PAUL ROBESON
A CURRICULUM GUIDE FOR EDUCATORS

Introduction

When you ask around, you'll find so few people who have heard of Paul Robeson, this great human being who was an athlete, a lawyer, a linguist, a singer, an actor, and an activist for human and civil rights. Why did he get left out of the history books? Why don't we see his name in curriculum guides? How can we bring Paul Robeson's complex and fascinating life into our classrooms? How can we shine a light on this great American and international hero? How can we enable young people to see Paul Robeson as important role model?

Tapping into Prior Knowledge and Interests

Perhaps the most important thing to do when we introduce a new topic in class is to see what prior knowledge our students have about that topic. Most young people have never heard of Paul Robeson, but they may have a great interest in sports, drama, law, linguistics, or music. Paul Robeson's father was a runaway slave. Perhaps students are interested in the issue of slavery and the escape from slavery. Most likely they have probably heard of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and other civil rights leaders. Perhaps they are interested in issues of justice and injustice. If they have an interest in any of these topics, they will be interested in Paul Robeson.

If your students are not at all familiar with the issue of civil rights, it is important that you take at least a few weeks to introduce them to this before you begin a study of Paul Robeson. You may want to role play and then discuss scenes from the Montgomery Bus Boycott, from the restaurant sit-ins, from the school integration struggles.You may want to read stories about Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Ruby Bridges, and other civil rights activists. You may want to interviewed parents, grandparents, and community activists who were involved in efforts to improve your school, the local community, or even the city. Perhaps you may find someone to interview who was involved in the civil rights movement of the 1960's. After taking time to develop an understanding of the civil rights struggle or community activism, students are ready to be introduced to Paul Robeson.

Getting Started

Young children may be startled by Paul Robeson's deep voice. Older children may think it's not "cool" like the singers they are used to hearing. A few "warm up" activities may be needed.

Here is the way a teacher introduced this issue to her first grade class.

I told my students, "We will be doing research about a man named Paul Robeson. One thing Paul Robeson did when he was alive was to sing. People all over the world loved his singing. I love his singing. He had a really deep deep voice."
We played around with our voices, going as deep as we could. We thought about people in our school, in our buildings, and even on TV who had really deep voices. Some thought of James Earl Jones who is frequently seen in movies and advertisements. Some thought of a teacher, an uncle, a family friend.
Then I said, "Now we're going to listen to Paul Robeson singing. I want you to listen to his deep and beautiful voice. Remember what we have said about making fun of things which are different?"
We had a brief discussion and reminder that we don't make fun of things which are different. And we don't laugh at other people. This discussion is important to helping the children see themselves as researchers. It helps set a tone and promote respect for people and things that are different.

This approach may not work with middle or high school students. Is there someone in the class or in the school chorus with a very deep voice? Which popular musicians have deep voices? Perhaps you can introduce those voices first.

When you play the first Robeson recordings, start with songs which may already be familiar to some of your students. Some students may be familiar with gospel music from church. Starting with Paul Robeson singing familiar songs such as I'm Gonna Let It Shine, Jacob's Ladder, or Amazing Grace will help children relate to him. Children are excited when they recognize popular show tunes such as Old Man River. If you studied about slavery, your children may be familier with songs such as Swing Low, Sweet Chariot or No More Auction Block for Me. One class was learning many different lullabies. They were introduced to Paul Robeson by listening to him singing Curly Headed Baby. Parents reported hearing their children singing that beautiful lullably at home. If you are teaching children for whom English is a second language, they may be thrilled to hear Paul Robeson sing in their native language. You may begin with Paul singing in Yiddish, Spanish, German, or any of the other languages in which he was fluent.

Asking Questions

Research starts with questions. After mentioning that Paul Robeson was an athlete, a singer, a lawyer, an actor, and a civil rights activist, ask your students what they want to know about him.
"What would you like to know about Paul Robeson?"

For young children, the teacher may want to write their questions on a chart tablet,
WHAT DO WE WANT TO KNOW ABOUT PAUL ROBESON?

Older students may want to write their questions on a paper or in a research journal and then share them with the class.

