CKLA Unit 4: The Genius of the Harlem Renaissance, Volume 2
Focus:
This unit examines the Harlem Renaissance, a Black cultural movement in the early 1900s that took place primarily in Harlem, a predominantly Black neighborhood in New York City. The Harlem Renaissance was the result of a variety of factors—the most important of which was the legal racial discrimination and segregation implemented in many southern states after Reconstruction, through the Black Codes or the Jim Crow laws. As a result, when jobs opened up in Northern cities during World War I, many Black people left the Southern states and settled in neighborhoods like Harlem.
During the Harlem Renaissance, there was a burst of Black art, from music to literature to visual art. Much of this art encouraged viewers to embrace the idea of Black pride and a variety of Black experiences beyond stereotypes. The Harlem Renaissance set the stage for Black artists for decades, and even now continues to inspire Black cultural production. Students will engage with some of this art as well as popular debates of the time.
In this unit, students write and publish a multimedia report and work on grammar skills involving conventions of citations and bibliographies.
Number of Lessons: 7
Instruction Time:
90 minutes (Each lesson is broken into 45-minute segments.)
Additional Search Terms:
cultural significance • passing • jazz
