their understanding of the Harlem Renaissance through a project or presentation.

Materials

• Texts selected from the Harlem Renaissance for reading and analysis (e.g. novels, poems, articles, etc.)
• Handouts or guiding questions for the texts
• Presentation software (e.g. PowerPoint, Google Slides, etc.) or whiteboard and markers for presentations
• Media materials for project or presentation (e.g. photos, videos, audio recordings, etc.)

Warm-Up

• Begin class by asking students to think about what they already know about the Harlem Renaissance. What comes to mind when they think of the Harlem Renaissance? What questions do they have? Write their responses on the board or a piece of paper.
• Next, provide a brief overview of the Harlem Renaissance and its key figures and events.
• After the overview, ask students to share their thoughts and questions about the Harlem Renaissance. What do they still have questions about? What new information did they learn?

Direct Instruction

• Introduce the essential questions for the unit and provide a brief explanation of why these questions are important.
• Discuss the key literary works and authors of the Harlem Renaissance and their contributions to the movement.
• Provide students with handouts or copies of the text selections that will be covered in the unit. Go through each selection and discuss its significance and themes. Ask students to pay attention to language, style, and themes as we discuss each selection.
• Introduce the collaborative activities that will be used throughout the unit.

Guided Practice

• Divide students into small groups and provide each group with a different text selection or literary work to analyze.
• Have each group present their findings to the class and discuss how their analysis relates to the essential questions, key literary works and authors, and themes of the Harlem Renaissance.
• As a class, discuss the key takeaways and insights gained from the collaborative activity.
• Provide students with a handout or worksheet with individual formative assessments to assess their understanding of the key takeaways from the collaborative activity.

Independent Practice

• Have students individually complete a project that demonstrates their understanding of the key takeaways from the collaborative activity. This can be a written essay, a project-based presentation, or another format of the teacher's choice.
• Provide students with a handout or worksheet with individual summative assessments to assess their overall understanding of the unit and key takeaways from the collaborative activity.

Closure

• Review the key takeaways from the unit and any main points or insights that students gained from the text selections and collaborative activity.
• Have students share any insights or takeaways they had from the unit.
• Provide any additional feedback or support to students as needed.

Assessment:

• Formative-
• Venn diagram comparing the two novels' use of motifs and themes.
• T-chart comparing the two novels' characters and their roles in the story.