These were some of the questions from a first grade class:: Where did Paul Robeson come from?; How did he learn to sing?; Can we hear more of his songs?; What sports did he play?; Did he go to jail like Martin Luther King, Jr.?; Did he do all those things at the same time? (Acting, singing, sports, etc.); Did he have any children?; How did he learn to act?; Did he die?
All questions were welcome.
High school students have asked questions such as these:: What were his stats as a college football player?; Which plays did he act in?; How did he get his training in acting?; How did his father escape from slavery?; Why did Paul Robeson live abroad for so long?; What languages did he speak fluently?
Teachers can certainIy add questions to the list depending on the age of the students:: What happened to Paul Robeson at Peekskill, New York?; Why did some people love him and some people try to hurt him?; Why was he persecuted?; Why do people consider Paul Robeson an internationalist?; Why did Paul Robeson choose to use music to bring about social change?; How did Paul Robeson break the color barrier?; Why has Paul Robeson been left out of the history books?; Why do some books tell lies about Paul Robeson?

Looking for Resources to help us find answers

Rather than handing students some books for their research, why not ask them how they think they find anwers to their questions. When young people have not done research before, they will not be used to such a question. They will probably suggest that we simply look in books or encyclopedias. It's a real challenge to go beyond these traditional research tools. In the case of Paul Robeson, some of the traditional tools, some of the books and encyclopedias, present distortions of the truth. Using multiple resources and hearing different perspectives is crutial. You may want to write on a chart tablet or in journals a list of suggestions:

How can we find answers to our questions?

During the actual research teachers can introduce students different ages to a number of ways to find out about Paul Robeson. Here are other resources, some for young children and others for older students:

Books, biographies, autobiography
References to Robeson in books
Photographs
Magazine or newspaper articles. Often during African-American History Month there are articles about Paul Robeson.
Paintings and other art work.
The Internet.
Information on record jackets. Some CD's, cassettes, or records have information booklets.
TV specials
Videos.
Write to Rutgers University where Paul Robeson studied.
Go to a book store, perhaps one which specializes in books about African-American history and culture.
Visit a library such as The Schomburg Cultural Center in New York City. They may check out books or do research there.
Interviews
Contact colleges and universities with African-American Studies Departments. They may have resources or even people who will speak with your students.
Write letters to people who have written about Paul Robeson and to people who have worked with Paul Robeson.
Talk with workers in the CD/Record store.

Getting Resources

Keep the families of your students informed. Let them know in a note that your class will be doing research about Paul Robeson. Ask families for their help in providing any books, magazines, music, art work, or other resources. Asked them if they knew about Paul Robeson or if they knew anyone who knew about him. If so, invite them to come in for an interview. The responses will vary depending on the school population.

Then ask your coworkers, including teachers, paraprofessionals, custodians, lunchroom workers, secretaries, school aides, and security guards. They may be able to lend you resources. Perhaps one of them would be willing to be interviewed. You never know. While interviewing a school security guard one time, some first graders learned that she was one of the people in the Woolworth's lunch counter sit-in Greensboro, North Carolina. Her picture is in many books. Sculptures of that scene are even at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. You may just find someone to interview about Paul Robeson right in your school.

You might ask families to help you make contacts outside of the school community. They may know some "older" people who were political activists in the 1950's and 1960's. People who knew or knew about Paul Robeson will have fascinating stories to tell. For example, One class interviewed the parents of the teacher's friend, They had been at the Peekskill Concert which was disrupted by vigilantes. Another class interviewed someone's piano teacher who was a Paul Robeson fan and had attended the Peekskill concert. Still another teacher was determined to find someone to interview. She spread the word among her friends. She finally found someone whose friend, as a baby, was hidden in the back of his parents car to protect him from the vigilantes at Peekskill. "Older timers" may be able to provide information for your students.One teacher invited someone from a senior citizen center to speak with her students. Perhaps even the teacher will have a family member who has information. Spread the word wherever you can that you and your students want to learn about Paul Robeson. YOU WILL find great resources.

Doing the Research

In getting children involved in research groups, tap into the children's interests. Based on the children's list of questions, you can set up research groups. Groups may want to write down more specific questions about their topic. Children who are particularly interested in sports, may want to do research about Paul Robeson, the athlete. The children who love acting can do research about Paul Robeson, the actor. Children who love spirituals and gospel music will enjoy listening to Robeson recordings. Children who are particularly interested in issues of social justice will have lots of opportunities for study.

Some teachers set aside time each day for the research. One teacher had a special Research Workshop each morning in her first grade class. Others have children do some of the research at home, if there are adequate resources. One teacher gave a homework assignment for his high school students to find SOMEONE WHO KNOWS SOMEONE WHO KNOWS SOMETHING ABOUT PAUL ROBESON. The students had two weeks to respond to this challenge. The results were remarkable.

Young children will need help with their research. You may want to ask parents, volunteers, or older students to assist them. Older children will be able to do research individually or in groups. Whether young or older, children should take notes about their research. For younger children, the notes can be taken in picture form or invented spelling.

