Learning About the Harlem Renaissance

Among the performers at the SummerStage salute to Zora Neale Hurston on Tuesday were Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, who opened the event by reading some of Hurston's folk tales.


During Black History Month, it is common to discuss the horrors of slavery and the struggle for Civil Rights, but people of color have offered our nation a rich literary history too. Read about the Harlem Renaissance in an article from the New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20020816friday.html

When taking Cornell notes, be sure to complete the notes section before filling any questions into the Question column.

Part II-More Harlem Renaissance figures
Learn about more black artists and writers who enriched American culture during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s and '30s.
Use Encarta, the Library or Congress, the New York Times, and Wikipedia(I have located specific links for you, which are stored in the "Reading" drive at SJA under "Black History Links") to find out more about:
Bessie Smith
Langston Hughes
William Henry Johnson

Some questions you'll want to know the answers to:
1. How did this artist become involved in the Harlem Renaissance?
2. What was this artist's most famous work?
3. What is thought to be this artist's contribution to the world and to black culture?
4. (UPDATED)Each student should prepare a 5 slide PowerPoint presentation.
-Slide 1(10 points): photo plus date of birth/death,
place of birth/death, artistic genre, and a list of 10 of their most
important/best/your favorite works.
-Slide 2(10 points): a Stoplight plan of an essay on their life and
achievements.
-Slide 3 (10 points): An example of their work, plus another photo (label both).
-Slide 4 (10 points): A 200-300 word essay on their life and achievements.
-Slide 5 (10 points): Another example of their work, plus a 5-10 sentence
statement of how YOU feel about this artist and their creations.
5. What is your opinion of this artist? Do you like their works? Why or why not?