Build Background Knowledge: Context of the Harlem Renaissance | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA 2019 G7:M3:U2:L1

Build Background Knowledge: Context of the Harlem Renaissance

In this Lesson

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • RL.7.1, RI.7.1

Supporting Standards: These are the standards that are incidental—no direct instruction in this lesson, but practice of these standards occurs as a result of addressing the focus standards.

  • RI.7.4, SL.7.1, L.7.4
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can draw inferences using evidence from art and texts to build background knowledge about the Harlem Renaissance. (RL.7.1, RI.7.1)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 1 (RL.7.1)
  • Work Time A: Building Background Knowledge chart paper responses (RL.7.1, RI.7.1)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner - RL.7.1 (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Build Background Knowledge - RI.7.1 (30 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Chalk Talk - RI.7.1 (10 minutes)

4. Homework

A. QuickWrite about Context: Students complete Homework: QuickWrite about Context to write about the historical factors surrounding and contributing to the Harlem Renaissance, including information from the texts from the Build Background Knowledge activity and Jacob Lawrence's "The Migration Series" from the entrance ticket activity.

B. Preread "His Motto": Students preread the first half of the story "His Motto" and look up unfamiliar vocabulary in preparation for studying the beginning of the story in the next lesson.

Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

  • RL.7.1 – Opening A: On an entrance ticket, students analyze paintings from Jacob Lawrence’s The Great Migration, citing several pieces of evidence to support analysis of the artwork.
  • RI.7.1  – Work Time A: Students use evidence from informational texts to build background knowledge on the historical context of the Harlem Renaissance.
  • RI.7.1 – Closing and Assessment A: In a Chalk Talk protocol, students examine their classmates’ informational text syntheses about the historical context of the Harlem Renaissance.
  • In this lesson, students focus on becoming effective learners by persevering through mystery texts and challenging texts, collaborating with groupmates on a chart paper representation of learning and taking initiative with roles in the group.
  • The Think-Pair-Share, Chalk Talk, and Building Background Knowledge protocols are used in this lesson. Protocols are an important feature of our curriculum because they are one of the best ways we know to engage students in discussion, inquiry, critical thinking, and sophisticated communication. A protocol consists of agreed-upon, detailed guidelines for reading, recording, discussing, or reporting that ensure equal participation and accountability in learning. Students engage in the following new protocol in this lesson (instructions for which appear at the first point of use in the lesson and in the Classroom Protocols document located on the Tools Page).
    • Building Background Knowledge demonstrates how quickly people can become interested in a topic, build background knowledge, and use that knowledge to become better and more informed readers of complex text. The protocol adapts easily to content in many disciplines, and the design ensures that all students read, think, and contribute. The protocol is particularly useful in introducing a topic because it fosters curiosity and builds in immediate feedback about learning.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • Release more responsibility more quickly to students as they comprehend the tasks or concepts. For example, if students are familiar with the Building Background Knowledge protocol or they quickly understand the directions for the protocol, release them to complete the steps at their own pace.
  • Also, extend learning by asking students to model tasks. For example:
    • Allow those students who have historical background knowledge of the Harlem Renaissance to create their own informational texts for use in future classes for this activity.
    • Allow students who have skill with art analysis to model art analysis, and/or lead discussions with the class or a small group about their notices and wonders with regard to the artwork in this lesson.
    • During the Building Background Knowledge activity, assign the expert text “The Harlem Renaissance: A Cultural Rebirth” to students ready for a reading challenge.

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • In previous lessons, students have focused on celebrating and analyzing the structure, language, and theme of poetry and artwork from the Harlem Renaissance. In this lesson, students learn the historical context from which arose this art, texts, and other pieces from the Harlem Renaissance.

Support All Students

  • At this point, students should be reading the text independently. However, if some or all students need more support, read several pages aloud and release students to read independently, in pairs, or in small groups. ▲
  • Students may be overwhelmed by the number of texts and steps in the Building Background Knowledge protocol. If so, distribute one text at a time, and ensure students understand the task for that text. ▲
  • Some students may have an easier time analyzing artwork as opposed to texts. During the expert texts portion of Building Background Knowledge protocol, ensure that these students work with art instead of texts. ▲
  • The subject matter in the texts in this lesson includes descriptions of racism, injustice, and racial violence. Continue to monitor students to determine if issues surface from the content of these texts that need to be discussed as a whole group, in smaller groups, or individually. To support students in processing this content, ask: “What habit of character did you use as you read and discussed these texts?” Students may need to draw on perseverance, empathy, and compassion as they read and discuss this content, being sensitive to their own and others’ reactions to the information presented.
  • Note there is a differentiated version of the Homework: QuickWrite About Context used for homework in the separate Teacher's Guide for English Language Learners. ▲

Assessment Guidance

  • Review students’ response charts with inferences using evidence from art and texts regarding what students know, what they have learned, and their new learning.

