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The Harlem Renaissance:

Social Change Through Art

Grade 6 Interdisciplinary Unit

ELA, Music & Visual Art

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/57772807704960432/

Lesson 1: Musical Revolution

Lesson 2: Powerful Portraits
Lesson 3: Protest Poetry

Isabel Cole
Art Ed Curriculum PK-8
March 17, 2022
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Table of Contents
The Harlem Renaissance: Social Change Through Art
Grade 6

Unit Map p. 3

Unit Plan Outline p. 4 - 6

Lesson Plan 1 p. 7 - 11

Lesson Plan 2 p. 12 - 15

Lesson Plan 3 p. 16 - 20

Rubric p. 20
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Unit Plan Outline

The Harlem Renaissance: Social Change Through Art
Grade 6

STAGE I – Desired Results

Unit Transfer Goal
Students will be able to independently use their learning to:
 Communicate their ideas about changes they want to see in the world in multiple forms, such as
visually, in writing, and musically.
 Think critically about how they can empower others through the arts (visual art, music, and
poetry). 

Enduring Understandings
Students will understand that:
 Human beings communicate in many ways: verbally and through writing, visually, and musically. 
 Art reflects the society in which it was made.
 Artists can create change and empower others through a variety of art forms.

Essential Questions
 How do artists express what they think and feel?
 In what ways does the medium influence the message?
 How can artists advocate for change?

Acquisition/Unit Objectives
Students will be able to:
 Describe the various art forms and styles that make up the Harlem Renaissance.
 Investigate and discover creative solutions for responding to issues they are passionate about.
 Create artworks that help to empower themselves and others. 
 Reflect on how their voice (in visual art, music, writing, etc.) can help to create social change.

Standards Addressed
Visual Art, Grade 6
 Creating (5-6.V.Cr.01): Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. Generate artworks that
integrate ideas with new materials, methods, and approaches.
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 Presenting (5-6.V.P.04): Select, analyze and interpret artistic work for presentation. Develop a
title and artist statement that explain important information about a personal artwork.
 Responding (5-6.V.R.09): Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work. Evaluate a piece of artwork
based on a predetermined list of criteria.
Music, Grade 6
 Responding (5-6.M.R.08): Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work. Use specific vocabulary
to identify details about a musical work.
 Connecting (5-6.M.Co.11): Relate artistic ideas and works to societal, cultural and historical
contexts to deepen understanding. Identify influential music from different periods and how
they impacted music at the time and potentially today.

English Language Arts, Grade 6

 Reading Literature: Craft & Structure (RL.6.4): Determine the meaning of words and phrases as
they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a
specific word choices, including those that create repeated sounds and rhythms in poetry, on
meaning, tone (i.e., emotional atmosphere).
 Writing: Production and Distribution of Writing (W.6.4): Produce clear and coherent writing in
which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

STAGE II – Desired Results

Performance Task/Products as Evidence

Lesson 1: Musical Revolution

Artist Statement
Students will write an artist statement in which they will reflect on their process of creating their finished
artwork and explain what song they chose and why, as well as why they chose to use certain colors, lines,
shapes, etc. to represent that song.

Lesson 2: Powerful Portraits

Self-Assessment & Peer Review
Students will use a self-assessment worksheet to grad themselves and peer review a classmate.

Lesson 3: Protest Poetry

Rubric
Students will be assessed on discussion participation, artist process, writing, craftsmanship, and respectful
behavior using the given rubric.

STAGE III – Learning Plan

Scope and Sequence of Lessons

Lesson 1: Musical Revolution

In this lesson, students will listen to Jazz and Blues music from the Harlem Renaissance and view artworks
made in that time period that were inspired by Jazz. Students will discuss how music influences culture.
Students will then do a “close listen” to music by Ethel Waters and Cardi B and reflect on what they hear.
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Afterwards, students will select a song from a list and create an artwork that reflects the mood of the
song. Students may use a mix of media and style to create their artwork.

