A study of the black "stranger" in the literature of the United States, this unit focuses on the poetry and prose of Langston Hughes. His black characters are contrasted to those created by white authors like Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe.
79.01.08
This unit compares and contrasts the theme of alienation in the poetry of T.S. Eliot and LeRoi Jones, as well as providing short biographies of each poet. "The Waste Land" and "Preface to a Twenty-Volume Suicide Note" are discussed in detail.
79.02.02
Tracing the journey to the United States of Eastern European Jews from 1850-1925, this unit describes the up and down process of immigrant assimilation. Activities for students include writing a diary entry, a letter, and a newspaper story, and the viewing of the film, The Inheritance.
79.02.03
Focusing on student protest of the 1960s, especially against war and racism, this unit contains four sections: background, youth "counterculture" (with a look at hair styles), specific episodes, and consequences. Helpful in guiding students to their own definition of culture. Unit includes two sample lessons, an annotated bibliography, and a list of resources including yearbooks from the sixties of Lee High School in New Haven
79.02.04
Focusing on anti-black violence in the United States from the 1880s to the 1950s, this unit covers three major areas: 1) lynching, 2) major race riots, and 3) the black response to 1) and 2). Included are a sequence of lessons, three sample lesson plans, classroom activities, and a selected bibliography for teachers and students.
79.02.05
This unit is designed to enable the student to discover and understand what happened when peoples from three different continents—the Pequots, the Africans, and the English—come into contact with each other at a particular point in history. The unit includes three sample lesson plans, a wide range of activities, student and teacher bibliographies, and two maps.
79.03.04
This is an activity-filled unit which involves students in the historical process at a personal level. Students are encouraged to become acquainted with various locations in the Hill neighborhood of New Haven. Good for developing map-reading skills.
79.03.07
This detailed unit helps students understand the interrelationship of economics and social factors by focusing on contemporary social issues in New Haven in the second half of the 19th century. Filled with little details in the daily lives of the working class.