Here are some ideas that you can use to create a museum exhibit? Remember, you don’t have to limit yourself to just these ideas, come up with something unique.
1. Create a Poster:
Create a poster using poster board, project board or just a piece (or pieces of) cardboard.
2. Check out the DK Eyewitness Books
For great ideas, pick up a “DK Eyewitness Book” because the authors and designers have set these books up like a museum exhibit. Unfortunately they have none on the Harlem Renaissance.
3. Interview a person from the Harlem Renaissance.
You might interview your person (yes they're dead, but with good research you can get to know them and answer all the questions for them). Write at least ten questions (probably more) that will give that person the opportunity to discuss their thoughts and feelings about their role in the Harlem Renaissance. However, how you choose to present your interview is up to you. You can present it in written format, record it on video, or come up with another way.
4. Create a diary kept by a person from the Harlem Renaissance.
- Write a diary concerning the person or event you’ve chosen from the Harlem Renaissance.
- It should be done from that person’s point of view revealing all the major events in their life and their feelings about these events. Include their hopes, dreams, problems, concerns and frustrations. Remember that the person’s thoughts and feelings are very important in a diary.
- The entries in your diary should stretch out over the entire period of time of the Harlem Renaissance (1920-1930) covers.
- Write dates for the entries, if possible.
- Create a cover for your diary.
- Organize the diary – make sure it is in proper order.
- On the first page, include an information sheet identifying the full name of the character, their age or birthdate (if known), where they live, and any other important information.
5. Map It
You can try this if the person you chose has visited a number of locations within a town, country, or geographical area. You can create a map. One student I had did an entire map of John Steinbeck and his travels.
- Make a list of all the locations - houses, stores, streets, parks, lakes, or whatever else that is revealed in your book.
- Draw the map showing a bird's eye view of the area. Label each location.
- Include a legend with a list of all the locations.
- Include a description of important events that occur at each location.
- Make sure your map has lots of details, is colorful, and large
6. Comic Book (That’s Graphic Novel to the Young Adults)
If you’re talent is art, create a comic book based on the person (place or event) you researched.
- It should have an illustrated cover with the basic information about the person you chose.
- Inside, use your research to tell about the person using dialogue and descriptions of the setting and characters.
- Look at other graphic novels or comic books to get ideas.
- Put your writing in bubbles.
- Create colorful illustrations that help tell the story.
7. Newspaper
Create a front page to a newspaper that is devoted entirely to the person (place or event) you chose.
- The front page should look as much like a real newspaper as possible with writing in columns, headlines, a newspaper title, etc.
- You can include a variety of different kinds of features including a horoscope for them, "Dear Abby" letters, comic strips, news articles, advertisements, personal ads, an obituary section, or anything else you might find in a newspaper.
- Everything you include; however, must be based on events and characters surrounding your person from the Harlem Renaissance. Articles must be typed.
8. Time Line
Brainstorm a list of all the major events in your person’s life from beginning to end and then organize them. Create a time line using a long strip of butcher paper. On your time line, write a short description of what happens for each event and, if possible, try to identify the time of each event with dates, seasons, etc. Add pictures and symbols to make your time line colorful. All writing should be done in black magic marker or typed and then taped/glued neatly onto the butcher paper.
9. Scrapbook
Create a scrapbook for your person from the Harlem Renaissance that reflects the many events that occur to him or her.
- You can include photographs, letters, post cards, telegrams, a family tree, newspaper article clippings, memorable items, or anything else you can think of that you might find in a scrapbook.
- If you include objects or photographs, be sure to write captions below describing what they are or what's going on and their significance to the character.
- Create a nice cover for your scrapbook.
- On the inside, paste an information sheet identifying the full name of the character, his/her age (guess if you don't know), birthdate (if known), where he/she lives, and any other important information.
10. Photo Album
Your pictures need to reveal EVENTS that occurred involving your person. Once you have your pictures, arrange them in a photo album in the order the events occur. Below each, write a caption that explains who the people are, what is going on and, if possible, the approximate date. Write the captions from the point of view of the person (ex: This is my best friend and I when we...). On the inside, paste an information sheet identifying the name of the person, his/her age, birthdate (if known), where he/she lives, and other important information about this person.
** This last one is sometimes the most difficult because of the difficulty of acquiring photos from the 1920s.
** Remember to look at the rubric to include many of those items.