Lesson 2: Powerful Portraits

In this lesson, students will view artworks by Lois Mailou Jones and Faith Ringgold and discuss how
portraits can be created to empower and uplift others. Students will then identify an important figure (i.e.,
family member, friend, celebrity, Harlem Renaissance artist, etc.)  in their own life and create a portrait to
honor that person. Students may have their choice of medium and style (abstract, realistic, etc.) for their
portrait.

Lesson 3: Protest Poetry

In this lesson, students will read and listen to poems by Georgia Douglas Johnson and Amanda Gorman,
and view cover images of The Crisis magazine, as well as view videos of SLAM Poetry. Students will discuss
how poetry influenced music and visual art during the Harlem Renaissance, as well as how poetry, like
other art forms, is a platform for speaking out. Students will then write one or more poems about an
issue/topic that they are passionate about and will design a Zine cover for their poetry using printmaking
as a medium.
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Lesson I
Musical Revolution

STAGE I – Desired Results

Enduring Understandings
 Music can inspire artists to create artwork in untraditional ways.
 Many artists draw on the music scene around them to inspire their artwork.

Essential Questions
 Does music play a role in the lives of visual artists? How? Why?
 How does the mood, tempo, and rhythm of a song affect and/or influence the artwork we create?

Standards Addressed
Music, Grade 6
 Responding (5-6.M.R.08): Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work. Use specific vocabulary
to identify details about a musical work.
 Connecting (5-6.M.Co.11): Relate artistic ideas and works to societal, cultural and historical
contexts to deepen understanding. Identify influential music from different periods and how
they impacted music at the time and potentially today.
Visual Art, Grade 6
 Creating (5-6.V.Cr.01): Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. Generate artworks that
integrate ideas with new materials, methods, and approaches.
 Presenting (5-6.V.P.04): Select, analyze and interpret artistic work for presentation. Develop a
title and artist statement that explain important information about a personal artwork.

Acquisition & Learning Objectives

 Students will be able to relate Harlem Renaissance Jazz and Blues to contemporary Hip Hop and
Rap.
 Students will be able to interpret their experience of a song and translate it into an artwork.
 Students will be able to compose their artwork through the use of mixed media.
 Students will create a written statement about their artwork.

STAGE II – Assessment Evidence

Performance Task or Final Product:
 A successful example of this assignment will include a depiction of the student’s
interpretation of a Jazz, Blues, Hip Hop, or Rap song devised through the use of multiple
media and/or methods.
 A finished project will include a short artist statement about the artwork.

Other Evidence/Continuum of Assessments

 Students will engage in dialogue about Jazz and Blues from the Harlem Renaissance period
and its social importance.
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 Students will participate in a discussion about Ethel Waters and Cardi B.

 Students will discuss the relationship between 1930s Jazz and Blues and contemporary Rap
and Hip Hop with a focus on music terminology and social impact.

 Students will practice responding visually to a song by painting their interpretations of

teacher-chosen songs from a playlist.

 Students will think about the song they want to depict through visual art and how they will
express that song through the use of mixed media.

 Students will create a short artist statement about their visual art responses to their chosen
song.

Student examples of Jazz inspired artworks.

Left: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/323485185713861981/
Right: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/233342824423799520/

STAGE III – Learning Plan

Learning Plan
Materials and Equipment:
 Students may choose their own preferred materials (options below)
 Sketch paper
 Pencils
 Erasers
 Canvases or thick paper
 Drawing materials (colored pencils, markers, crayons, oil pastels, etc.)
 Painting materials (paint brushes, acrylic paint, tempera, watercolor, etc.)
 Collage materials (glue, magazines, patterned paper, tissue paper, etc.)

