Harlem Renaissance Poetry VoiceThread Presentation
William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878) defined poetry as “the art of exciting the imagination and touching the heart by selecting and arranging symbols and thoughts.” In order to understand those symbols and thoughts and develop a deeper, richer, understanding of poetry, students were asked to interpret and visually present a poem written by a Harlem Renaissance poet for a classroom audience. The medium required to present this information was digital, which included: word processing, voice, music, art, and video. Students were required to not only make literature come alive for their classmates through their presentations, they also needed to help their audiences understand the literature selection by pointing out and explaining the various literary techniques used by the author. Students needed to decipher any confusing language. Before they presented their poems and discussed their literary value, students first needed to provide historical background for the Harlem Renaissance and a short biography of their chosen poet. Through the process of preparing the presentation, students developed mastery of all things related to their poems, i.e. the historical context of the selection, biographical influences of the author, content, and poetic devices. Students were also evaluated on their use of images, sound, transitions, music, special effects, titles, pacing, and design.
William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878) defined poetry as “the art of exciting the imagination and touching the heart by selecting and arranging symbols and thoughts.” In order to understand those symbols and thoughts and develop a deeper, richer, understanding of poetry, students were asked to interpret and visually present a poem written by a Harlem Renaissance poet for a classroom audience. The medium required to present this information was digital, which included: word processing, voice, music, art, and video. Students were required to not only make literature come alive for their classmates through their presentations, they also needed to help their audiences understand the literature selection by pointing out and explaining the various literary techniques used by the author. Students needed to decipher any confusing language. Before they presented their poems and discussed their literary value, students first needed to provide historical background for the Harlem Renaissance and a short biography of their chosen poet. Through the process of preparing the presentation, students developed mastery of all things related to their poems, i.e. the historical context of the selection, biographical influences of the author, content, and poetic devices. Students were also evaluated on their use of images, sound, transitions, music, special effects, titles, pacing, and design.