LESSON PLAN: THE IMPORTANCE OF MINA LOY AND GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON
Purpose: One of the goals for this website is to make our resources easily accessible and to expand scholarly discussion around these two women who are historically erased from the Cannon. In order to raise awareness for these women and their incredible contributions to Modernism and the Harlem Renaissance, we created a lesson plan for educators to use in the classroom. This lesson plan allows instructors to guide students through each component of the website with a specific focus on an objective.
Lesson Objectives & Pacing: There are four main objectives for the lesson and these may be completed during the same class period or split across multiple classes depending on the instructor's preference, the allotted class time, and the student population. While this lesson may be divided into separate lessons, it would be beneficial to follow the order of the objectives as they build off of one another.
Materials Needed: For students to complete this lesson, it would be helpful for them to have paper to take notes on and writing utensils. Additionally, it would be preferable for students to have their own digital device to access the website. In this way, students can move at their own pace while processing the information and taking notes. If student devices are unavailable, the instructor may project the website and work through the site with students. These lessons are also easily adaptable for online courses.
You may easily share the website with students using this shortened url: https://tinyurl.com/y94q2wrn
Objective 1: Recover twentieth century women’s voices
- It might be helpful in a lesson to have students define what recover means in this context and to discuss why it is important to examine twentieth century women’s voices. What does it mean that these voices were once lost?
- Instruct students to visit the third button on the website’s home page titled “Timelines.” Explain to students that once clicking on this button, there are two buttons that appear, which are “Timeline of Georgia Douglas Johnson” and “Timeline of Mina Loy.” When clicking on each of these, students are brought to a timeline that includes images, text, and arrows that enable them to move through these figures’ lives.
- Encourage students to take notes on what events they found to be important in Loy and Johnson’s lives.
- After taking these notes and examining these timelines, revisit the above objective “Recover twentieth century women’s voices” and ask students to discuss these questions: How do these voices tell us more about the twentieth century? How do Loy and Johnson’s voice connect to discussions in society today?
- Explain that as students continue to complete this lesson using the site, they should revisit these imperative questions to help guide their understanding of Loy and Johnson’s contributions.
Objective 2: Emphasize connections between Modernism and the Harlem Renaissance
- Read objective 2 to the students. If students have already encountered Modernism and the Harlem Renaissance, lead students in a discussion about the similarities and differences between these two movements. If students have not had experience with Modernism and the Harlem Renaissance, give students time to research both and record notes about these movements. Then, ask students these questions: How are these two movements different? How are they similar? Are there any similarities between these movements and changes in society today?
- After this discussion, tell students to click on the button titled “The Story of Two Women.” When clicking on this button viewers are brought to three different embedded videos titled “Mina Loy & Georgia Douglas Johnson Connections,” “Georgia Douglas Johnson’s Life,” and “Mina Loy’s Life.” These videos are designed to digitally tell the stories of these figures lives and the important connections between them. Additionally, these videos include animations, images, sound, and text in order to spark students’ interests. As students watch the videos, encourage them to take notes on similarities between Loy’s contributions to Modernism and Johnson’s contributions to the Harlem Renaissance.
- After viewing these videos and taking notes, ask students to pair up and generate a list of connections between Modernism and the Harlem Renaissance. Have students present their lists to the class and then explain why Loy and Johnson are so important to include in this discussion.
Objective 3: In presenting these two authors side-by-side in a digital space, we attempt to place equal emphasis on these figures and their contributions.
- Have students complete their own research on these figures. Ask students which figure was easier to find information about. Then, ask students why it may have been easier to find information about one figure more than the other. Why is it problematic that there is not enough research or information about Johnson?
- Afterwards instruct students to click on the fourth button on the Site’s home page titled “US Baedecker.” This button takes viewers to a screen titled “Modes of Migration and Creative Expression: Mina Loy and Georgia Douglas Johnson.” Underneath of this is a “Start Exploring” button where students can use arrows to navigate through places on a map and access important facts about these figures’ lives in these corresponding locations. Additionally, there are documents and images that enhance the students’ experience.
- As students explore these modes of migration, encourage them to add to their previous notes about these figures and their similarities.
- After students complete the exploration and notetaking review the objective with students again “ In presenting these two authors side-by-side in a digital space, we attempt to place equal emphasis on these figures and their contributions.” Ask students to discuss how this objective ties into their own research about these figures. Ask students to share out similarities in Loy and Johnson’s modes of migration and discuss the importance of linking these two figures.
Objective 4: We seek to expand scholarly discussion around these two women who have been historically erased from the Cannon.
- After students complete the above objectives, it would be helpful to ask students why Loy and Johnson are important figures not only in the twentieth century but also today. Why should we bring these women back into the Literary Cannon? What is left out of the discussion and our understanding of Modernism and the Harlem Renaissance without these key contributing figures?
- Due to the complex nature of these questions, it may be beneficial to group students and have them work through these questions together. Encourage students to reference their notes, their own research on these figures, and the website itself. Then, have students discuss and record their answers to these questions.
- After students have discussed and recorded their answers, instruct them to share aloud with the class. Then, ask students what still needs to be added to this website or what research should still be completed to further understand these important figures.
- Finally, end this lesson by reviewing the main four objectives again with students and offer feedback on how well students engaged with these objectives. Ask students if they would add an objective to the list or if they felt one objective should be of greater focus. Encourage students to explain their reflection on the objectives.