Resources:
Videos
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Ethel Waters - Underneath the Harlem Moon (1933). (Jan 18, 2016). Vintage Video Clips. Retrieved March
14, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLueDnHbVF4
Cardi B – I Like It (Clean) ft. Bad Bunny & J Balvin. (April 6, 2018). Sir Sammy. Retrieved March 14, 2022,
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wP2M9hnTOk
The Birth of Jazz. (Jan 17, 2020). Black History in Two Minutes or so. Retrieved March 14, 2022, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eRNRzyX3ac

Websites
Public Broadcasting Service. (2012, October 10). Ethel Waters. PBS. Retrieved March 16, 2022, from
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/stars/ethel-waters/
Cardi B Bio. Cardi B Official Website. (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2022, from
https://www.cardibofficial.com/bio

Playlists
Harlem Renaissance Jazz Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0HPAf0zTknbUeQ5qv5FFs6
Kid Friendly Hip Hop Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4oGD993juwxneWb1iCxXcb

Romare Bearden, Jazz II Deluxe, 1980. Normal Lewis, Phantasy II, 1946.

Aaron Douglas, The Judgment Day, 1939.

Vocabulary with Definitions:

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 Jazz: A type of music of Black American origin characterized by improvisation, syncopation, and
usually a regular or forceful rhythm, emerging at the beginning of the 20th century. Brass and
woodwind instruments and piano are particularly associated with jazs; styles include Dixieland,
swing, bebop, and free jazz.
 Blues: Melancholic music of Black American folk origin, typically in a twelve-bar sequence. It
developed in the rural southern US toward the end of the 19th century, finding a wider audience
in the 1940s, as Black people migrated to the cities. This urban blues gave rise to rhythm and
blues and rock and roll.
 Rhythm: A strong pattern of sounds, words, or musical notes that is used in music, poetry,
and dancing.
 Tempo: The speed at which music is played.

Instructional Overview:
 The teacher will greet the class and introduce the lesson by playing Harlem Renaissance Jazz
Playlist as students walk into the classroom.
 The teacher will ask the students to quietly listen to and reflect on the music being played.
 As the students consider music, the teacher will pose the following questions to begin a class
discussion (This step and the following one could also be completed beforehand in the Music
class, along with other steps having to do with music theory)
o What type of music is this?
o Have you heard this kind music before? If so, where?
o What does this music remind you of?
 Following the discussion, the teacher will talk briefly about the Harlem Renaissance before playing
a short video on Jazz and Blues from that time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eRNRzyX3ac
 Afterwards, the teacher will introduce the lesson, informing students that they will be creating an
artwork using any materials in response to a song or piece of music.
 The teacher will then project images onto the board of artworks that were made in response to
the Jazz and Blues of the Harlem Renaissance.
 After allowing a few moments for the students to reflect silently, the teacher will lead a short
conversation on the artworks:
o How are these inspired by music?
o What in these artworks reminds you of music?
o Does the style of the artwork make it feel musical or not?
 Once discussion has begun to die down, the teacher will ask the students to think about how they
might depict a song or piece of music in an artwork.
 The teacher will then pass out drawing tools and paper, and inform students that we will be
practicing responding to music through visual art.
 The teacher will ask students to freely create as they listen to the two songs being played. The
teacher will ask students to use a new piece of paper and different colors or drawing tools for
each song.
 Once every student has supplies, the teacher will play “Underneath the Harlem Moon” by Ethel
waters and “I Like It” by Cardi B.
 After both songs have finished, the teacher will begin a discussion by asking the following
questions:
o How did each song make you feel?
o How were each of your art pieces differ for each song?
o Did the rhythm, mood, or tempo inform how you made your artwork?
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 Once the conversation dies down, the teacher will explain to the students who each of the
musicians are and what type of music they create, showing images from a slideshow.
 The teacher will ask students to spend time researching a song they would like to use for their
own artwork they will be creating in response to a song, and let students know that they may
choose from a playlist or pick their own song that will be approved by the teacher.
 The teacher will instruct students to spend the rest of class researching music on their laptops,
tablets, or smartphones, and sketching ideas for how they would like to depict that music.
 At the end of the first class, the teacher will invite students to share out about their chosen song
and ideas they have to depict it.
 At the beginning of the second class, the teacher will instruct students to gather their needed
materials and, when ready, begin creating their artwork in response to their chosen song.
 The teacher will continue to play music from the curated playlist throughout the class.
 Once their artwork has been approved by the teacher, the student will write an artist statement
about their response piece, noting the song they chose, why, and how they represented the song.
 At the end of the class, the teacher will invite students to share out about their artworks.