Sharing the research

You may want to set aside 15 or 20 minutes each day for the research groups to share some of their findings. The students will teach each other.

From the various research groups can come projects. Children who love maps can locate in an atlas many of the places where Paul Robeson sang around the world. They may locate places where Robeson and his family lived. They might want to make their own huge map showing this information. Children who love languages can made a list of languages Robeson spoke. They may want to find out why he wanted to know so many languages. Perhaps they can learn some words from each language. They could make a chart showing these words. They may want to make a mix of Robeson songs in different languages.

There are a number of ways students can share what they learn about Paul Robeson. There are many other possibilities. Perhaps you and your students will find other ways to share the information within your class or in the larger school community.

Here are some suggestions:

Write books about Paul Robeson, perhaps even picture books they can share with children in other classes.
Write reports.
Make a special bulletin board display outside your classroom.
Create posters with pictures and information.
Make a collage of pictures and information.
Paint a mural on butcher paper or on a wall.
Write poetry or songs.
Sing songs from Paul Robeson records or cassettes.
Choreograph a dance.
Write articles for a school or community newspaper.
Write and perform a skit or play.
Make dioramas in cardboard boxes showing scenes from Paul Robeson's life. Plasticine is very useful. Children can present additional information on index cards.

Interviews

First hand information is a most valuable resource. Interviews offer a more personal look at Paul Robeson, and they enable children to get different perspectives. At the interview, both the children and teacher can ask questions. Each child should have an interview journal (a steno pad). Younger children can take notes using pictures and/or "invented spelling," so that they can record the information. The teacher will have to stop to help children understand or interpret the information and to take notes. Sometimes doing a role play will help build understanding. For example, when the person being interviewed told about Paul Robeson at Peekskill, the teacher can conduct a role play about what happened at the concert. Of course, interviews conducted by older students can be in greater depth. Perhaps an interview will spark a life long interest in Paul Robeson or in social activism.

Social Action

It is a shame that most young people have never heard of Paul Robeson. He was such a great human being. It is very important that the younger generation learn about Paul Robeson so that he can serve as a role model for them. There are several social action projects which can flow from the children's research.

Share your projects with the families and the entire school community.
Write to textbook companies to request that they include information about Paul Robeson.
Request that the school librarian or the entire school to purchase resource materials about Paul Robeson.
Plan fund raising events to raise money for the purchase of resource materials about Paul Robeson for your class, the school library, or the entire school. Bake sales, flea markets, and sales of used books are fairly easy to plan.
Plan a Paul Robeson birthday celebration for your school or community, yearly or for the 100th anniversary of his birth on April 9, 1998. This might be in the form of a cultural event - with dance, drama, poetry, films, singing, art, and perhaps a few speeches. It's a great opportunity to share the research projects.
Join the effort to get the U.S. Post Office to print a Paul Robeson stamp.
Name a school, a library, or another building, a park, a street, a sports team, a drama club, or a cultural club after Paul Robeson.
Submit articles to your school or community newspaper.
Paint a mural, either on the wall of a building (be sure to secure permission first) or on nonglossy butcher paper.
Present a play.

Using the Play, Paul Robeson

Comments

This short play about Paul Robeson was written for my first graders to present at an African-American Heritage program for Community School District 6 in New York City in 1990. Because the play was part of a large program, there had a time limitation. In writing the play, I tried to find those issues and topics which embodied the essence of Robeson's life. These were the things I wanted my young students to remember. How often we remember our class plays we did in our youth.

You may want to add an actual recording of Paul Robeson's speaches or songs to the play. These can be found on tapes, records, or CD's. The bibliography provides sources for these.

Feel free to use the play (Please acknowledge the author). Also, feel free to make changes so that the play will be more appropriate for your students. You may want to add details or even new scenes. My young students spoke very little English, so the words were fairly simple. You may want to make the words more sophisticated. I hope that this play will help your students learn and teach others about the great Paul Robeson. I hope it will help keep his legacy alive.

Reviewed by Linda Brown, New York City public school teacher
Karel Kilimnick, Philadelphia public school teacher

(Everyone is standing in a large semi-circle around Paul Robeson. There are three groups of narrators who make up this semi-circle.)

NARRATORS I:     Would you like to meet Paul Robeson?

ALL:             Yes.

NARRATORS II:    Tell us about yourself, Paul.

PAUL ROBESON:    My father was a slave.
                 He worked very hard. But he didn't make any money.
                 After he escaped from slavery, he lived up North and became a
                 minister.  My mother died when I was only six years old.