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students will read the short story “His Motto” for story elements and point of view. This story relates to the themes students have explored throughout the module, especially those about overcoming obstacles and persevering to achieve one’s dreams.

In Advance

  • Ensure there is a copy of Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 1 at each student's workspace.
  • Prepare
    • Groups of students, with four per group.
    • For each group: a set of four different-colored markers, a piece of chart paper, loose leaf paper, and the following texts:
      • Mystery text: Crisis cover Spingarn Medal (one per student) 
      • Common text: "Under Jim Crow's Thumb" by Elizabeth Tenney (one per student) 
      • Expert texts (one folder per group with one copy of each of the following per folder: "A Call to Move" by Barbara D. Krasner-Khait, "The Harlem Renaissance: A Cultural Rebirth" by James Hall, "The South Will Soon Be Demanding Restriction of Migration of Its Labor" political cartoon, "Great Scott! What Have I Done?" political cartoon) 
    • On the chart paper, create a response chart for each group. Draw a box to create a fairly wide frame for the poster. Draw a smaller box inside the first. The boxes will create three spaces for representing learning. To see a sample chart, refer to the Building Background Knowledge Response Chart.
  • Review the Building Background Knowledge Protocol handout in preparation for leading the activity.
  • Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Opening A: A projector to display Jacob Lawrence's "The Migration Series" (http://eled.org/0207)
  • Work Time A: A projector to display Crisis cover Spingarn Medal, "Under Jim Crow's Thumb" by Elizabeth Tenney, "A Call to Move" by Barbara D. Krasner-Khait, "The Harlem Renaissance: A Cultural Rebirth" by James Hall, "The South Will Soon Be Demanding Restriction of Migration of Its Labor" political cartoon, and "Great Scott! What Have I Done?" political cartoon

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 7.I.A.1, 7.I.B.5, 7.I.B.6, and 7.I.C.10.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson provides students with the opportunity to work with others to generate useful background knowledge about the Harlem Renaissance, which they may not have in English and will need to use throughout the module.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to read the texts in the Building Background Knowledge protocol. In addition to the suggestions below, consider assigning students who need heavier support the visual expert texts rather than the written ones. Students will more easily interpret a visual text than a written one and can still fully participate in the protocol and contribute to their groups.

Vocabulary

  • N/A

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Discussion Norms anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 13, Work Time C)
  • One Last Word by Nikki Grimes (text; one per student; from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Closing and Assessment A)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Images of Jacob Lawrence's "The Migration Series" (http://eled.org/0207) (for display)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 1 (example for teacher reference)
  • Building Background Knowledge Response Chart (example for teacher reference)
  • Homework: QuickWrite about Context (example for teacher reference) (see Homework Resources)
  • Devices to access images of Jacob Lawrence’s “The Migration Series”
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 1 (one per student)
  • Four different-colored markers (one set per group)
  • Chart paper with boxes (see Teaching Notes) (one piece per group)
  • Mystery and Common Texts (one per student; see In Advance)
  • Expert Texts folder (one per group; see In Advance) 
  • Loose-leaf paper (several pieces per group)
  • Building Background Knowledge Protocol (one per student and one for display)
  • Building Background Knowledge Response Chart (one for display per student group; see In Advance)
  • Sticky notes (five per student)
  • “His Motto” (text; one per student)
  • Homework Resources (for families)
  • Homework: QuickWrite about Context (one per student; see Homework Resources)
  • Homework: QuickWrite about Context ▲

Assessment

Each unit in the 6-8 Language Arts Curriculum has two standards-based assessments built in, one mid-unit assessment and one end of unit assessment. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize students' understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Opening

OpeningLevels of Support

A. Engage the Learner - RL.7.1 (5 minutes)

  • Help students access several of the images of Jacob Lawrence's "The Migration Series" located at http://eled.org/0207. Allow several minutes for students to view all the images on the page to get an overall impression of the content. Then they can select three to five to more deeply analyze in their entrance ticket.
  • Repeated routine: Students respond to questions on Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 1.
  • Once students have completed their entrance tickets, use a total participation technique to review their responses.
  • Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as with the previous lessons to review learning targets and the purpose of the lesson, reminding students of any learning targets that are similar or the same as in previous lessons. 

For Lighter Support

  • As necessary, encourage students to orally rehearse their responses to the entrance ticket with a partner before writing. Oral rehearsal increases their confidence and achievement with speaking, listening, and writing skills.

For Heavier Support

  • For the entrance ticket, encourage students to work in pairs to use the words in the questions to form sentence frames to answer the questions. As necessary, model doing so with the first item: 
    • I see . . . 
    • I wonder . . . 
    • Lawrence is conveying/showing . . .

