Leaving Home, An Inspired Mixtape

by Lisanne Shaffer

level: Intermediate

70 minutes

The Great Migration

Message from the creator Begin lesson

Lesson Tool Kit

Materials Needed 

projector and screen

Jacob Lawrence’s Great Migration Series on a laptop or device that can be projected

(Optional) Students may use their own device or a a borrowed device that they can play and store music on 

(Optional) Leaving Home Mixtape Worksheet

Prework

Facilitators should review historical facts about the Great Migration and thoroughly review Jacob Lawrence’s Great Migration Series.

Facilitator should complete the “Using Theater in the Classroom” pre-lesson.

Objectives 

Students will be able to understand the feelings and emotions of the people who migrated during the Great Migration.

Students will be able to connect to the Great Migration through visual artwork by Jacob Lawrence.

Students will be able to synthesize this work and develop a mixtape of their own inspired by the work of Renaissance Mixtape.

Essential Questions 

How can we create a mixtape to get through a leaving home journey?

What feelings and emotions come up when you think about having to leave home?

Why have oppressed people throughout history been forced to leave home or find a better place to live? What are some of the reasons oppressed people are still doing this?

Socio-Emotional Leaning 

Students will investigate a historical movement and interrogate the emotions those people may have felt while also synthesizing their own feelings about home.

 The Great Migration affected over 6 million African–Americans yet it is seldom taught at length in school settings. This lesson will help your students understand an important piece of American history as well as encourage them to use their empathy skills in considering the feelings that come along with making the difficult decision to leave home.

 Using Jacob Lawrence’s online gallery of art inspired by the historical Great Migration, students will investigate the feelings involved with leaving home and create a “mixtape” to help them through an imaginary journey of their own.