In this video from August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand the playwright discusses the influence that the blues has had on his writing. The clip also features a performance from Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and commentary from several theater scholars.

Once upon a time are four words most children are familiar with when reading a fairy tales. They are a great way to learn the literary elements of reading and writing. In this lesson, students will create their own fairy tale character using materials they will collect around the outdoor learning lab. This lesson supports all types of fairy tales and can be used with a variety of learners and readers.

Once upon a time are four words most children are familiar with when reading a fairy tales. They are a great way to learn the literary elements of reading and writing. In this lesson, students will create their own fairy tale character using materials they will collect around the outdoor learning lab. This lesson supports all types of fairy tales and can be used with a variety of learners and readers.

In this video from August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand scholars discuss Fences, the Tony Award-winning drama about a former Negro League baseball player and his family. The video features performances of two scenes from the play along with critical commentary.

Sensitive: This resource contains material that may be sensitive for some students. Teachers should exercise discretion in evaluating whether this resource is suitable for their class.

In this video from the American Masters film Ralph Ellison: An American Journey, scholars discuss the author’s ideas about jazz music. Ellison recognized jazz as an art form that represented the complexity of America’s multicultural democratic society. This resource may be used alongside Ellison’s Invisible Man, but is also well suited for use in a lesson, unit, or course on African American literature.

Sensitive: This resource contains material that may be sensitive for some students. Teachers should exercise discretion in evaluating whether this resource is suitable for their class.

In this lesson, students will understand that everybody is a writer, that writing is a tool for communication, and that it is an ongoing process.Students will create a beginning writing piece that could be made into a class book

In this video from the American Masters film Ralph Ellison: An American Journey, scholars discuss conflicts between Ralph Ellison and the leaders of the Black Arts Movement. Ellison was often criticized for prioritizing aesthetics over politics, putting him at odds with a younger generation of Black artists who had lost faith in the integrationist ideals of an earlier era.

Sensitive: This resource contains material that may be sensitive for some students. Teachers should exercise discretion in evaluating whether this resource is suitable for their class.

Students will learn about the sequencing of stories, and they will have the opportunity to retell stories using sequencing words.