NARRATORS II:    We heard you are a great football player, Paul.

(They pretend to kick a football.)

NARRATORS III:   We heard that you are a lawyer.

NARRATORS II:    And a great actor, too.
                 You're a star on Broadway.

(They stand with one arm up as if they were posing as Broadway stars.)

PAUL ROBESON:    I love to read.
                 But, most of all, I love to sing.

ALL:             You have a deep, deep, DEEP voice.

(The children bend their knees each time they say deep, getting lower and
lower down to the ground. When they are down very low, they pick up flags
which are painted on oaktag or cardboard. The flags are of nations around
the world. They hold the flags under their chins.)

NARRATORS II:    All around the world, people love to hear you sing.

NARRATORS I:     You sing in Spanish.

NARRATORS III:   Si.

NARRATORS II:    You sing in Russian.

NARRATORS I:     Da.

NARRATORS III:   You sing in Zulu, too.

(Narrators I and III put their flags down.)

NARRATORS I:     (They have their arms as if they are holding a baby.)  
                 You sing lullabies.
 
NARRATORS III:   (They hold hands.) You sing about friendship.

NARRATORS I:     (They hold their right fists up in the air.)  
                 You sing about freedom.

NARRATORS II:    (They turn their flags around. On the back of the oaktag, the
                 child have painted pictures of peace doves.
                 You sing about PEACE.

ALL:             Sing for us, Paul Robeson. Sing for us!

PAUL ROBESON: (This can be sung by Paul Robeson, child actor, Paul Robeson and
              the whole class, or you can use a record, tape, or CD of the
              real Paul Robeson.)

	      What is America to me?
	      A name, a map, the flag I see.
	      A certain word, "democracy."
	      What is American to me?

	      The house I live in.
	      A plot of earth, the street.
	      The grocer and the butcher
	      And the people that I meet.
	      The children in the playground,
	      The faces that I see.
	      All races, all religions,
	      That's America to me.

NARRATORS I:     We heard what happened to you one time in Peekskill, Paul, in
                 1949.

NARRATORS II:    So many people went to hear you sing.

(All of the children sit in rows as if they are watching Paul Robeson on the
stage. A group of men walk over to the children. The men look very tough.)

MEN:             (They point to Paul Robeson.)
		 You see that man, Paul Robeson?
		 He wants freedom!
		 You see that man, Paul Robeson?
		 He wants peace!
		 Yeah, let's get him, let's get him!

(The men pretend to throw rocks at the crowd. The people scream and run. Many
people are hurt. They "freeze" in place. Some are in a running position. Some
are holding themselves where they were "hurt." Some are laying injured on the
ground.  They remain in that frozen position for about 30 seconds. It looks
like a photograph.)

NARRATORS I:     (They form a line facing the audience.)
                 But, that didn't stop YOU, Paul Robeson.
                 The next week even more people went to hear you sing.

(Everyone sits in rows as if they are watching Paul Robeson on stage. There
are bodyguards surrounding Paul Robeson. The police stand there watching.)

ALL:             Sing for us, Paul Robeson. Sing for us.

PAUL ROBESON: (He sings. You might want to use a record, tape, or CD with the
real Paul Robeson. All of the actors and actresses join in the singing. They
join hands and raise them above their heads.)

		 This little light of mine,
		 I'm gonna let it shine.
		 This little light of mine,
		 I'm gonna let it shine.
		 This little light of mine,
		 I'm gonna let it shine.
		 Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
             (They lower their hands.)

NARRATORS II:    When the concert was over, the trouble began.

(The police and the mean men attach the crowd, throwing rocks. Several people
surround Paul Robeson to protect him and to get him safely off the stage. The
people stop. They run and face the audience.)

ALL:             (except the police and the mean men)
                 We'll never forget you, Paul Robeson.
                 And we're gonna let your little light shine.

NOTES

This play is short because it was part of a long assembly program to celebrate Black History Month. It would be great if you, your students and / or their families would write one or more additional scenes based on your research.

The house I Live In was written by Allen Lewis, with music by Earl Robinson. Paul Robeson sings this song on the record Robeson. Vanguard Recording Society, Inc. New York. 1958 Paul Robeson sang This little Light of Mine differently than most of us have heard it. Please listen to a record with Paul Robeson singing this song so the children can sing along with his version. I'm Gonna Let It Shine is on the record Encore, Robeson. Monitor Records, 156 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

PAUL ROBESON A CURRICULUM GUIDE FOR EDUCATORS