Work Time

Work TimeLevels of Support

A. Build Background Knowledge – RL.7.1 (30 minutes)

  • Review appropriate learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

“I can draw inferences using evidence from art and texts to build background knowledge about the Harlem Renaissance.”

  • Inform students that today they will participate in a new protocol, called Building Background Knowledge. Remind students that they may have experienced this protocol in previous years. Explain that this is an excellent protocol for working together to build historical context for the Harlem Renaissance.
  • Ask students to form groups of four and number themselves 1–4. As they do so, distribute to each group a set of four different-colored markers, a piece of chart paper, Mystery and Common Texts, Expert Texts folders, loose-leaf paper, and response chart. Ask students to each choose a marker that they will use for the duration of the protocol. Remind students that they will be collaborating in groups, so they should keep in mind the discussion norms by referring to the Discussion Norms anchor chart.
  • Distribute the Building Background Knowledge Protocol handout. Review items 1–4 of the directions with students, explaining that in the Building Background Knowledge protocol, they will first examine a “mystery text” in their groups, individually taking notes, annotating, and coding the text. Explain to students that they may want to take notes about the mystery text on a piece of loose leaf paper. Next, they will discuss the mystery text in their group and the student who is Number 1 will record a web or image in the outer box on the group’s response chart that shows the group’s understanding of the text. As necessary, display the mystery text and model or ask volunteers to model annotating and coding a portion of the text. ▲ Release students to individually examine, annotate, text code, and take notes on the mystery text.
  • After several minutes, ask students to share their annotations and notes with their groups as student Number 1 records their ideas in a web or image in the outer box on the group’s response chart, drafting on loose leaf paper as needed. If necessary, display a piece of chart paper and model recording part of a web or image, or ask volunteers to do so in order to support students’ understanding of the task. ▲
  • Once each Student 1 has recorded their group’s understanding of the mystery text image, discuss it as a class. Ensure that students understand that the woman is a symbol of justice. She is blindfolded so that she can be truly impartial, applying justice without being influenced by people’s skin color, money, power, or status. Ask students to Think-Group-Share:

“Why would a magazine by black Americans in 1914 portray justice as blind?” (Black Americans weren’t usually treated impartially in 1914, so they would want their justice system to be impartial, blind to their skin color, and truly just.)

  • Review items 5–6 of the Building Background Knowledge protocol. Ensure that students understand that they will each examine a “common text,” individually taking notes, annotating, and text coding it, paying specific attention to any new information they learn and marking it with an N. Explain to students that they may want to take notes about the common text on a piece of loose leaf paper. As necessary, display the common text and model or ask volunteers to model annotating and coding a portion of the text. ▲ Release students to individually read, annotate, code, and take notes on the common text.
  • After several minutes, ask students to share their annotations and notes with their groups as student Number 2 records their ideas in a web or image in the second box on the group’s response chart, drafting on loose leaf paper as needed. If necessary, display a piece of chart paper and model recording part of a web or image, or ask volunteers to do so in order to support students’ understanding of the task. ▲
  • Review items 7–10 of the Building Background Knowledge directions. Ensure that students understand that each member of the group will now examine a different “expert text,” individually taking notes, annotating, and text coding it, marking N on any new information they learn. Explain to students that they may want to take notes about their expert text on a piece of loose leaf paper. Release groups to distribute an expert text to each member of their group. Students can individually read or examine, annotate, and take notes on their expert text.
  • After several minutes, ask students to share the new information they learned from their expert text with their groups. Once all members have shared their expert text, student Number 3 records a summary of all the new information learned from the expert texts in the middle box of the response chart, drafting on loose leaf paper as needed. Model as necessary, or ask volunteers to do so to support students’ understanding of the task. Students can use the model sentences as frames if needed.▲
  • Finally, direct student Number 4 of each group to create a graphic illustration of all the group’s learning on the topic in the middle box of the response chart, drafting on loose leaf paper as necessary.
  • Ensure students noted that while the Harlem Renaissance began in Harlem, many cities around the country experienced a similar black American cultural renaissance, including Chicago and Pittsburgh.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.

For Lighter Support

  • In Work Time A, before students read the common text, remind them to pause after reading each paragraph to jot down a gist. If they are unable to understand a paragraph enough to record a gist, they should Turn and Talk with a partner to figure out the gist of the paragraph together. Taking time to record gists will ensure comprehension.
  • In Work Time A, ensure students are assigned an expert text that they can read and comprehend. Consider reserving the expert text “The Harlem Renaissance: A Cultural Rebirth” only for students who are reading above their grade level in English. Also, as necessary, encourage students to discuss their expert text with a partner who read the same text to ensure they have the confidence, comprehension, and language to share the text with their group.
  • At the end of Work Time A, as time allows, remind students of the work they did in the Language Dive in Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 7, especially their work with present perfect verb tense. Ask volunteers to explain to the group how to form the present perfect tense (have/has + past participle). Ask students to share examples. Then ask students to consider the verb tenses of the common text and their expert texts (mostly simple past). Ask students to choose one sentence from the common or expert text and Think-Pair-Share about why the writers used the simple past tense and how the meaning of the sentence would change if they used the present perfect tense. (It would mean that the events in the sentences were still true or happening now.)

