https://padlet.com/michaelsova/kxm89fvu5zxdwekp Celebrating Black creativity from 1920s-30s Harlem en-us 2022-02-27 16:46:46 UTC 2025-11-14 07:12:56 UTC hello@padlet.com michaelsova https://padlet.com/michaelsova/kxm89fvu5zxdwekp/wish/2068549199 GUIDING QUESTION: Who were important entertainers that came out of the Harlem Renaissance?

Singer and bandleader Cab Calloway, and dancers the Nicholas Brothers, were three prominent entertainers who rose to fame during the Harlem Renaissance. This video clip from the film Stormy Weather (1943) shows their talent during what many say was the peak of their popularity.
The video is immediately accessible to 2nd graders; the entertainers' talent is wonderfully obvious!]]> 2022-02-27 23:39:18 UTC https://padlet.com/michaelsova/kxm89fvu5zxdwekp/wish/2068549199 michaelsova https://padlet.com/michaelsova/kxm89fvu5zxdwekp/wish/2068553144 GUIDING QUESTIONS: What, and when, was the Harlem Renaissance?

This short video is part of the Black History in 2 Minutes (or So) series, co-created by Henry Louis Gates Jr. The interviews with Black historians are woven with archival photos and film that give information and events leading up to the Harlem Renaissance (such as The Great Migration), as well as a quick introduction to the artists and creative thinkers that came from it.
The video is accessible to 2nd graders, and/or it can be used as a cornerstone source for learning more details about the Harlem Renaissance.]]> 2022-02-27 23:46:13 UTC https://padlet.com/michaelsova/kxm89fvu5zxdwekp/wish/2068553144 michaelsova https://padlet.com/michaelsova/kxm89fvu5zxdwekp/wish/2068557578 GUIDING QUESTIONS: How is Harlem now? What is Harlem like now?

Although this beautifully-illustrated book is not about the Harlem Renaissance, it is important for students to know that modern-day Harlem is a vibrant area. This true story tells about how a school in Harlem came together to create a beautiful garden in a vacant lot that still exists today.
The book is very accessible to 2nd graders and can easily prompt discussions about environmentalism, community beautification, and community & cultural pride.


]]> 2022-02-27 23:53:16 UTC https://padlet.com/michaelsova/kxm89fvu5zxdwekp/wish/2068557578 michaelsova https://padlet.com/michaelsova/kxm89fvu5zxdwekp/wish/2068562009 GUIDING QUESTIONS: Who were the major figures from the Harlem Renaissance?

Sugar Hill is a neighborhood within Harlem where many prominent artists, authors, activists, advocates, and thinkers lived and worked. Through lyrical and poetic prose, this book gives "mini-descriptions" of dozens of folks (e.g., "Where DuBois outlines social tracts, and Thurgood Marshall plots legal attacks.") who lived and worked in Sugar Hill/Harlem.
The book is immediately accessible to 2nd graders. Each page can also serve as a launch into deeper biographies of the people mentioned.]]> 2022-02-28 00:00:10 UTC https://padlet.com/michaelsova/kxm89fvu5zxdwekp/wish/2068562009 michaelsova https://padlet.com/michaelsova/kxm89fvu5zxdwekp/wish/2068568157 GUIDING QUESTIONS: Who were important writers from the Harlem Renaissance? Who was Langston Hughes?

This is a collection of poems written about Langston Hughes, one of the most important writers from the Harlem Renaissance (and from the USA). Tony Medina wrote 14 poems about Hughes and different periods of his life, from childhood to old age. Each poem covers different feelings toward people (including himself) and places (in the poem Harlem is the Capital of my World, Medina writes that Hughes sees Harlem as "black and beautiful and bruised like me"). 
The poems are fairly accessible to 2nd graders, and they offer opportunities for discussion about race, family, migration, self-discovery, and general poetic interpretation.]]> 2022-02-28 00:09:02 UTC https://padlet.com/michaelsova/kxm89fvu5zxdwekp/wish/2068568157 michaelsova https://padlet.com/michaelsova/kxm89fvu5zxdwekp/wish/2068576109 GUIDING QUESTIONS: What was the Harlem Renaissance? When, why, and how did it happen? Who were the important figures from it?

