Beth Anderson, Children's Writer

Sharing the past can inspire the future! In her new book, author Melissa Mwai gives young readers a peek into the Harlem Renaissance, and in this post, she shares three activities for the classroom to build understanding of the time, make use of nonfiction text features, and extend learning.

Leave a comment below to get in on the GIVEAWAY: One 30-minute AMA (for authors/illustrators) or one 30-minute virtual school visit with a signed book (for educators).

Congratulations to Laura Roettiger, winner of THE LITTLE RED CHAIR from Cathy Ogren! 

Harnessing the History of the Harlem Renaissance 

By Melissa H. Mwai

The 1920s is a fascinating era in American history. It conjures images of flappers dancing, jazz, and young soldiers coming off the tails of what they assumed would be the only World War. As an elementary-aged child, a native New Yorker, and a brown-skinned girl, I had no idea that Black culture in Harlem flourished during the 1920s, too. There’s something powerful about learning about the historic successes of a people (rather than just a group’s struggles) that uplifts the spirit that I hoped to capture in the HARLEM RENNAISSANCE (DK, July 2024) non-fiction children’s book. This Level 3 Super Readers book is suggested for age 8-10 with a 790L Lexile. This book is jam-packed with information to encourage browsable reading sessions, spark curiosity, and introduce readers to this exciting time in Harlem’s history.

Here are few ways teachers, librarians, and homeschooling parents can use the HARLEM RENAISSANCE early reader with their young learners:

Make a Timeline

Now that your students have some background context on the Harlem Renaissance, having an activity like creating a timeline is a fun way to encourage them to go back to the text. Depending upon your students’ level of interest, they can really dig into this project. As a kid, I adored creating the timelines that you rolled up like scrolls or had pages to flip through. Encourage your learner to choose a set number of facts or focus on a specific chapter to timeline from HARLEM RENAISSANCE. If this is a class assignment where you are having the learners present to each other or make a poster board, they could drill into the different cultural areas like politics (see chapter: Changes Coming to Harlem chapter) or art, literature, music, fashion, and sports (see chapter: Culture Blooms in Harlem). Check out this amazing resource by The Owl Teacher for engaging timeline ideas. If you are going digital, the kids can make a timeline with whatever programs they have access to.

Fun Facts Everywhere

Whether you are reading the profiles, sidebars, captions, or facts, there is so much to learn. One of my favorite facts of the book is about the singer and spy, Josephine Baker. I knew she had served in the French military, but I didn’t know she passed on secret messages in her music with invisible ink! Ask your students to explore each part of the book and find 3-5 fun Harlem Renaissance facts to share with a friend. This activity could be included as part of a letter writing unit, with illustrations for a book review, or a history presentation.

Asking Questions

The two decades around the Harlem Renaissance has so much rich information to explore. One way to encourage your reader to build upon the knowledge they learned in the HARLEM RENAISSANCE book is to keep a list of questions they have to look up later. Perhaps they want to learn more about the Harlem Rens, to listen to Bessie Smith, or check out the stunning photos by James Van Der Zee. Some additional books on similar topics include: TAKE A PICTURE OF ME,  MR. VAN DER ZEE by Andrea J. Loney and Keith Mallett. SCHOMBURG: THE MAN WHO BUILT A LIBRARY by Carole Boston Weatherford and Eric Velasquez. LEGACY: WOMEN POETS OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE by Nikki Grimes. Additional resources include: Harlem Renaissance Picture Books (2016), PBS Learning Media: Aaron Douglas’s Murals, MOMA series: Jacob Lawrence and the Great Migration, and the Schomburg Center’s Harlem Renaissance Library Guides.

As a bonus, you could share your students’ creative works or questions with me at melissamwaibooks(at)gmail(dot)com.

Don’t forget to leave a comment below to be included in the GIVEAWAY drawing for: one 30-minute AMA (for authors/illustrators) or one 30-minute virtual school visit with a signed book (for educators) [Book to US addresses only, please. Winner announced 7/26/24]

If you enjoy a book, please support authors and illustrators by taking a moment to leave reviews online. 😀

BIO:

Melissa H. Mwai is the author of HARLEM RENAISSANCE (July, ’24), A PUERTO RICAN CHILDHOOD (April, ’24), STACEY ABRAMS (Nat Geo Kids, ‘22) and a contributing author/illustrator of GNOME AND UNGNOMES: Poems of Hidden Creatures (Writers’ Loft, ‘23). When Melissa’s not falling down research rabbit holes, she spends her time playing board games with her husband and two kids. To learn more about her upcoming books, visit melissamwai.com.