For Heavier Support

  • Before releasing students to analyze the mystery text in Work Time A, ensure that they understand the task. Ask students to Turn and Talk to rephrase the task and then have volunteers share out. Also, as necessary draw together a group of students who need heavier support and model analyzing some of the painting, using a think-loud to ensure students have the language to discuss the image. For example:
    • I see a person wearing a dress. She looks like she is holding up a large ball. I wonder what that ball could be. The sun? The world? I know a story about a person who holds up the world, so maybe that is what she is doing.
  • In Work Time A, to support students in reading the common text, draw together a group of students who need heavier support and read aloud the common text, pausing at the end of each paragraph for students to Turn and Talk to tell the gist, highlight keywords and phrases, and even illustrate the text in the margins. Review students’ gists, highlights, and illustrations before moving on to the next paragraph. Taking time to record gists and highlight the text will ensure comprehension.
  • In Work Time A, to gradually release responsibility in the expert text portion of the protocol, encourage students to join with their peers who have the same expert text to read or examine and discuss their text together before sharing with their groups. Circulate to ensure students understand and can speak about their texts. As necessary, provide the following sentence frames for students to practice in pairs and then use with their groups:
    • My expert text was about . . .
    • From the text, I learned . . .

Closing & Assessments

ClosingLevels of Support

A. Chalk Talk - RI.7.1 (10 minutes)

  • Post each group's response chart on the wall. Invite students to study one another's response chart, noticing similarities and differences. Invite students to record compliments, similarities, and differences on sticky notes beside students' response chart, and respond to one another's sticky notes. Remind students to leave substantive, thoughtful sticky notes that go beyond "good job." Invite students to model substantive, thoughtful sticky notes before beginning the Chalk Talk.
  • Before leaving class, ensure students have copies of "His Motto" for homework. Ask students to read the informational paragraph at the top of their copies of the text. Ask students to Turn and Talk to explain the setting of the story and what a telegraph machine is. (Setting: rural Maine; telegraph machine: sends messages via wire or wirelessly.)
  • Invite students to reflect on the habits of character focus in this lesson, discussing what went well and what could be improved next time.

For Lighter Support

  • N/A

For Heavier Support

  • To ensure students can fully participate in the Chalk Talk protocol, draw them together in group and provide sentence frames they can use on their sticky notes:
    • Yes! I also learned that . . . 
    • It is a good connection because . . . 
    • Wow! This surprises me because . . . 
    • On this part I wonder . . . 

Homework

HomeworkLevels of Support

A. QuickWrite about Context

  • Students complete Homework: QuickWrite about Context to write about the historical factors surrounding and contributing to the Harlem Renaissance, including information from the texts from the Build Background Knowledge activity and Jacob Lawrence's "The Migration Series" from the entrance ticket activity.

B. Preread "His Motto"

  • Students preread the first half of the story "His Motto" and look up unfamiliar vocabulary in preparation for studying the beginning of the story in the next lesson.

For Lighter Support

  • Before students leave class, ask them to read the homework assignments and discuss them with a partner. Encourage students to spend time brainstorming vocabulary and language structures to write about the context of the Harlem Renaissance. Challenge students to include at least one example of the present perfect verb (has/have + past participle; for example, I have learned) in their writing.
  • Ask students to read and discuss with a partner the informational paragraph at the top of the students’ copies of “His Motto.” Ensure that students understand the setting of the story and the purpose of a telegraph machine. Finally, remind students to take notes in the margins as they read the first part of the story. Doing so will ensure comprehension and retention of important details.

For Heavier Support

  • Before students leave class, review the homework assignments and ensure that students understand that they will write a paragraph and preread the first part of the short story “His Motto.” To ensure success on the homework, encourage students to use the Homework: QuickWrite about Context ▲. This resource includes sentence frames which support students in comprehension and writing about the social and political context of the Harlem Renaissance.
  • Read aloud the informational paragraph at the top of the students’ copies of “His Motto” and make sure students understand the setting of the story. If possible sketch or display a picture of a telegraph machine and use pantomime to help students understand that its purpose was to send messages. 
  • Remind students to highlight key words or phrases and illustrate and take notes in the margins as they read. Finally, remind students that they can circle all unknown vocabulary words, but they should only look up the ones that are important for understanding the story.

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