This book is part of the popular WhoHQ series, and it's included here primarily as an easily digestible resource for the teacher. However, for more advanced 2nd grade readers it can also be a great resource. After a general introduction to Harlem and a definition of "renaissance," the book's information is presented in chronological order starting with the 1910s and ending with the 1960s and beyond. It is a comprehensive resource, and has 16 photos of prominent figures from the Harlem Renaissance.]]> 2022-02-28 00:19:21 UTC https://padlet.com/michaelsova/kxm89fvu5zxdwekp/wish/2068576109 michaelsova https://padlet.com/michaelsova/kxm89fvu5zxdwekp/wish/2068582876 GUIDING QUESTIONS: Who were the major artists from the Harlem Renaissance? What was some important visual works of art from the Harlem Renaissance?

These powerpoint slides from the National Gallery of Art is a comprehensive resource that brings high quality photos, historical information, and some interpretation to 16 seminal works of visual art from the Harlem Renaissance. There is also information about each artist in the notes for their respective slides.
Although the text of the informational notes are mostly accessible to the teacher, the slides are immediately accessible to 2nd graders. In addition to giving students developmentally appropriate background information, the teacher could use the slides to broaden the students' thinking and discussing of art by asking questions such as What do you see here? Why do you think that? What does it make you feel?]]> 2022-02-28 00:28:01 UTC https://padlet.com/michaelsova/kxm89fvu5zxdwekp/wish/2068582876 michaelsova https://padlet.com/michaelsova/kxm89fvu5zxdwekp/wish/2068587517 17 songs that were created and/or performed by musical artists that rose during the Harlem Renaissance.]]> 2022-02-28 00:33:07 UTC https://padlet.com/michaelsova/kxm89fvu5zxdwekp/wish/2068587517 michaelsova https://padlet.com/michaelsova/kxm89fvu5zxdwekp/wish/2068590985 This is a fun, beautifully illustrated "ABC" book about Black history. Although it's not all about the Harlem Renaissance, there is a "Harlem" entry for the letter H! 
The book is readily accessible to 2nd graders (and not "beneath" them), and each entry can be used to launch deeper discussions about aspects and events from Black history and culture.]]> 2022-02-28 00:37:48 UTC https://padlet.com/michaelsova/kxm89fvu5zxdwekp/wish/2068590985 michaelsova https://padlet.com/michaelsova/kxm89fvu5zxdwekp/wish/2068599632 GUIDING QUESTIONS: Who were important writers from the Harlem Renaissance? Who was Zora Neale Hurston?

This biography is a vibrant portrait of the early life and career of Zora Neale Hurston. The author follows Hurston from her childhood in Florida through her success as a writer in New York, and characterizes Hurston as tenacious as she overcomes seemingly insurmountable obstacles to pursue her dream. The lively prose uses a conversational style and is a fun, engaging read aloud. It serves as a tribute to Hurston's writing style and her work in researching and preserving African American folktales.
The book is immediately accessible to 2nd graders, and it can be used as a mentor text for a unit about folktales.

]]> 2022-02-28 00:47:05 UTC https://padlet.com/michaelsova/kxm89fvu5zxdwekp/wish/2068599632 michaelsova https://padlet.com/michaelsova/kxm89fvu5zxdwekp/wish/2068616130 GUIDING QUESTION: Who were important businesspeople and entrepreneurs during the Harlem Renaissance?

This video is another in the Black History in 2 Minutes (or So) series, co-created by Henry Louis Gates Jr. Madam C.J. Walker was born from ex-slaves and became the first Black female self-made millionaire. It gives a history of her life, a summary of her business acumen, and how she influenced modern Black female business owners and entrepreneurs. It serves to inspire girls (specifically African American girls) to reach for their dreams!
The video is accessible to 2nd graders.]]> 2022-02-28 01:05:10 UTC https://padlet.com/michaelsova/kxm89fvu5zxdwekp/wish/2068616130 michaelsova https://padlet.com/michaelsova/kxm89fvu5zxdwekp/wish/2068619907 GUIDING QUESTIONS: Who were important thinkers from the Harlem Renaissance? Who was W.E.B. Du Bois?

Britannica Kids offers three levels of entries: Kids (grades 2-5), Students (grades 6-8), and Scholars (grades 9 and up), and this link is to the Kids entry. (It's very easy to switch to other levels for more advanced readers, or for the teacher to use as a resource.) The Kids entry uses simple language, is long enough to provide an overview of Du Bois' life but short enough to be accessible for many 2nd graders. The Britannica Kids website is a reliable resource with which students can do research.]]> 2022-02-28 01:09:34 UTC https://padlet.com/michaelsova/kxm89fvu5zxdwekp/wish/2068619907