Harlem Renaissance Research Presentation

To continue our study of the Harlem Renaissance, we will be doing a Harlem

Renaissance research project/presentation. The idea behind this is that you will choose
a small slice of the Harlem Renaissance, explore it, find a story within it, and then share
it with your classmates.

This project will have both written and presentation components. The written
component should be a detailed, well-written, and in-depth examination of your topic. It
should include all key facts, have thoughtful organization, and be based around a
central idea. It should be between 3-4 pages.

The presentation will be a 2-3 minute presentation where you introduce the class to
your topic. This should be smooth, well-rehearsed, and organized. It also should have
a compelling visual medium that the presentation is expressed through.

This whole assignment is worth 150 points, 100 points for the paper; 50 points for the
presentation.

While any aspect of the Harlem Renaissance that interests you is fair game, the
following are some potential topics. When you know the topic that you want to do,
please let me know as soon as possible, as there will only be one person doing each
topic.

Major writers: Major Musicians

Claude McKay Duke Ellington
Langston Hughes Count Basie
Zora Neale Hurston Fats Waller
Wallace Thurman Roland Hayes
Jean Toomer Billie Holiday
Nella Larsen Ella Fitzgerald
Jessie Redmon Faucet Sarah Vaughn
Alain Locke Chick Webb
Arna Bontemps Bessie Smith
Gwendolyn Bennett Louis Armstrong
Sterling Brown Gladys Bentley
James Weldon Johnson Cab Calloway
Art: Politics / Activism:
Aaron Douglas Hubert Harrison, Liberty League, The Voice
Jacob Lawrence W. E. B. Du Bois
James VanDerZee Marcus Garvey
Augusta Savage A. Philip Randolph
Palmer Hayden The Crisis
The New Negro
Theater/Film
Harlem Sites
Paul Robeson Cotton Club
Bill Bojangles Robinson Savoy Ballroom
Shuffle Along Apollo Theater
Josephine Baker
Oscar Micheaux

Other Options

Fashion of the Harlem Renaissance

Dances of the Harlem Renaissance
The beginning of the Harlem Globetrotters
Or whatever you can find
 Harlem Renaissance Research Project Part I: The Paper

Criterion Points Possible Points Earned

Research (10 points)

Sources: Is it from reputable sources? 5 __________

Is it cited correctly? 5 __________

Grammar and Writing Quality (20 points)

Grammar: Is the grammar correct? Are there punctuation,

paragraph, or other errors? 10 __________

Writing Quality: The writing has all the components of strong

writing (limited to be, sentence length variation, parallelism,
interesting word choice, etc.) 10 __________

Content (45 points)

Intro and Conclusion: Does it engage the reader from the start?
Does it end in a way that makes it feel complete? 10 __________

Organization and Transitions: Is it based around a central idea?

Does each paragraph follow the topic set up by the topic
sentence? Is all the information is presented in a thoughtful and
orderly way? Are there any sudden transitions? 15 __________

Interest: Is it full of interesting information? Do I want to

keep reading? Does it otherwise stand out? 20 __________

Total 75 __________

 Harlem Renaissance Research Project Part II: The Presentation

Criterion Points Possible Points Earned

Visual (20 points)

The visual component is clear, contains key information,

and contains the elements of engaging presentations. 20 __________

Content (25 points)

Organization: The presentation is clearly organized in a

thoughtful way. 10 __________

Interest: You chose the most interesting information about

your topic. 10 __________

Wording: The presentation is thoughtful in its wording and

language usage 5 __________

Performance (25 points)

Fluidity: Your performance is fluid, engaging, and meets

the performance expectations. You look at the audience and
not your slides. 10 __________

Wow Factor: Your performance stands out in some sort of way

You do something to engage the audience. 10 __________

Practice: Your performance is clearly well practiced. 10 __________

Total 75 __________