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PPT
1
1
Curated OER

The Happy Game: Famous African Americans

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Ten questions about famous African-Americans are presented in this interactive presentation. If a question is answered correctly, "Happy," the smiley face, is happy; if it is answered incorrectly, he is sad and sick. "Happy" will keep...
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Lesson Plan
Academy of American Poets

The African American Experience

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Disrespect can be as subtle as a frown or a turn of a head. To prepare for a study of Toi Derricote's poem "The Weakness" class members create wordless skits that demonstrate subtle or not so subtle signs of disrespect. After a...
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Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper: 19th Century African-American Writer and Reformer

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Although some African American abolitionists—such as Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass—are well known, others, like Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, remain in the shadows of history. Harper was a poet and activist who played an...
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Unit Plan
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2
Poetry Foundation

Dream in Color — Middle School

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Celebrate diversity with a toolkit designed to inspire young poets to develop their own voices. After examining poems by African American poets, individuals craft their own poetic stories. The packet features poems by Gwendolyn Brooks,...
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Unit Plan
Poetry Foundation

Dream in Color - High School

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Whether focusing on African American poets, Black History Month, or the poetic experience, an amazing toolkit that encourages learners to develop unique poetic voices deserves a place in your curriculum. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Deep like Rivers: Four African American Poets of the 1920s and 1930s

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine work by outstanding African American poets from the time period of the 1920s and 1930s. They study aspects of American and African American social, cultural and artistic history that influenced the content of some of the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African American Poetry: Family and Traditions

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students are introduced to the elements of African-American poetry. As a class, they are read different types of poems to discover there are different styles of poems and practice rhyming words. They share information on their family...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Stranger Redeemed: A Portrait of a Black Poet

For Teachers 6th - 8th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The South, the North and the Great Migration: Blues and Literature

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Here is a complex lesson plan that interweaves the history of the Jim Crow South and the Great Migration with the study of poetry, art, and blues music from the Harlem Renaissance. The plan helps young historians develop a deep...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poetry: A View of African American Life,

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders analyze many examples of African-American poetry and examine how different poems reflect the cultural experiences of African-Americans. The poems and spirituals chosen are very effective for public presentation.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

AFRICAN-AMERICAN POETRY BEFORE EMANCIPATION

For Teachers 8th
Explore poetry written by African-Americans before emancipation. 8th graders create collages, and explain why they chose specific stanzas. They display the collages on the class bulletin board that demonstrate an understanding of the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding and Appreciating Poetry: Afro-Americans and Their Poetry

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders are introduced to poems written by African-American authors. As a class, they read excerpts of poems from different time periods and discuss how and if anything has changed over time with discrimination and equal rights...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pass It On: African American Poetry to Inspire Writing

For Teachers K - 8th
Young scholars read through poems in a book called Pass it On. There are 19 poems from famous African American poets contained in the book. The poems are specialized for children and after the children have learned about the author and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African American Poetry

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students write their own dream poems in the style of African American dream poetry.  In this African American poetry lesson, students discuss the dreams of African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement  and read Langston Hughes's...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Harlem Renaissance

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students investigate the African American culture in the 1920's and the Harlem Renaissance. They read and analyze poems written by poets of the Harlem Renaissance, listen to jazz music and identify the characteristics of the music, and...
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Lesson Plan
Carolina K-12

Affrilachia

For Teachers 8th Standards
What makes a culture unique? Learners research life in the Appalachia region of the United States. Poetry, music, and oral history create Affrilachia, the term used to describe the lifestyle of the area. African-American mountain culture...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Education Element of the Harlem Renaissance and Its Impact on the New Negro

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars investigate African American history by researching culture. In this Harlem Renaissance lesson, students identify the teachings, music and art associated with African Americans in Harlem in the early 20th century. Young...
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper’s “Learning to Read”

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper's poem "Learning to Read" is the focus of a lesson that teaches middle schoolers how to do a close reading of a text. The lesson introduces them to a brief biography of the poet, includes a video reading, and...
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Lesson Planet Article
Lesson Planet

Black History Month Through Poetry

For Teachers 4th - 10th
Black History Month is a great time to discuss African-American poets in your classroom.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Harlem Renaissance Births a Black Culture

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students examine the men and women who were a part of the Harlem Renaissance. Individually, they recreate their favorite pieces of art from the time period and create their own original works after reading poem from the movement. In...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

POETRY LESSON ON LANGSTON HUGHES AND THE AFRICAN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders read the short biographical sketch and selected poems of Langston Hughes, 8th graders examine the hardships historically faced by Black Americans through class discussion, interpretation, and journaling.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Happy Birthday!

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students honor African Americans in history. For this celebrating achievements lesson, students plan, design, and implement ways to honor persons in African American history during Black History Month.
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Activity
PBS

Write a New Year Poem Inspired by Amanda Gorman’s "New Day’s Lyric"

For Students 6th - 12th
Here's a new take on a new year. After watching and discussing the video of Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman performing her "New Day's Lyric," young poets craft poems that reflect their feelings about the past year and their resolutions...
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Lesson Plan
Crafting Freedom

George Moses Horton: Slavery from a Poet's Perspective

For Teachers 4th - 5th Standards
After reading about the life of George Moses Horton, the first slave to publish anti-slavery poetry, learners will recall his major accomplishments, provide a summary of the obstacles he faced, and identify common aspects of the...