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The Shaping Role of Place

“connecting  local African American History and Culture to the  American story”
Shaping Role of Place Home |    NEH Curriculum Project

The Harlem Renaissance and the American Dream
Patricia Hatch Wallace
Grade: 11
English– American Literature
Concept: The Harlem Renaissance
Purpose: To enable students to make connections between what they know and the new material that will be presented in this unit.
Rationale: Addresses Massachusetts Frameworks Standards: 2.6
Students study the Harlem Renaissance as a unit in American literature. In an attempt to allow students to make connections between Harlem Renaissance figures and other authors and characters we’ve studied, we begin by identifying a universally held notion, that of the American dream. This will allow students to call upon prior knowledge, make rational connections, explain their ideas, understand the relevance of the theme, and empathize with others.