When I taught middle and high school English, one of my favorite writers to introduce to students was Langston Hughes. His works are beautiful and powerful but also accessible; students are able to find meaning in his words and relate to many of the themes and ideas. In addition, his works really lend themselves to lessons on figurative language and other literary devices, as well as to interdisciplinary lessons on the Harlem Renaissance and other historical events.In honor of Hughes's birthday (this past Monday, February 1st) and African American History Month, I'd like to share some of my favorite Langston Hughes teaching ideas. These ideas are from a variety of sources—Amsco’s excellent ELA materials, my own teaching days, and the wealth of lesson plan sites online.
Lessons on Hughes’s Poetry
1. Analyzing the Metaphors in “Dreams"
In this lesson from the NCTE’s ReadWriteThink, students identify and explore the metaphors in Hughes’s poem “Dreams” and then use new metaphors to compose their own poems. I'm a big fan of this lesson because "Dreams" is probably my favorite Hughes poems. (In a close second is “Mother to Son.") “Dreams” is great for teaching metaphors and also for read-aloud practice, since it’s short and easy to memorize and recite—and it’s quite powerful when read out loud. I still remember it from my high school days.
2. Walt Whitman to Langston Hughes: Poems for a Democracy
This lesson, from the National Endowment for the Humanities’s EdSiteMent, has students compare and contrast Walt Whitman's "I Hear America Singing" with Hughes's "Let America be America Again."
3. Exploring American Themes in Hughes’s Poetry
Amsco’s Poems: American Themes contains three poems of Hughes (“Dream Variation,” “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” and “Too Blue”), along with study questions, writing activities, and music connections. Have students read the three poems and compare and contrast the themes and ideas in each one, in a discussion and then in writing.
4. The Poet's Voice: Langston Hughes and You
This is an EdSiteMent lesson that use Hughes’s poems to teach voice (often a challenging concept to teach).
5. A Harlem Renaissance Retrospective: Connecting Art, Music, Dance, and Poetry
This ReadWriteThink lesson has students collect, compare, and synthesize information about the Harlem Renaissance from a variety of sources.
6. Using “April Rain Song” to Explore Language
When I student-taught at Bank Street, my supervising teacher did a cool lesson where she took some of the adjectives out of Hughes’s “April Rain Song” and had students fill in the blanks with adjectives they thought would be appropriate and that reflect their own feelings about rain. This MAD-LIBS style lesson is fun and great for teaching word choice and the power of sharp, specific adjectives.
7. The Music in Poetry
This is a lesson from the Smithsonian that has students look at the blues rhythms of Hughes’s poetry and the ballad forms of poems from writers like William Wordsworth and Emily Dickinson.
8. Langston Hughes and the Blues
This lesson from The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has students examine how the blues influenced Hughes’s poetry.
The lessons above are all about Hughes’s poetry, and yes, his poetry is amazing, but don’t forget his other works, too! Here are some ideas for teaching his short stories.
Lessons on Hughes’s Stories
1. "Crispus Attucks"
Amsco’s Currents in Literature, American Volume includes the Hughes story “Crispus Attucks: Martyr for American Independence,” about the Boston Massacre preceding the American Revolution. Students read the story and answer a variety of short- and long-answer questions to explore themes of freedom and opportunity.
2. "Thank You, M'am"
Amsco’s The Reader as Detective, Level C contains the wonderful Hughes story “Thank You M’am.” Students read the story and work as detectives to predict what will happen and to identify literary devices.
3. "Cora Unashamed"
Check out this PBS site with info on Hughes’s story “Cora Unashamed” and the Masterpiece Theater film version of the story.
Good luck and have fun!
Lauren
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