AP African American Studies Reading and Writing Workshop

The Harlem Renaissance and African American Cultural Flourishing
The Harlem Renaissance, Cultural Expression & the RAP Poetry Connection
Total Sessions: 6–8 (flexible)
Workshop Format: Collaborative groups, rotating stations, creative production, SAQ/DBQ writing, and performance-based learning.
Begin by playing Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong and then Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday.  Provide the words to both on a handout or the whiteboard.  Compare the difference in perception between these works.  Was everything bad for African Americans?  Was everything good?  
PUBLIC DOMAIN TEXTS & COMPLETE URLS
Langston Hughes (public domain) W.E.B. Du Bois Zora Neale Hurston
(Pre-1927 short works are public domain; Their Eyes Were Watching God is NOT.)
Use instead the following PD essay: Countee Cullen (public domain) Claude McKay (public domain) Harlem Renaissance Magazines Visual Art (public domain) Music (public domain recordings)SESSION 1 – “What Was the Harlem Renaissance?”
Interactive Gallery Walk & Group Warm-Up**
1. Gallery Walk Stations
(Post printed images + QR codes to readings)
Stations include:
  • Aaron Douglas artwork
  • Excerpts from The Crisis
  • Early Duke Ellington recordings
  • Quotes from Hughes, Hurston, Du Bois
Task (Groups of 3–4):
  • At each station, complete a “3-2-1 Quick Capture”
    • 3 observations
    • 2 questions
    • 1 thing that surprised you
2. Whole Group Synthesis
Prompt:
“What conditions allowed Black cultural expression to flourish in the 1920s?”
SESSION 2 – Group Close Reading
Poetry Circles: Voice, Resistance & Identity**
Texts
  • Hughes – Mother to Son
  • Hughes – The Negro Speaks of Rivers
  • McKay – If We Must Die
  • Cullen – Yet Do I Marvel
Group Roles
  • Context Specialist – places the poem historically
  • Language Detective – tracks diction, images
  • Theme Tracker – identifies message
  • Performer – reads aloud dramatically
Tasks
  1. Groups annotate digitally or on chart paper.
  2. Each group performs their poem aloud.
  3. Audience responds using:
    “What line struck you and why?”
SESSION 3 – Du Bois & Hurston
Debate: What Should Black Art Do?**
Readings
  • W.E.B. Du Bois – Criteria of Negro Art
  • Zora Neale Hurston – How It Feels to Be Colored Me
Group Simulation: The 1926 Harlem Arts Council Debate
Assign groups roles:
  • Du Bois – art must uplift the race
  • Hurston – art should be free, joyful, individual
  • Hughes – art must reflect everyday Black life
  • Opportunity editors – seek balance
  • The Crisis editors – political commitment
Debate Question:
“Is the purpose of art racial uplift or personal expression?”
Output:
Groups write a 1-paragraph position statement using evidence from readings.
SESSION 4 – Reading Harlem Through Documents
Collaborative DBQ Lab**
DBQ Prompt
Using the provided sources, analyze how Harlem Renaissance literature and art challenged racial stereotypes and reshaped national perceptions of African Americans.
Documents (all PD)
  • Hughes poem
  • Hurston essay
  • Du Bois excerpt
  • Aaron Douglas artwork
  • The Crisis article
Group DBQ Tasks
  1. Document Bucketing (identity, resistance, beauty, modernity).
  2. Thesis Throwdown – groups create 1 thesis, rotate papers, improve them.
  3. Evidence Lines – each student writes 2–3 evidence sentences with citations.
SESSION 5 – SAQs
Collaborative Reading for Evidence**
SAQs (Groups rotate through stations)
  1. Explain the role of The Crisis in shaping Harlem Renaissance thought.
  2. Analyze ONE Hughes poem to show how it connects African American history to a global story.
  3. How did jazz music contribute to cultural identity during the Harlem Renaissance?
Group Coaching Protocol
  • Students draft responses
  • Swap with another group
  • Use the AP SAQ Checklist to score and revise
SESSION 6 – RAP AS POETRY
The Living Legacy of the Harlem Renaissance**
Purpose
Show students how rhyme, rhythm, imagery, protest, identity, and storytelling in African American poetry directly connect Harlem → Hip Hop.
Readings (Public Domain)
Use Harlem works already listed.
Compare with RAP (Teacher-provided excerpts)
(Cannot provide full copyrighted lyrics. Teacher selects short excerpts for educational fair use.)
Suggested artists/themes:
  • Kendrick Lamar – modern protest poetry
  • Tupac Shakur – personal narrative & racial identity
  • Lauryn Hill – spirituality & empowerment
  • Common – social consciousness
Group Activity: “Poetry DNA Analysis”
Groups compare:
  • Langston Hughes stanza
  • McKay line
  • Short RAP excerpt
Groups track:
  • Rhythm / beat
  • Imagery
  • Themes of resistance
  • Voice & identity
  • Repetition / flow
  • Cultural commentary
Output:
Each group produces a “Harlem → Hip Hop Bridge Chart” and presents how RAP continues themes like:
  • double consciousness
  • racial pride
  • survival
  • social critique
  • community uplift
  • Black joy
Optional Performance Task
Create a 16–line RAP verse or spoken word piece inspired by:
  • Hughes’s tone
  • Hurston’s individuality
  • McKay’s resistance
Students may use apps like Chrome Music Lab – Song Maker to create beats.
SESSION 7 – Writing Workshop & Peer Review
Tasks
  • Students outline DBQ or argumentative essay
  • Peer-review in groups using DBQ rubric
  • Mini-workshop on revising:
    • claims
    • sourcing
    • contextualization
    • complexity
SESSION 8 – Reflection & Publishing Day
Whole Group Reflection Circle
Prompt:
“What modern cultural movement most resembles the Harlem Renaissance and why?”
Exit Ticket
“Which piece—poem, visual art, music, RAP—most impacted your understanding of Black creativity?”
ASSESSMENT OPTIONS
  • Participation in gallery, debate, and RAP workshop
  • SAQ responses
  • DBQ with thesis, evidence, and complexity
  • Creative performance piece
  • Presentation of Harlem → Hip Hop Bridge Chart
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