Archived exhibition reveals how European writers and mapmakers thought about America during the Age of Discovery. Describes the allegorical images Europeans sometimes used to portray America and features the Gutierrez map, drawn in 1562, which is full of depictions of giants, cannibals, mermaids, monkeys, and sea monsters.

This site, created by Deidre Johnson, provides information on series reading about girls in the 19th century. You can find information about noted authors of these series, such as Jacob Abbott and Sophie May, and many selections from 19th century series books. A very interesting site.

Students begin the unit exploring collaboration in the Harlem Renaissance, noting how the Harlem Renaissance was an explosion and confluence of art, music, and literature. Throughout the first half of the unit, students explore literary texts, and the art and music they inspired, to develop their ability to compare and contrast these versions and analyze the effects of techniques unique to each medium and note thematic connections. First, students examine scenes and songs from the iconic Broadway musical Shuffle Along. They experience this celebratory text, which transformed American musical theater and was created through the collaboration of Eubie Blake, Noble Sissle, F. E. Miller, and Aubrey Lyles. Students analyze the text’s literary techniques, including figurative language such as allusion and metaphor. Next, students analyze the songs’ musical techniques—volume, tone, and tempo—noting how the musical and textual techniques affect meaning and develop themes such as love persevering through tough times. For the mid-unit assessment, students examine the thematic connections between the poem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by James Weldon Johnson and the song and sculpture inspired by the text. Students compare the different versions, analyzing the effects of the techniques unique to each medium and how they develop themes around how black Americans collaborate to survive, thrive, and create art.

In the second half of the unit, students continue exploring Harlem Renaissance literature by analyzing poems that develop themes about drawing strength from the past and persevering to achieve dreams. First, students analyze “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” by Langston Hughes, learning how the structure and figurative language develops themes about black Americans connecting to and drawing strength from their African roots. Next, students analyze the poems “Calling Dreams” and “Hope” by Georgia Douglas Johnson, noting how she uses more formal structures and figurative language to develop themes about black Americans achieving their goals despite great obstacles. For the end of unit assessment, student learning is assessed with selected and constructed response questions about the structure, language, and themes in Claude McKay’s “I Shall Return.” Finally, students compare McKay’s poem to artwork by Meta Warrick Fuller and Winold Reiss for thematic connections around drawing strength from and longing for home or Africa. The unit concludes with a collaborative discussion about how all the poems and artwork examined in the unit relate thematically.

Can we “find fuel for the future in the past”? Poet Nikki Grimes asks this question in her poem “Emergency Measures,” the first in her collection One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance. As Grimes does in her book, students will spend the module pondering the wisdom from works created during the Harlem Renaissance. First students will explore scenes and songs from a play, poems, and artwork to experience the explosion of creativity and ideas of collaboration and innovation. Then students examine political artwork and cartoons, informative articles, and short stories to explore the social and political context of the Harlem Renaissance. Finally, students explore the legacy of the Harlem Renaissance, turning back to Nikki Grimes and her collection of poems crafted with lines from Harlem Renaissance poets. Students consider whether they and contemporary writers, singers, and musicians truly can “find fuel for the future in the past.”

In Unit 1, students explore collaboration in the Harlem Renaissance, noting how the Harlem Renaissance was an explosion and confluence of art, music, and literature. Students first examine scenes and songs from the Broadway musical Shuffle Along, experiencing this celebratory text that transformed American musical theater and was created through the collaboration of Eubie Blake, Noble Sissle, F. E. Miller, and Aubrey Lyles. Students analyze how the musical and textual techniques in the play affect meaning and develop themes such as love persevering through tough times. Similarly, students explore the thematic connections of triumph over hardships in the poem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by James Weldon Johnson and the song and sculpture inspired by the text. Students then analyze iconic poems such as “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” by Langston Hughes, “Calling Dreams” and “Hope” by Georgia Douglas Johnson, and Claude McKay’s “I Shall Return.” In each of these poems, students analyze the structure, figurative language, and themes such as drawing strength from the past and overcoming adversity to fulfill one’s dreams. Students conclude their exploration of collaboration and cultural confluence in a collaborative discussion comparing McKay’s poem to artwork by Meta Warrick Fuller and Winold Reiss for thematic connections around drawing strength from and longing for home or Africa.

