The Harlem Renaissance:
Student Reflections

On the night before the play, students were asked
to reflect back upon all that they'd learned
in three months and share some of
their thoughts and feelings in a journal entry.
Here is a sample of some of their genuine thoughts.

"I loved learning about the Harlem Renaissance
because it was such an energetic time in history!"

"I loved it because I got to learn about new incredible people!
I will never forget the first time you spoke about the
Harlem Renaissance and the first time I had to perform in the play!"

"I learned a lot of things. If someone wanted to learn about
the Harlem Renaissance, I would tell then that they
would be amazed at what fantastic people they could learn about."

"I enjoyed it because it is a very interesting time in history.
I especially liked studying a person
and learning about his different qualities."

"I will never forget about the jazz that the people played.
It is fun to learn about a famous person from long ago."

"I liked it because I learned how hard it was for African Americans.
I will never forget that everyone is equal."

"I loved feeling like I was in the Harlem Renaissance.
I not only learned about my person, but everyone's person.
I loved learning Lift Every Voice and Sing and the dances.
I loved the clothes, painting in art class, and doing the play.
I will never forget all that jazz!"

"When I first heard we were studying about the Harlem Renaissance,
I never knew there were so many exciting people at that time.
I would say to someone who was studying about this topic
that it is a lot more interesting than it seems."

"I like everybody in the Harlem Renaissance.
I think it was a very important historical time.
It was a very nice place to be in at that time."

"I had so much fun learning about the Harlem Renaissance.
I loved learning that you cannot judge other people
by how they look. People worked very hard during this time."

" I liked learning about the Harlem Renaissance
because I learned about things I never knew.
My advice to others is to bring the people to life and have fun!"

"I loved it because it was fun.
I will never forget the dances and the play,
but most of all, I will never forget my teachers
who helped me put so much progress into it.
I would tell people who would like to learn about this time
in history that they have to study hard."

"The Harlem Renaissance was the most active time
I have ever learned about. I liked all of the moving.
I loved the singing, the dancing, and the poetry.
My advice to others who want to learn about it is,
'Don't think that the Harlem Renaissance is just about music
because it's not. You'll be surprised if you think that.'"

"To anyone who does not know about what to study,
my advice is to study about the Harlem Renaissance!"

The day after the play,
I treated the class to a special celebration
honoring their hard work, passion, and dedication!

Click here to learn more about it!

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