Harlem Renaissance by Danica Ward

When you are planning instruction for your students, first think about the learning goals of the lesson and the overall unit.  One benefit of using the Backwards Design Approach is that it continually encourages the instructor to establish the purpose of doing something before implementing it into the curriculum (Bowen, 2017).  I learned this early on in my career, from a colleague, and since then I often refer to “Backward Design” because it helps me focus on purposeful goals that include what I want my students to know when they complete a unit or task. First, I consider the learning goals and the needs of my students. Second, I align them with appropriate standards and search through classroom resources for content to support these learning goals. Students in class were challenged by referring to logical text details in order to explain their reasoning. As a result, I made a decision to integrate this standard into our reading and writing practice during our Literacy block. 

Learning resources are determined by going through the classroom library and looking for specific genres and book sets to support students on understanding this topic. Students also have access to laptops and we are able to watch short videos or documentaries to learn more about a specific topic such as the Harlem Renaissance. I use the HILL framework because it supports me in being an inclusive and empathetic teacher. The ingredients of the HILL framework are as follows: 

Skills: What do students need to practice getting better at?

Identity: How will students see themselves in this lesson?

Intellectualism: What topic will students become smarter about?

Criticality: How will this content help students think and respond to social injustices around them?

Joy: How will students experience happiness during this lesson?

Black history is American history. The Harlem Renaissance is important to us because our school is also located in Harlem. The Harlem Renaissance is also important because the rebirth of Harlem impacted people throughout the world. Our music, our art, our people did that. It is our social responsibility as educators to shine a light on truth. I am experiencing some of the same emotions as my students as we learn: pride, awe, and empowerment as we become stronger together.

References

Bowen, R. S.  (2017). Understanding by Design. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching.

Retrieved June 4, 2021 from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/understanding-by-design/.

Muhammad, G. (2019) Cultivating Genius

Please click lesson to access the instructional plan for Harlem Renaissance