Ralph Ellison Teacher Resources

Read and analyze poems by African-American authors. Using the text, they identify the various patterns, subjects, language and dialects used. Then team up to compare and contrast the various authors and define new vocabulary. The lesson...

In this famous authors activity worksheet, students examine 25 author names and then put those names into alphabetical order.    

Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning lesson plan, students examine the impact of the works of Cesar Chavez, George Washington Carver, Sunderlal Buhuguna, and Abdul Sattar Edhi.

Tenth graders explore the links between one's name and his or her identity.  In this World History instructional activity, 10th graders create a class identity chart.  Students analyze quotes dealing with identity.

Students examine the themes of loneliness and frustrated love in the work of Carson McCullers. For this theme analysis lesson, students complete a comparison of patterns in the novels of McCullers as a part of a theme analysis.

Students explain the concept of double consciousness and evaluate how the concept of double consciousness is reflected in ethnic literature. They read "The Invisible Man" a poem by Langston Hughes and discuss expectations. They analyze...

Students explain the importance of equality of opportunity and equal protection of the law as a characteristic of American society and evaluate the validity and credibility of different historical interpretations.

This video [3:14] from the American Masters film Ralph Ellison: An American Journey introduces students to Ellison's groundbreaking novel The Invisible Man. Scholars discuss Ellison's legacy and his place in the American literary canon....

This is a collection of 12 videos about Ralph Ellison and his works especially his masterpiece "Invisible Man."

In this video [0:42] from the American Masters film Ralph Ellison: An American Journey, Robert O'Meally discusses the author's unique approach to writing. This resource is best used in a class or lesson on fiction writing.

In this video [5:17] from the American Masters film Ralph Ellison: An American Journey, scholars discuss the influence of the Harlem Renaissance on Ellison's writing. Alain Locke's "The New Negro," jazz music, and painter Aaron Douglas...

In this video [5:00] from the American Masters film Ralph Ellison: An American Journey, scholars discuss conflicts between Ralph Ellison and the leaders of the Black Arts Movement. Ellison was often criticized for prioritizing aesthetics...

This collection uses primary sources to explore Invisible Man written by Ralph Ellison.

This site offers a compreshensive biography on Ralph Ellison by several Harvard students. This site also has a photo and links.

A cross-curricular lesson plan from PBS on Ralph Ellison's novel, "The Invisible Man." Ties a U.S. History study of the struggle for equality and civil rights with an analysis of the novel.

Author Ralph Ellison is presented in this biography for his contributions to African American literature. See "Ralph Ellison Activities" for further information.

This is a complete online study guide/notes for the novel The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison including author information, literary elements, chapter-by-chapter summaries/notes, study questions, and analysis.

This resource offers the text of two letters written by Ralph Ellison to Lowry Ware between 1990 and 1992.

Ralph Ellison was a musician who later became a writer. His book Invisible Man is written like a jazz composition. In this lesson, students will interpret key themes and concepts in Invisible Man that are also found in jazz music.

A discussion of the writings of Ralph Ellison. There is also an interactive timeline of Ellison 's life, and an interview with filmmaker Avon Kirland, who worked on a film about his life. A lesson for Grades 11-12 looks at the theme of...

This site offers a biography with a photo of Ellison and a video entitled "The Novel: Ralph Ellison on Work in Progress 1966" [28:56]. It also has links to seven of his books.

Brief biography of American author Ralph Ellison, including information on his most famous work, Invisible Man.

This site from the University of Pennsylvania offers a negative review of Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man" by Lloyd Brown.

This video [1:38] from the American Masters film from Ralph Ellison: An American Journey describes the Harlem Riot of 1943 and its influence on Ellison's writing. Ellison covered the riot for the "New York Post" and witnessed many of the...