Langston Hughes Poetry Unit for Middle School - PDF & Digital

Hook your students on poetry this year by introducing them to Langston Hughes, one of America's best-loved poets! In this engaging middle school poetry unit, students will analyze six Langston Hughes poems: "Madam and the Rent Man," "Dreams," "Harlem (Dream Deferred)," "Harlem Night Song," "Mother to Son," and "I, Too."

All resources include the following digital versions:

• Google Slides (link in PDF)
• Easel Activity (link in My Purchases)

This bundle includes the following poetry resources:

• "Madam and the Rent Man" Poem Activities
• "Dreams" and "Harlem (Dream Deferred)" Poem Activities
• "Harlem Night Song" Poem Activities
• "Mother to Son" Poem Activities and Author Bio
• "I, Too, Sing America" Poem Activities with Informational Text

Using these poetry analysis pages, you'll cover the following reading skills and terms:

• Inference
• Characterization
• Lines & stanzas
• Sound devices (rhyme, alliteration, onomatopoeia)
• Figurative language (simile, metaphor, idiom)
• Symbolism
• Imagery
• Topic & theme
• Compare and contrast
• Cause & effect
• Paired passages (poetry and informational text)

These poem activities are a great addition to Black History Month or Poetry Month, and they make excellent sub plans as well as independent activities for distance learning. All you need to provide is a copy of each poem; I can't include them in my resources due to copyright.

As a bonus, I've added a tic-tac-toe choice board containing nine writing prompts, all about themes, characters, and real-life issues found in these six poems. Since it is specifically meant to accompany these six poems, this Langston Hughes writing activity is not available individually - only as part of this bundle!

Need more ways to engage your middle schoolers with reading? Don't miss these!

Emily Dickinson Poetry Analysis Bundle

Winter Poetry Activities

Ocean Life Nonfiction Bundle - Text Structure & Text Features

History Poems with Informational Text Paired Passages