Unit 3
​
History of Racial Injustice in the United States

reading and Writing Workshop

Essay Prompts

Unit Plan

The Great Migration, Harlem Renaissance, and Civil Rights Era

Activities

Teaching with E.L.O.N.  (Enriched Learning Opportunity Nexus) that seamlessly integrates AI 

Unit 3:
Essential Question:
How did African American migration, cultural expression, and resistance challenge and reshape systems of racial injustice in the 20th century?

Week 1: The Great Migration and Urbanization
Topics:

• Causes and consequences of the Great Migration
• Northern urbanization and segregation
• Labor opportunities and racial tensions

Key Texts/Resources:

• Excerpts from The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson (Preview or request excerpts)
  Preview: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/184238/the-warmth-of-other-suns-by-isabel-wilkerson/
• Primary Source: First-hand accounts of migration from Library of Congress' "Voices from the Great Migration"
  https://www.loc.gov/collections/voices-remembering-slavery/about-this-collection/
• Historical Maps: Migration routes and urban population growth
  https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3701gm.gct00151/

Activities:

• Document Analysis: First-hand accounts—motivations for migration
• Map Analysis: Track major migration patterns and annotate changes in urban demographics
• Class Discussion: Compare opportunities and challenges in Northern cities

Week 2: The Harlem Renaissance and Black Cultural ExpressionTopics:

• Harlem Renaissance: art, music, literature, and politics
• The role of cultural expression in challenging racial stereotypes
• Intersection of art and activism

Key Texts/Resources:

• Poems by Langston Hughes (public domain)
  Full text: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/langston-hughes
• Artwork by Aaron Douglas (public domain images)
  https://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?q=Aaron+Douglas
• Primary Source: Excerpts from The Crisis (NAACP magazine)
  Archive: https://www.modjourn.org/journal/crisis/

Activities:

• Art and Poetry Analysis: Examine themes in Hughes’ poetry and Douglas’ artwork
• Creative Response: Write a poem or create artwork inspired by Harlem Renaissance motifs
• Discussion: How did Black artists redefine identity and resist racial injustice?

Week 3: Segregation, Lynching, and Resistance
Topics:

• Jim Crow laws and systemic segregation
• Anti-lynching activism (Ida B. Wells and others)
• Forms of resistance and resilience in the early 20th century

Key Texts/Resources:

• Primary Source: Excerpts from Ida B. Wells' Southern Horrors (1892)
  Full text: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14975
• Anti-Lynching Maps and NAACP Campaign Materials
  https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/naacp/the-naacp-crusade-against-lynching.html
• Photographs: Lynchings and anti-lynching protests (Library of Congress)
  https://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?q=lynching

Activities:

• Source Analysis: Analyze Wells’ writing and NAACP materials—what strategies of resistance are evident?
• Gallery Walk: Curate an exhibit of anti-lynching visuals with student annotations
• Exit Ticket: Reflection on the emotional and historical impact of resistance efforts

Week 4: Civil Rights Movement
​Topics:

• Legal and grassroots challenges to segregation
• Key events: Brown v. Board, Montgomery Bus Boycott, Freedom Rides, March on Washington
• The power of nonviolent protest and rhetoric

Key Texts/Resources:

• Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963)
  Full text: https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html
• Excerpts from James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time (1963)
  Preview: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/8383/the-fire-next-time-by-james-baldwin/
• Primary Source Photographs: SNCC and NAACP archives (Civil Rights Movement)
  https://snccdigital.org/ & https://www.loc.gov/collections/naacp-photographs

Activities:

• Socratic Seminar: Analyze and discuss Letter from Birmingham Jail
• Visual Analysis: Study Civil Rights photographs—how do images tell a story of resistance?
• Creative Project: Create a multimedia timeline of Civil Rights events with key figures and milestones
• Summative Assessment: Write an argumentative essay: "How did African American resistance shape racial justice in the 20th century?"

Ongoing Unit Components:

• Weekly Reflection Journals: Students connect historical resistance movements to contemporary racial justice efforts.
• Vocabulary Building: Great Migration, Harlem Renaissance, Jim Crow, nonviolent protest, cultural resistance, civil disobedience.

