Griot: A Literary Studies Curriculum is designed to support secondary students in urban classrooms. We center Black literature and history to teach critical and creative writing. Each lesson and unit is based on the tenants of the International Baccalaureate Programme English curriculum development which exposes students to global literature and reading and writing development. We believe that all students deserve quality education and support in the development of their literacy.
We are excited to announce the development of our first unit, The Color Purple - which celebrates the art, literature, and history of Black women.
Donate to the labor of love used to develop this curriculum and free educational materials.
Listen to our curated The Color Purple playlist.
Take a peek at the unit’s lessons, which will be published singularly beginning Fall 2023.
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This lesson introduces students to the community work of Fannie Lou Hamer, the poetry of Margaret Walker, and poetic analysis and writing. Students will also have the opportunity volunteer at urban farms to understand the importance of food sustainability and the relationship between Black women and the earth.
This lesson lasts approximately 3 weeks.
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This lesson calls students in to analyze their own perceptions of Black women and girls through analyses of Carrie Mae Weem’s “Kitchen Table Series”. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to verbalize and write analyses of visual art.
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This lesson introduces students to Alice Walker’s In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens (1983) and The Combahee River Collective Statement (1977); and critical analysis, reading, and writing.
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This lesson introduces students to blues music and its relationship with Black feminine self - expression through the writing of Angela Davis and blues artists like Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey. This lesson prepares students to understand Shug Avery.
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to analyze critical writing and write a blues song.
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This lesson calls for students to read Alice Walker’s The Color Purple and have open dialogue about the work.
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This lesson engages students with Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of The Color Purple and teaches them film analysis.
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In their final project, students have the option to complete:
Comparative analysis between the film and novel
Creative writing and character development in the style of a diary entry, like the novel
Virtual visual gallery depicting Black women and girls in the style of Carrie Mae Weems
Writing and recording a blues music ep