I, Too, Am America Book Map by Adriene Lombardi

I, Too, Am America

Written by Langston Hughes

Illustrated by Bryan Collier

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (May 22, 2012)

• ISBN-10: 1442420081
• ISBN-13: 978-1442420083
• 
  

Book Review

Book Review (Grade K-5)

I, Too, Am America is a simple poem with an extremely powerful message.  While the text is not complex, the level of meaning and maturity is much higher and can even be stretched well into middle school.  The command of hope and equality resonate throughout the book.

"Tomorrow,

I'll be at the table

When company comes."

Bryan Collier uses the lens of a Pullman porter to show the day-to-day courage and dignity they projected in their job.  The illustrations are displayed in a patchwork/scrapbook format where Collier uses the American flag on almost every page.  As the book goes on, the flag becomes more and more prominent and visible.  The last two pages illustrate a young African-American boy looking out of his subway car with the stars and stripes draped over him.  Lastly, the boy is peeking through the flag, staring the reader in the face "I, too, am America".  Here Collier creates a metaphor where the boy is peering through the flag to an unknown future, representing the growth of our people in this country.  This book signifies and represents how far African-Americans have come in this country and how bright the future can be.

Content being taught: Poetry & Harlem Renaissance

Teaching Invitations and Ideas

Grades 2-Up

Hopes and Dreams

• After reading I, Too, invite students to reflect on their world.  They can be asked about their hopes and dreams for their future.  What in life are they “not okay with?” and “what are you going to do about it?”  Read Dreams and The Dreamcatcher both by Langston Hughes. This is a look into some of our most profound dreamers in history with analysis opportunity (Duet Model). Have students work on another comparison, focusing on I Dream a World by Langston Hughes and I Have a Dream {speech} by Martin Luther King Jr. Older students can look at the common themes that run through these pieces. All of the texts mentioned are fantastic examples of how an author recognizes flaws in the world and how they peacefully, dream of a better place for the future. 

A Look Into Harlem

• Go back in history and experience what the Harlem Renaissance was like. Sugar Hill: Harlem's Historic Neighborhood by Carole Boston Weatherford is a fantastic place to start and could serve as the core text of a Sunburst Model, setting the tone with rich illustrations and rhythmic lines. Listen to the beautiful music of the era, by Duke Ellington or Billie Holiday, create poetry and artwork that represents the movement of the Harlem Renaissance. Students create a detailed timeline with iconic images that represent the Harlem Renaissance. Represented in the PBS online series under Jim Crow Stories: The Harlem Renaissance (1917-1935) (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_harlem.html) Students could write out a skit or scene to be acted out, showing an authentic depiction of this time period after reading My People by Langston Hughes.

The Masters of Music

• Have students explore the musical pathfinders of the Harlem Renaissance. Bring in Sweet Music in Harlem by Frank Morrison and Debbie Taylor as well as Jazz by Walter Dean Myers. Students could not only focus on the importance of music, but could also conduct an artist study, analyzing the illustrations and how they represent the music they portray in the books.  Tie in Duke Ellington, the Piano Prince and His Orchestra by Andrea Pinkney. By incorporating a biographical element to the unit. Ask students to choose a favorite musician that they like and compare and contrast the characteristics of the music between their choice and Duke Ellington. 

Grades 5 and Up

Study and Analysis of Literary Devices

• After reading I, Too, and it being the core text, the Sunburst Model would work perfectly for this study of poetry. Students are exposed to the beautiful use of literary devices, with a specific focus on symbolism, metaphors and imagery. Mother to Son by Langston Hughes has a message that the majority of students can relate to; advice from their mother. The extended metaphor is powerful. Students create illustrations that go with selected lines of the poetry, a comparison, of the literal meaning and representation of the figurative language in the poems. Two other poems by Hughes, The Negro Speaks of Rivers and April Rain Song are beautifully written with lines that show the range of literary devices as well as the importance of using them to create images in the reader's’ mind. Students could triangulate their comparisons and contrasts as well as pull out the imagery and symbolism in these poems.

