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Suggested Grade Level: 6-8
Estimated Time: Four class periods
Introduction:
By participating in a variety show of literary readings, musical and
dance performances, and an art exhibition, students will gain an appreciation
of the cultural achievements of the Harlem Renaissance.
Lesson Objectives:
- Become familiar with the Harlem Renaissance and its major figures
- Develop research and oral-presentation skills
Key Terms:
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Instructional Materials:
- Pencils
- Paper
- Tape recorder/CD player
- Poster board
- Tempera paint
- Colored marker
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Procedures:
Discussion:
- Introduce students briefly to the Harlem Renaissance
by examining and comparing a painting and a poem from the era. (For
research assistance, see Books and Media.)
Show them Aaron Douglas’s Study for Aspects of Negro Life:
The Negro in an African Setting. Ask the following questions:
- What is happening?
- How did Douglas choose to depict the figures?
(in silhouette and in profile)
- How did he emphasize some figures more than
others? (lighting, size, movement, position)
- How does the painting suggest music? What kind
of music do you hear?
- Why do you think Douglas selected this subject?
- Then ask students to read the following poem
by Langston Hughes, discussing it in relation to Douglas’s painting.
Focus on how the words in the poem evoke the same image and rhythm
as the painting.
Danse Africaine
The low beating of the tom-toms,
The slow beating of the tom-toms,
Low … slow
Slow … low —
Stirs your blood.
Dance!
A night-veiled girl
Whirls softly into a
Circle of light.
Whirls softly … slowly,
Like a wisp of smoke around the fire —
And the tom-toms beat,
And the tom-toms beat,
And the low beating of the tom-toms
Stirs your blood.
The Norton Anthology of African American
Literature
(New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1996).
Activity:
- Assign to each student an artist, writer, musician,
or dancer from the Harlem Renaissance. Ask students to research these
figures on the Web or in the library. Encourage each student to read,
listen to, or view examples of their subject’s work.
- Help students stage a variety show in which they
will give a brief, first-person talk about their subject as if they
are describing themselves. Students should also present examples of
their subject’s work: artists can arrange photocopied reproductions
of artwork in a small gallery; musicians can play jazz recordings;
dancers can demonstrate styles of movement; and writers can perform
literary readings. Encourage older students to discuss the motives
for their art in greater detail.
Evaluation:
Base evaluation on students’ research and oral
presentations.
Follow-Up:
- Invite parents and students to the variety show.
Divide students into their cultural groups (art, literature, music,
and dance) and have each group design a poster advertising the event.
Encourage them to create posters that are easy to read from a distance
and lively in design, including illustrations and quotations about
performers’ talents.
Illinois
Learning Standards
Language Arts: 4, 5
Social Science: 16, 18
Fine Arts 25-26
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