Differentiation:
 The teacher will provide verbal, written, and visual instructions.
 The teacher will share visual examples as the project progresses.
 The teacher will encourage students to participate in class discussion, but will also allow space for
individual reflection or written reflection.
 The teacher will keep physical copies of artworks the class looked at in the classroom for students
to engage with if they would like.
 The teacher will emphasize the room for choice students have in deciding on the song they want
to visually interpret, as well as the media the use for their artwork (painting, mixed media, etc).
 Students may create an abstract, realistic, or in-between representation of their chosen song.
 The teacher will provide a playlist for students to choose their songs from or allow students to
choose their own song and have it approved by the teacher.
 The teacher will play the student chosen songs over the speakers while students are in class or
allow students to listen to their songs on their own devices.
 Students can work together to help each other brainstorm ideas for the song they want to depict
or refer to the teacher for assistance.
 Students can work together to help each other write their artist statements or refer to the teacher
for assistance.
 Students may bring in their own listening devices from home or use ones available at the school
to listen to their chosen song.
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Student examples of music inspired artworks.

Left: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/323485185714040322/
Right: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/233342824423799502/

Lesson II
Powerful Portraits

STAGE I – Desired Results

Enduring Understandings
 Artists reflect on their personal histories when creating meaningful works of art.
 Artists can empower and uplift others through a variety of art forms.

Essential Questions
 How can art be used as a tool of empowerment?
 What does it mean to honor someone?

Standards Addressed
Visual Art, Grade 6
 Creating (5-6.V.Cr.01): Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. Generate artworks that
integrate ideas with new materials, methods, and approaches.
 Responding (5-6.V.R.09): Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work. Evaluate a piece of artwork
based on a predetermined list of criteria.

Learning Objectives
 Students will use their memory and personal experiences of an important individual to inform
their artwork.
 Students will experiment with mixed media creation and compose their artworks through the use
of collage, drawing, and/or painting.
 Students will create a portrait that honors or empowers themselves, a loved one, or someone they
look up to.
 Students will evaluate their own artwork and artistic process, and the work of a peer.

STAGE II – Assessment Evidence

Performance Task or Final Product:
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 A successful example of this assignment will include a depiction of the person the student wishes
to empower, created through the use of multiple media and/or methods.
 A finished project will include a self-assessment and peer assessment.

Other Evidence/Continuum of Assessments

 Students will participate in a discussion on portraits and empowerment, and the teacher will
check for understanding by posing questions to the students.
 Students will think about how they will incorporate multiple media into their composition as they
brainstorm who they will depict for their portrait and how.
 Students will create preliminary sketches before beginning their final projects, which will allow the
teacher to ensure that students comprehend the ideas of empowerment and honoring.

Student examples of empowering portraits in different styles.

Left: https://www.kidsvt.com/vermont/exploring-kehinde-wileys-art-with-kids/Content?oid=5336256
Middle: https://www.blendspace.com/lessons/rmxfLNum2NrELw/middle-school-profile-portraits
Right: http://www.drhsart.com/art-2-assignments-blog/the-still-life-self-portrait

STAGE III – Learning Plan

Learning Plan
Materials and Equipment:
 Students may choose their own preferred materials (options below)
 Sketch paper
 Pencils
 Erasers
 Thick paper
 Canvas
 Paint
 Paint brushes
 Drawing materials (colored pencils, crayons, oil pastels, markers, etc.)
 Collage materials (magazines, patterned paper, tissue paper, cardboard, glue etc.)

Resources:
Videos
Faith Ringgold: Artist & Activist. (May 16, 2012) MAKERS. Retrieved March 14, 2022, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Comf9SetjRA&t=3s

Websites
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About faith. Faith Ringgold. (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2022, from https://www.faithringgold.com/about-
faith/
Lois Mailou Jones. Mr. Fatta. (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2022, from https://mrfatta.com/lois/

Loïs Mailou Jones, Loïs Mailou Jones, Haiti, 1955. Loïs Mailou Jones, Ubi
The Ascent of Ethiopia, 1932. Girl from Tai Region, 1972.