​The following activities include AI tools that enhance student engagement, provide data-driven insights, and facilitate personalized learning. 
Week 1: The Great Migration and Urbanization
Individual Activity: AI-Powered Oral History Creation

• Task: Students will use AI tools to simulate interviews with fictional characters representing migrants from the Great Migration.
• AI Tools:
  • ChatGPT or Character.AI: Students input historical details (e.g., a family migrating from Mississippi to Chicago) and engage in AI-generated conversations to learn about the character’s motivations, struggles, and hopes.
  • Descript or Synthesia: Turn text-based interviews into AI-generated audio or video "interviews."

Group Activity: AI Map and Data Visualization

• Task: Students will use AI-assisted mapping tools to create an annotated digital map of migration routes.
• AI Tools:
  • Google Earth + AI data layers (via Flourish or Tableau AI integration): Map key cities, migration patterns, and urban demographic shifts.
  • ChatGPT or Claude: Help generate captions and historical summaries for each map point.

Week 2: The Harlem Renaissance and Black Cultural Expression
Individual Activity: AI Poetry Workshop

• Task: Students will use AI to co-create a Harlem Renaissance-style poem inspired by Langston Hughes.
• AI Tools:
  • ChatGPT (creative writing mode): Collaborate with AI to draft poems using motifs and styles from Hughes' works.
  • QuillBot: Refine poetic structure and diction.
  • Canva AI or Adobe Firefly: Design visual presentations of their poems with AI-generated Harlem Renaissance-inspired imagery.

Group Activity: AI-Curated Virtual Harlem Renaissance Gallery

• Task: Students curate an online art exhibit featuring AI-enhanced or AI-generated art pieces in the style of Aaron Douglas, Augusta Savage, and other artists.
• AI Tools:
  • DALL·E or MidJourney: Generate original artwork inspired by Harlem Renaissance aesthetics.
  • Google Sites + ChatGPT: Create an AI-assisted virtual gallery with AI-generated captions and contextual explanations.

Week 3: Segregation, Lynching, and Resistance
Individual Activity: AI-Enhanced Primary Source Analysis

• Task: Students analyze excerpts from Ida B. Wells' Southern Horrors with the aid of AI text analysis.
• AI Tools:
  • ChatGPT or Perplexity: Summarize, annotate, and contextualize Wells’ writings, highlighting themes of resistance.
  • Voyant Tools (AI text-mining tool): Conduct keyword frequency analysis and word cloud generation to visualize rhetorical patterns.

Group Activity: AI-Powered Debate Preparation

• Task: Teams prepare for a debate on anti-lynching activism vs. federal government inaction.
• AI Tools:
  • ChatGPT: Role-play historical figures (e.g., Ida B. Wells, NAACP lawyers, federal officials) to simulate interviews.
  • Kialo Edu (AI-assisted debate platform): Structure arguments, counterarguments, and supporting evidence.

Week 4: Civil Rights Movement
Individual Activity: AI Speechwriting Challenge

• Task: Students will use AI to draft speeches inspired by Civil Rights leaders, blending MLK's rhetorical style with their own voice.
• AI Tools:
  • ChatGPT (prompted for rhetorical style): Co-write a speech in the tradition of MLK or James Baldwin.
  • Murf AI or Synthesia: Create voice-over or avatar-delivered versions of the speech for classroom presentations.

Group Activity: AI-Generated Multimedia Timeline

• Task: Groups create an interactive AI-powered timeline of key Civil Rights events.
• AI Tools:
  • TimelineJS + ChatGPT: Students collaborate to input event details; AI helps draft event descriptions and reflections.
  • Canva AI or Adobe Firefly: Design custom visuals for each timeline entry.
  • Lumen5: Create short AI-generated video summaries of major events (e.g., Montgomery Bus Boycott).

Bonus Cross-Unit AI Activity:
​AI-Powered Socratic Seminar Prep

• Task: Prior to the Socratic seminar on Letter from Birmingham Jail, students use AI to simulate discussions with MLK’s historical persona.
• AI Tools:
  • ChatGPT (historical roleplay mode) or Character.AI: Students ask questions and receive AI-generated responses in the voice of MLK.
  • Otter.ai or Fireflies.ai: Record, transcribe, and highlight key points for seminar preparation.