In Unit 2, students explore the social and political context of the Harlem Renaissance by reading short informational texts and examining visual art. Students learn how the Harlem Renaissance occurred during the era of the Great Migration, Jim Crow laws, and the racial violence of post-Civil War America. They then read two short stories, “His Motto” by Lottie Burrell Dixon and “The Boy and the Bayonet” by Paul Laurence Dunbar, analyzing point of view and the interactions between story elements, such as character, plot, and setting. Additionally, students discuss how both stories develop themes about working hard to achieve dreams and how community helps to bring out our best selves. Students continue their exploration of the Harlem Renaissance context by engaging with literary argument writing. Students examine a model literary argument essay then write pair and independent essays, discussing how three pieces of work from the Harlem Renaissance are connected by themes such as looking to the past for strength, collaboration and community to bring out one’s best self, and dreams giving life meaning and purpose.

In Unit 3, students explore the contemporary legacy of the Harlem Renaissance by examining short informational and literary texts, visual art, and performances to further develop their sense of how the Harlem Renaissance continues to impact us today. To develop their background knowledge about this legacy, students analyze Nikki Grimes’ poem “Emergency Measures,” original artwork associated with the poem, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s ballet, “Uptown,” which was inspired by the people, places, art, music, and writing of the Harlem Renaissance. Then students study several of Nikki Grimes’ poems in conjunction with the poetry of the Harlem Renaissance, learning how Grimes uses lines from poets such as Langston Hughes and Georgia Douglas Johnson to create her own poems which develop themes similar to those of the Harlem Renaissance but in a contemporary context. Students continue their exploration of the legacy of the Harlem Renaissance by creating a museum exhibit, which includes three pieces from the Harlem Renaissance and one contemporary piece that they have studied or created themselves. Students write a curator’s statement explaining how the works are connected by theme and create labels discussing the details of structure, language, and theme in each piece. Students practice and revise the presentation of their curator’s statements and labels preparing for the Harlem Renaissance museum, in which students contribute to making a better world by sharing these important works with their community.

This site provides links to literature about the environment. They offer publications, programs, conferences, and events that explore the topic of literature and environment.

Given that teachers often have too much to teach and too little time, teacher Dana Dusbiber suggests an alternative approach to teaching literature for secondary ELLs: the introduction of more multicultural literature in the classroom.

This collection uses primary sources to explore The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.

In this unit, students will become familiar with fables and trickster tales from different cultural traditions and will see how stories change when transferred orally between generations and cultures. They will learn how both types of folktales employ various animals in different ways to portray human strengths and weaknesses and to pass down wisdom from one generation to the next. Use the following lessons to introduce students to world folklore and to explore how folktales convey the perspectives of different world cultures.

Very unique site that presents Aesop's Fables with traditional and modern pictures. Pictures are created by art students at University of Massachusetts Amherst. There is an index to search by individual stories.

This online book presents an overview of American literature chronologically. Eras and movements are explained and biographies of significant authors are provided. This is a good way to understand the background and influences of literary periods before stepping into the literature itself. Requires Adobe Reader. [PDF] RL.11-12.9 18,19,20th Cent. Amer Lit

Full text and search engine for the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, in which the history of Britain, from the 1st Century to the 12th, is rendered by scribes. Translated into modern English.

This site gives a thorough biography of Defoe. It includes quotes from his writing and information about his most important works.

A biography of Gordimer which focuses on her writing. Includes a bibliography of her works.

A biography of African poet Okot p'Bitek. Discusses some of his accomplishments and the topics of his poems.

This essay describes the influences and work of Nobel Prize winner, Vicente Aleixandre.

Collection of children's books online. Some of the books are "Talking books," and children can create their own story by using Adlib and even have the story read back to them.

Describes the beginnings of American poetry, beginning with a publication in 1610. Click through the 18 sections to get the full picture. Extracted from The Cambridge History of English and American Literature.

Discussion of the earliest poetry in Colonial New England. Describes common themes and forms and identifies specific poets of the period.

An article on Bessie Head which gives biographical information as well as a good discussion on her writing.