Langston Hughes
Lesson plans and teaching ideas

|Biography and Background| |"Cora Unashamed"| |Poetry| |"Thank You, Ma'am"| |Related sites|

Biography and Background

Drop Me Off in Harlem: Langston Hughes
This site, sponsored by the Kennedy Center, explores the relationships among leaders of the Harlem Renaissance. It's a good source of background information.

A Generation: Lost and Found
Extensive background information and rationale introduces this unit on the Harlem Renaissance. Special emphasis is given to blues music and the Hughes story "Cora Unashamed."

A Guide to Harlem Renaissance Materials
The Library of Congress presents a variety of materials on Langston Hughes and other Harlem Renaissance artists.

Guide to Langston Hughes
Introductory essay, critical material, discussion questions, and more.

Harlem: Mecca of the New Negro, A Hypermedia Edition of the March 1925 Survey Graphic Harlem Number.
Essays and poetry, a wealth of voices from the Harlem Renaissance.

Harlem 1900-1940, an African-American Community
Timeline, collection of contemporary photographs, links to other online resources, and a searchable database.

The History of Jim Crow
The resources at this site explore segregation in America from 1870s to 1950s. Check out both the American Literature and Teacher Resources at the bottom of the opening page.

Langston Hughes
Extensive biography with a few photographs and poems, related links.

Langston Hughes Mini-Unit
These lessons are designed for grades 5 and 6. They include biography, several classroom activities, and suggestions for assessment.

Langston Hughes Monument
A Webquest: "You have been appointed to a committee that is building a monument to honor Langston Hughes. As member of the committee you need to understand who Langston Hughes was and why he is deserving of a statue. You will need to prepare a timeline outlining his life and create a model or picture of the statue."

Reflections of the Harlem Renaissance
In this SCORE guide students use online resources to study the contributions of several artists, including Langston Hughes, to the Harlem Renaissance.

"Cora Unashamed"

"Cora Unashamed"
Text of the story.

"Cora Unashamed"
On this page, a summary and related links. Click on "Teacher's Guide" for classroom-specific resources.

Writers Workshop, the Craft of Writing to accompany "Cora Unashamed"
Designed for AP Language, creative writing, composition, and American literature classes, this workshop focuses on developing a persona and a narrative voice.

Poetry

"I, Too"
In this audio file Langston Hughes reads some introductory comments and the poem.

Langston Hughes
Pictures, some poems, extensive bibliography. Scroll all the way down for study questions.

Langston Hughes
This lesson idea uses "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" as a model for writing poetry. It can be adapted to all grade levels.

Langston Hughes and the Blues from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
Students learn about the origin of blues music, its role in African-American culture, and its relationship to the poetry of Hughes. They also "explore the question of whether one ethnic group can write accurately and honestly about another." Suggested music and reading material not available onsite.

Langston Hughes: A Study of His Poetry for Elementary Students
Designed for grades 4-8, this standards-based unit seeks to improve reading and writing skills through a study of Hughes' poetry. Included: biography and discussion questions, possible research topics, poetry and disucssion questions, rubric.

Modern American Poetry: Langston Hughes
Links to several online poems, biography, background information and a critical essay on three poems.

The Music in Poetry
"The lessons in this issue introduce students to the rhythms of poetry. The focus in on two poetic forms that originated as forms of song: the BALLAD stanza, found throughout British and American literature, and the BLUES stanzas of Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes. The exercises take poetry off the page and put it into terms of movement, physical space, and, finally, music." This lesson is designed for grades 4-12 and includes access to a soundtrack. Access to this 16-page document requires Adobe Acrobat Reader or compatible application.

"The Negro Speaks of Rivers"
In this audio file Langston Hughes makes a few comments and then reads the poem.

The Poetry of Langston Hughes
In this SCORE guide students look at the life and poetry of Hughes. Designed for grades 9 and 10.

The Poet's Voice: Langston Hughes and You
Students learn the concept of voice, explore the voice of Langston Hughes, and develop their own voices in writing. Designed for grades 6-8.

"Theme for English B"
Text of the poem.

Walt Whitman to Langston Hughes: Poems for a Democracy
The majority of this unit focuses on Whitman. Scroll down to part 3 for a lesson comparing and contrasting Whitman's "I Hear America Singing" and Hughes's "Let America be America Again."

Writing Poetry like Pros
This extensive set of lessons includes an activity using Hughes's "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" in Lesson 1, Group 3.

Writing Poetry Using Poems by Langston Hughes
Students analyze "Dream Deferred" and "Theme for English B," then use them as models for their own poetry.

"Thank You, Ma'am"

Blast to the Past!
In conjunction with reading "Thank You, Ma'am," students investigate life in the Fifties and create a trivia game.

"Thank You, Ma'am"
Graphic organizer for active reading, practice with editing and modifiers from HRW. Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader or equivalent application for access.

"Thank You, Ma'am"
Students read poetry by Hughes and complete an image map. The image map can be printed form the site. This lesson is designed for 7th graders.

"Thank You, Ma'am"
Text of the story with vocabulary words underlined, and a related poem. Requires MS-Word or compatible application for access.

"Thank You, Ma'am"
Ten comprehension questions and ideas for writing.

Related sites

Love to Langston by Tony Medina
This teacher guide for a children's book is rich with resources: summary, prereading and comprehension questions, vocabulary, suggestions for use in literature circles, reader response and writing topics, ESL and interdisciplinary strategies. Access requires Adobe Acrobat Reader or compatible application.