A Deeper Look Into Harlem 

• Go back in history and experience what the Harlem Renaissance was like. As the Harlem Renaissance as the core content area of the Solar System Model, read Harlem: A Poem and Harlem Summer both by Walter Dean Myers as well as Celeste's Harlem Renaissance by Eleanora E. Tate. Have students create a Harlem Soundtrack, incorporating music from the era, specifically pairing it up with monumental events during the time period. Ask students to explain why the musical selections pair with the events, considering historical context during a time when rich culture and an appreciation for the arts was on the rise.

A Wider View of the 1920's

• Have students take a broader look at this particular time period. Begin with the vibrant and engaging Harlem Stomp! A Cultural History of the Harlem Renaissance written by Laban Carrick Hill. Then expose students to other events that were going in during this time period. The 1920s: From Prohibition to Charles Lindbergh by Stephan Feinstein and Six Days in October: The Stock Market Crash of 1929 by Karen Blumenthal. Have students explore and research more about other writers, the first flight, invention of the TV and other fascinating topics. Explore more resources below to help your students navigate a broader scope during the Harlem Renaissance.

Further Explorations

Online Resources

Harlem Renaissance (article/video)

http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/harlem-renaissance

Famous Harlem Renaissance People 

http://www.biography.com/people/groups/movement-harlem-renaissance

America's Story from America's Library: Jump back in time, Langston Hughes

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/progress/jb_progress_hughes_1.html

Drop me off in Harlem

http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/interactives/harlem/faces/index.html

Jim Crow Stories: W.E.B DU BOIS

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_people_dubois.html

Interactive Resources

The Roaring Twenties

http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/en/keys/games/game_0_1920s

Brain Pop: Harlem Renaissance

https://www.brainpop.com/artsandmusic/musicalgenres/harlemrenaissance/

Interactive Hughes Timeline

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/americancollection/cora/hughes_timeline.html

Learn About the Harlem Renaissance http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/usa_game/harlem_renaissance/harlem_renaissance_home.htm

The Library of Congress has an extensive Harlem Renaissance artifact collection, which can be downloaded here:

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/primarysourcesets/harlem-renaissance/

The Smithsonian website also offers lots of music and primary sources for the Harlem Renaissance and various writers and musicians you noted above.

http://smithsonianeducation.org/db/search/detail.aspx?museumid=-1&supplierid=-1&pamphletcategoryid=-1&statusid=-1&mediaid=-1&KEYWORD=harlem+or+renassaince+&gradeid=-1&categoryid=-1

Book Sources

Blumenthal, K. (2002). Six days in October: The stock market crash of 1929. New York, N.Y.: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Burleigh, R., & Wimmer, M. (1991). Flight: The journey of Charles Lindbergh. New York: Philomel Books

Corrigan, J. (2010). The 1920s decade in photos: The Roaring Twenties(Library ed.). Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow.

Feinstein, S. (2001). The 1920s: From Prohibition to Charles Lindbergh. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow.

Gourley, C. (2008). Flappers and the new American woman: Perceptions of women from 1918 through the 1920s. Minneapolis, MN: Twenty-First Century Books.

Hill, L. (2003). Harlem stomp!: A cultural history of the Harlem Renaissance. New York: Little, Brown.

Hughes, L. (2006). Poetry for young people: Langston Hughes. New York: Sterling Publishing.

Hughes, L., & Smith, C. (2009). My people. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers/ginee seo Books.

Myers, W., & Myers, C. (n.d.). Harlem: A poem.

Myers, W. (2004). Here in Harlem: Poems in many voices. New York: Holiday House.

Myers, W., & Myers, C. (2006). Jazz. New York: Holiday House.

Myers, W. (2007). Harlem summer. New York: Scholastic Press.

Pinkney, A., & Pinkney, J. (n.d.). Duke Ellington: The piano prince and his orchestra.

Tate, E. (2009). Celeste's Harlem Renaissance: A novel. New York, NY: Little, Brown and.

Taylor, D., & Morrison, F. (2004). Sweet music in Harlem. New York: Lee & Low Books.

Watson, R., & Robinson, C. (n.d.). Harlem's little blackbird.

 

Weatherford, C., & Christie, R. (n.d.). Sugar Hill: Harlem's historic neighborhood.

Wintz, C. (2007). Harlem speaks: A living history of the Harlem Renaissance. Napervil, Ill: Sourcebooks.