Faith Ringgold, Sunflower Quilting Bee at Arles, 1991. Faith Ringgold, Jazz Stories: Mama Can
Sing, Papa Can Blow #1: Somebody Stole
My Broken Heart, 2004.

Vocabulary with Definitions:

 Portrait: A painting, drawing, photograph, or engraving of a person, especially one depicting only
the face or head and shoulders.
 Empower: To give someone confidence, strength, and self-determination. To help someone
realize their abilities and potential, perhaps for the first time. 
 Honor: To regard with great respect.

Instructional Overview:
 The teacher will greet the class and introduce the lesson by inviting students to look at the
images projected on the board.
 The teacher will begin a short slideshow of portraits by Lois Mailou Jones and Faith Ringgold.
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 As the students consider the projected images, the teacher will pose the following questions to
begin a class discussion:
o What is going on in these images?
o How are these images alike? How are they different?
o What kind of information can gather about these people in these images?
 Following the discussion, the teacher will explain to the students who Lois Mailou Jones and Faith
Ringgold are and the type of art they make/made.
 The teacher will then introduce the lesson activity, informing students that they will be creating
Powerful Portraits to empower themselves or a loved one.
 The teacher will ask students what the term “empower” means and ask how they think Lois
Mailou Jones and Faith Ringgold have done this through their artwork.
 The teacher will instruct students to gather into small groups of four and discuss how they might
empower someone through an artwork, posing the question: How can we empower others
through art?
 The student groups will write down their ideas and share them with the class, which the teacher
will write on the board.
 Afterwards, the teacher will ask students to think about who they would like to make a portrait of
and how they will empower them, using the classes ideas as a guideline.
 The teacher will emphasize that students may use any materials of their choice and can choose to
create a realistic portrait or a more abstract portrait.
 For the remainder of class, the students will sketch out their ideas for their portraits.
 At the end of the first class, the teacher will invite students to share out about their ideas for the
portrait.
 At the beginning of the second class, the teacher will select students to assist in passing out
materials.
 The students will complete their sketches and show the teacher their final sketch before moving
on to the final project.
 When ready, the students will gather their supplies and begin to finalize their artworks.
 The students will spend the remainder of class and the next class finishing their artworks.
 When finished, the students will self-assess their artwork and assess a peer’s artwork.
 At the end of the class, the teacher will invite students to share out about their artworks.

Differentiation:
 The teacher will provide verbal, written, and visual instructions.
 The teacher will share visual examples as the project progresses.
 The teacher will encourage students to participate in class discussion, but will also allow space for
individual reflection.
 The teacher will encourage small-group collaboration for the creation of ideas for “portraits”, but
will also allow students to work independently if they prefer.
 The teacher will keep images of the artworks shown up on the screen while students work for
students to engage with if they would like.
 The teacher will emphasize the room for choice students have both in deciding on the content of
their collages, as well as in media.
 The teacher will provide one on one demonstrations to students who ask for assistance in
drawing or creating certain images.
 Students may create a more abstract portrait of a person that is related to a feeling or a memory
rather than a more realistic depiction of a person.
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 Students can work together to help each other come up with ideas or refer to the teacher for
assistance.

Lesson III
Protest Poetry

STAGE I – Desired Results

Enduring Understandings
 Poetry can be used as a form of protest.
 SLAM Poetry is a vehicle to integrate passion into poetry.
 People communicate through words and word choice is critical to effectively convey the message
of the poem.
 Visual materials can enhance the understanding of poetry.

Essential Questions
 How can poetry be used as a tool for protest?
 How does the reading of poetry affect the poem and its message?
 How can the combination of poetry and imagery convey the messages/stories we want tell?

