Harlem Hellfighters: A Readers Theater that Marches Beyond the Textbook

Searching for engaging Harlem Hellfighters lesson plans for Grades 11-12? The Harlem Hellfighters & Civil Rights – Readers Theater Script puts students in the boots of Sgt. Henry Johnson, bandleader James Reese Europe and W.E.B. Du Bois as they fight abroad and at home for equality.

Standards Connection

Targets RH.11-12.2 (central ideas) and SL.11-12.1 (collaborative discussion).

Lesson Flow

• Readers Theater script (9 pages, 10 scenes, 14 characters)
• Teacher Guide with scene notes, primary-source context & CCSS list
• Student Worksheet (25 Slides) — vocab, short-answer, analysis, extension
• 20-question self-grading quiz (Google Forms)

Optional Extension (Teacher-Created)

Not included in the product PDF.

• Play Europe’s 1919 jazz recordings and analyze how music shaped troop morale.
• Compare newspaper coverage of the 369th’s parade with Red Summer reports.

Download the script — and don’t forget the FREE Lusitania script for a quick entry point into WWI.