Themes of the Harlem Renaissance

This WebQuest is designed for a ninth grade English honors class that has already read To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and been exposed to information about Jim Crow Laws, segregation and the Civil Rights movement.   I see this as both an introduction to the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and a continuation of our study of themes in literature.

The WebQuest is desgined to meet the Essential Curriculum for the Howard County, Maryland Public School System.  These standards are aligned with the Maryland Voluntary State Curriculum.

Goal 1: The student will demonstrate the ability to respond to a text by employing personal experiences and critical analysis.

Objectives: The student will

a.       Explain the implications of a text for the reader or contemporary society by: [CLG 1.2.5] (VSC 1.2.2)

·        Identifying and developing ideas and issues of a text that may have implications for readers or contemporary society

·        Identifying similarities of ideas and issues across texts.

·        Extending common ideas among print and non-print texts

     Recognizing the effects of an author's time period on the development of narrative elements

b.      Explain how common and universal experiences serve as the source of literary themes that cross time and cultures by: [1.3.5] (VSC 1.2.2)

·        Identifying the experiences, emotions, issues and ideas in texts that give rise to universal literary themes.

·        Analyzing and comparing structure and rhetoric across significant cross-cultural literary works.

Goal 4.            The student will demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively in a variety of situations with different audiences, purposes, and formats.

Objectives – The student will:

a. Explore techniques of public speaking  (VSC 5.2.2)

b.            Rehearse oral texts for effective application of diction, intonation, and rhetorical strategies, such as introductions, sequence, illustrations, and conclusions [CLG 2.2.4 (VSC 5.2.2)