Standards Addressed
Visual Art, Grade 6
 Creating (5-6.V.Cr.01): Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. Generate artworks that
integrate ideas with new materials, methods, and approaches.
English Language Arts, Grade 6
 Reading Literature: Craft & Structure (RL.6.4): Determine the meaning of words and phrases as
they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a
specific word choices, including those that create repeated sounds and rhythms in poetry, on
meaning, tone (i.e., emotional atmosphere).
 Writing: Production and Distribution of Writing (W.6.4): Produce clear and coherent writing in
which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Learning Objectives
 Students will be able to analyze poetry and discuss the important aspects of poetry (written and
performance).
 Students will be able to draw from personal experiences and passions to inform their poem and
Zine artwork.
 Students will write use their knowledge of poetry structure to write a poem about an issue or
topic that they value.
 Students will experiment with design and negative space to compose their artworks through the
use printmaking.
 Students will create a Zine cover that emphasizes the message of their poem.
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STAGE II – Assessment Evidence

 A finished project will be a handmade Zine that includes a poem written by the student with an
accompanying cover image related to the poem. Students may also include
 A successful example of this assignment will include at least one written poem about a
contemporary issue or topic that the student is passionate. It is optional for students to also
include other poems written by other poets.
 A successful example of this assignment will also include the use of linoleum block printmaking
by the student to create their cover image. It is optional for students to also include other images
inside their Zine.

Other Evidence/Continuum of Assessments

 Students will participate in discussions about selected poetry and poems, as well as poetry
terminology, and the social impact of poetry and poems.
 Students will engage in group discussions and group brainstorming about topics for their Zines.
 Students will assist in peer editing poems for other students.
 Students will create preliminary sketches before beginning their final print, which will allow the
teacher to check for understanding.

Student examples of Zines.

Left: http://www.luckymanpress.com/teach/pages/JrSr1_1011/Zine.php
Right: http://composition.al/blog/2019/06/29/my-students-made-zines-and-so-can-yours/

STAGE III – Learning Plan

Learning Plan
Materials and Equipment:
 Sketch paper
 Pencils
 Erasers
 Linoleum blocks
 Linoleum carvers
 Printing ink
 Brayers
 Newsprint
 Printing paper
 Stapler
 Computer (for writing)
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 Pens or sharpies (for writing)

Resources:
Videos
“New Day’s Lyric” by Amanda Gorman. (Dec 31, 2021). Contemplative Interbeing. Retrieved March 14,
2022, from, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBERVCT44J4
“The Heart of a Woman” by Georgia Douglas Johnson. (Oct 6, 2020). Marco Learning. Retrieved March 14,
2022, from, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mgYRrHMKYI
What is a Zine? (Feb 8, 2019). Flipsnack. Retrieved March 14, 2022, from, https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=UYjcK1Qv7z8&t=7s
2016 NPS Finals – House Slam – Ashley Davis & Oompa “Simon Says” (Sep 19, 2016). Poetry Slam Inc.
Retrieved March 14, 2022, from, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zatHOwWBPEI

Websites
Georgia Douglas Johnson. (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2022, from
https://georgiadouglasjohnson.com/georgiadouglasjohnson/
Newmanology. Robert Newman. (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2022, from
http://www.robertnewman.com/100-years-of-powerful-crisis-magazine-covers/
Spangler, T. (2021, January 22). Poet Amanda Gorman goes from Inauguration Star to internet sensation.
Variety. Retrieved March 16, 2022, from https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/amanda-gorman-
poet-amazon-biden-inauguration-1234889368/

Poems
Johnson, G. D. The Heart of a Woman (1918). https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/52494/the-heart-
of-a-woman
Johnson, G. D. Common Dust (1962). https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/53017/common-dust
Gorman, A. New Day’s Lyric (2021). https://www.poetry.com/poem/118347/new-day%27s-lyric

The Crisis magazine covers: (Left) Aaron Douglas, September 1927, The Crisis Cover, 1927. (Center)
Raymond E. Jackson, February 1930, The Crisis Cover, 1930. (Right) Unknown Artist, May 1929, The Crisis
Cover, 1929.
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Vocabulary with Definitions:

