Economic Hardships and Life Struggles for Youth in Harlem

During the 1940s and 1950s

Based on the book

Manchild in the Promised Land

An Autobiography by Claude Brown

“The first thing I ever read which gave me an idea of what it would be like day by day if I'd grown up in Harlem.”  (Quote by author Norman Mailer)

 

A WebQuest by Ms. L. Brown

11th Grade English

The Frederick Douglass Academy

Harlem, New York

 

 

INTRODUCTION:

In his fictionalized version of his childhood, Claude Brown presents himself as Sonny, a hardened, streetwise criminal trying to survive the toughest streets of Harlem.  Brown gives a definitive account of everyday life for the first generation of African Americans raised in New York City in the 1940s and 1950s.  Born in Harlem in 1937, by the age of 13, Brown was a streetwise kid and thief.  Over the next four years, he spends several months at a time in various juvenile detention halls.  He became injured psychologically and physically due to violence and brutality at home and also in the streets that became his real home. The values of streetwise life define and entrap Brown in his childhood, but his epiphany of self-scrutiny helps him overcome what is destructive about those values and escape it.

What were some of the conditions and struggles that a Harlem youth, such as Sonny, faced during the 1940s and 1950s?  How did poverty affect those struggles and hardships?  How could life have had less struggles for the black youth in Harlem during the 1940s and 1950s?  What would you do to help prevent Sonny and others like him from resorting to a life of crime?

 

TASK:

Sonny is up for parole. In groups of five, you will investigate economic hardships and life’s struggles of the youth in Harlem during the 1940s and 1950s.  You will research real life examples and policies established in America and work on an effective solution to help people like Sonny stay out of jail and out of trouble.  Your group will be responsible for a written essay and an oral presentation, which must demonstrate your understanding of the topic and the public policy analyst model. 

 

For the writing, each group member will write a two-page persuasive essay that convinces Sonny’s parole officer that he no longer engages in criminal and self destructive behavior.  While each student will be responsible for the assignment, you will receive help from your group members during the PPA process and peer editing.  The information obtained through the PPA process along with your knowledge of persuasive writing should be evident in your paper. 

The oral presentation must be presented to the class and be visually pleasing through a PowerPoint presentation.

 

 

PROCESS:

Step 1:  Your teacher will divide the class into groups of five.  Each student in the group will have a role as follows:

 

Group Leader-you will make sure that all members of the group stay on task and that all of the tasks are completed

Presenter-you will be responsible for presenting the findings for the group to the entire class

PowerPoint Creator-you will be responsible for working with all members in the group to make slides that display the work of the group

Researcher-you are responsible for making sure that everyone in the group is responsible for doing their own research and that the research is included in the final essays and PowerPoint presentation

Time Keeper-You will ensure that all members of the group are completing their tasks in a timely manner.  You will also make sure that every member writes his/her essay.

 

Step 2:  Your group will complete the six-step Public Policy Analyst to investigate the issues of economic hardships and challenges for youth in Harlem during the 1940s and 1950s. Using the PPA website, follow the tutorial guidelines to complete the following worksheets. 

*    Identify the nature of a social problem

*    Gather evidence to support the existence of the problem

*    Determine the causes and factors contributing to the problem

*    Evaluate existing public policies

*    Develop public policy solutions

*    Select the best public policy solution  

 

Step 3:  Using the public policy solution determined by your group, write a two page persuasive essay addressed to Sonny’s parole officer.  Make sure that you support your solution with internet findings and examples from the text, Manchild in the Promised Land.  During the revision process, your group will become peer editors. 

 

Step 4:  Your group will now present an oral PowerPoint presentation to the class.  Designated group leaders will be responsible for organizing the PowerPoint presentation, deciding which research to include, and working closely with each group member to make sure that the specific tasks by each group member is completed.  The class will then score your performance based on the rubric provided.

RESOURCES:

 

History of Youth Gangs in the 1940s and 1950s

 

More Harlem History 1940s and 1950s

 

Juvenile Violence in Harlem from 1940-1949

 

Search Engines

www.google.com

www.yahoo.com

www.ask.com

 

 

EVALUATION:

 

Persuasive Essay Rubric

 CATEGORY

4

3

2

1

Thesis

Easily identifiable, clear thesis

Identifiable, clear thesis

Vague or unclear thesis

No clear thesis statement

Research

Accurate and use of text information  convinced reader to support your  thesis

Accurate and adequate research information used to support thesis

Weak research information and points used to support your thesis 

Much or most research information is  inaccurate or incomplete

Content or support of side

All ideas are clearly written and flow logically to support/prove thesis

All ideas are clearly written; some ideas may not support/prove thesis appropriately

Ideas show a weak structure and do not flow smoothly

Little, if any, development of supporting ideas

Transitions

connecting and logical transitions to support your thesis

clear and connecting transitions

few words connect paragraphs

no transitions present

Conventions

Sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation demonstrate proficiency of mechanics; minimal or no spelling errors

Sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation demonstrate an adequate understanding of mechanics; infrequent, minor errors in spelling

Sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation demonstrate a basic under-standing of mechanics; frequent minor errors in spelling

Sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation show frequent  errors; Frequent misspelling of commonly used words

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oral Presentation Rubric

CATEGORY

4

3

2

1

Content

Shows a full understanding of the topic and uses many textual examples.

Shows a good understanding of the topic and uses some textual examples.

Shows a good understanding of parts of the topic and uses few textual examples.

Does not seem to understand the topic very well.

PowerPoint Slides

Student uses multiple slides that show considerable work/creativity and which make the presentation better.

Student uses many slides that shows considerable work/creativity and which make the presentation better.

Student uses several slides which makes the presentation better.

The student uses no slides OR the slides chosen detract from the presentation.

Speaks Clearly

Speaks clearly and distinctly all the time, and mispronounces no words.

Speaks clearly and distinctly all the time, but mispronounces one word.

Speaks clearly and distinctly most of the time. Mispronounces no more than one word.

Often mumbles or can not be understood OR mispronounces more than one word.

Collaboration with Peers

Almost always listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others in the group. Tries to keep people working well together.

Usually listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others in the group. Does not cause "waves" in the group.

Often listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others in the group but sometimes is not a good team member.

Rarely listens to, shares with, and supports the efforts of others in the group. Often is not a good team member.

 

 

STANDARDS

English Language Arts

Standard 1: Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding; they will collect data, facts, and ideas and use electronically produced texts.

Standard 4: Students will listen, speak, read, and write for social interaction.      

 

Math, Science, and Technology

Standard 2:          Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies.

Standard 5:          Students will apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct, use, and evaluate products and systems to satisfy various needs.

Standard 7:  Students will apply the knowledge and thinking skills of technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions.

 

 

CONCLUSION

At the conclusion of this activity, you will have a greater appreciation for the economically deprived and the struggles that they must face.  You will have learned how to use the Public Policy Analyst to find effective solutions to problems that plague Sonny.  The research, group work, writing, and oral presentation that you will have completed will teach you to be an active thinker and caring person in our society.