Groups have the
opportunity to choose how they want to teach their lessons. The ideas below are
suggestions, but not binding. We want to make sure students can still have a
creative outlet, while maintaining support for our young teachers. Groups can
choose an option below or try something new. Your teacher is a resource as
well. Lecture or PowerPoint is not an option.
The
Great Migration-
This topic can be presented like it was in class: a push and pull discussion.
Probably presented with more interaction. Groups can also make travel brochures
for the North and try to sell travel packages to elementary students (African
Americans in the South). This could also be a perfect topic for a moral dilemma
i.e. Claire and her husband have four kids who are stuck in sharecropping.
Present the pros and cons of leaving and ask students to decide for them.
Groups can also present discussion questions, do something interactive with the
cycle of sharecropping (maybe a board game).
Jazz
Age-
This topic could focus on expand to include specific jazz artists like Duke
Ellington or Louis Armstrong. Listening to some music would be good, but do not
want it to distract other groups in the room. Groups can have students create a
recipe for the Jazz Age, what was necessary for this to occur. This could also
be a chain of events that is created by groups for students to build discussion
on. Students could evaluate a series of photos that are accompanied with
discussion questions.
Harlem
Renaissance-
A category activity would be ideal here. Students would be given a term or
person to research and drop in a category: cause, characteristic, impact
makers. Students could also conduct an auditory lesson revolving about the
reading of a text. Students will do one of the following: verbally summarize,
create questions, answer questions, draw a summary. There could be a cause and
effect chart students would place terms in on a dry erase board.
Booker
T vs. W.E.B.-
This group can focus on one of these guys (Tuskegee or NAACP) or both. The
silent debate in class may be too long, but some kind of a debate could work.
Groups can have speakers try to win students over to one cause of another
(soapbox). Groups can role play as if they are these guys arguing with each
other. Another option is to create a children’s book of these two guys and read
it to the group of students, followed by a discussion.
Literature
Socratic Seminar-
A Langston Hughes poem seems ideal. Students will be sitting in a circle around
a U-shaped desk. The lead teacher will
run the seminar with help from the assistant.
The group should develop a series of visuals to help in the seminar. The
goal of the seminar is just to have a conversation about the text. The lead and
assistant teacher should provide a little background and explain how a seminar
works. The group should develop at least 25 open-ended questions, many based on
visuals, for the elementary students to talk about. Ten visuals are required,
but more are highly recommended. Students can also draw their interpretation of
the poem and present it (if a short and appropriate leveled poem).
Josephine
Baker & the Charleston Dance: The best option here is to teach
students how to do the Charleston dance and instigate a group dance session.
The group can do this in person or put together a demo video to show the
students. Maybe make dance mats. Some history of Josephine Baker and the
explosion of dance and theatre during the time period can also be wrapped into
the lesson. This could also tie into the Jazz age and Harlem Renaissance. This
could also include a lesson revolving around the Cotton Club: explain the
experience and have students write diary entries about their night at the
Cotton Club.