 Protest: A public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action,
typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous
people cooperate by attending, and share the potential costs and risks of doing so.
 SLAM Poetry: A form of performance poetry that combines the elements of performance,
writing, competition, and audience participation
 Zine: A noncommercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized
and often unconventional subject matter

Instructional Overview:
 The teacher will greet the class and introduce the idea of SLAM Poetry.
 The teacher will begin a short discussion, asking:
o What is SLAM Poetry?
o What is the difference between SLAM Poetry and written poetry?
 The teacher will continue the discussion by inviting the students to turn their attention to the
screen, where the teacher will show a video of a SLAM Poetry performance. The teacher will ask
for students’ reactions to generate a discussion.
 Following the discussion, the teacher will pass out printed versions of Common Dust by Georgia
Douglas Johnson and New Day’s Lyric by Amanda Gorman. The teacher will instruct students to
silently read the poems once over and then read them over again, underlining sections that stand
out to them.(This step and the following three could also be completed beforehand in the ELA
class).
 The teacher will start a discussion about the two poems by asking:
o How are these poems different? How are they similar?
o What parts stand out most to you? Why?
o What sections do you feel you identify with?
 The teacher will then play a video of each of the poems being read aloud and, afterward, will
continue the discussion by asking students:
o How are the poems different when read aloud?
o Does the mood or feeling change? Why?
 After the discussion finishes up, the teacher will inform students about who Georgia Douglas
Johnson and Amanda Gorman are, and what they have done as poets during the Harlem
Renaissance and in contemporary culture.
 The teacher will then introduce the lesson, telling students that they will be writing a poem about
a topic they are passionate about and creating an image to accompany it.
 The teacher will inform students that they will be creating something called a Zine and will explain
to students what a Zine is.
 The teacher will show examples of The Crisis magazine covers to students, explain its history and
connection to Georgia Doulas Johnson, and ask students how they might use imagery to further
the meaning of their poem.
 The students will spend the rest of class writing their poems (This step could also be completed
beforehand in the ELA class).
 At the beginning of the second class, the teacher will let students know that they will be creating
prints for the cover of their Zine using linoleum blocks. The teacher will give a quick demo on how
to carve the linoleum block.
 The students will spend the rest of class designing their Zine cover.
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 When the student as finished their cover design sketch and had it approved by the teacher, the
student may begin carving their Zine design into the linoleum block.
 At the beginning of the second class, the teacher will give a demo for how to print an image with
the linoleum block.
 Once students have finished carving their blocks they may begin printing.
 After students have finished printing, they will add their poem to their Zine and any other
additions they would like.
 At the end of the class, the teacher will invite students to share out about their artworks.
 When the Zine is finished, students will turn it in to the teacher to be graded with a rubric.
 The teacher will invite students to make photocopies of their Zine and distribute them around the
school if they wish to do so.

Differentiation:
 The teacher will provide verbal, written, and visual instructions.
 The teacher will share visual examples as the project progresses.
 The teacher will encourage students to participate in class discussion, but will also allow space for
individual and written reflection.
 The teacher will encourage individual Zines, but will also allow students to work collaboratively to
make a larger Zine with additionally poems and imagery if they prefer.
 Students can work together to help each other come up with ideas for their poems and Zines or
refer to the teacher for assistance.
 The teacher will keep images of the artworks shown up on the screen while students work for
students to engage with if they would like.
 The teacher will keep printouts of the poems discussed in class for students to refer to if they
would like.
 The teacher will emphasize the room for choice students have both in deciding on the content of
their poems, as well as in the design of their Zine.
 Students
 The teacher will provide one on one demonstrations to students who ask for assistance in
printmaking.
 Students may also draw, paint, or collage their Zine cover design if they would prefer.
 Students may add additional images to their Zine through any chosen method of making if they
are interested in doing so.
 Students may create a more abstract Zine design that is related to their topic of choice with a
focus on emotion or mood, rather than a more realistic depiction of their issue or topic.
 Students will be encouraged to peer edit their poems, but may also refer to the teacher for
editing assistance.
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RUBRIC