Let Us Descend Project
For Unit 2 of AP African American studies, I have decided to incorporate Jesmyn Ward’s latest novel as a companion to the content we’re learning in class. My hope is that incorporating a contemporary novel about slavery into an AP African American Studies curriculum will enrich students' understanding of historical contexts while fostering critical thinking.
Here are links to the materials I plan to use in class: Handouts | Slides
Ward, through various interviews, says she wrote this as a novel that was meant to embody hope. It encourages students to engage with themes of resilience, identity, and social justice, making historical connections more relevant and impactful. This approach not only will deepen their comprehension of slavery's historical significance but also help them see firsthand how this history continues to inspire artistic expression in people of the African Diaspora.
My classes will read two chapters of the novel every week. They’re given an annotation guide to make sure that they are interacting with the text on a deeper level. That they are constantly thinking about the essential questions posed by the book and the course, like, “how does this text help us understand the lives of the enslaved?” or “how can our past guide us?” Additionally, they are told to look out for historical topics that show up in the book that will be the focus of a research project they will engage in after they finish reading the book.
The first day starts with an introduction of the book. I cover basic plot points of the book, the reasons we’re reading it and how it’s tied to the course. I also introduce the potential project at the end of it, so they can make notes of the historical aspects of the novel. I end with a video interview that Ward gave about her process and intentions for writing this book. She spent two and a half years doing research before writing anything at all. It should reiterate to students that the historical aspects of the book have been thoroughly thought out and intentionally placed where they appear.
For each week of reading, I’ve pulled excerpts from the book that we re-read in class. Each one is specifically tied to one of the potential project topics, so that by the time we finish reading the book, we’ve covered all of them at least once. Each handout has the same elements throughout. First is a place where they can write down context for the excerpt, I will provide this to students for the first few close readings. Then I rewrite the guiding questions, above the excerpt so students can keep thinking about how the excerpt matches them. Beyond the excerpt there is a place to classify the historical topic and course theme. Finally at the end of the hand out, there are literary analysis questions for each excerpt. Eventually, my hope is to put these questions on Class Companion for students to get individual feedback.
There’s an incredible amount to talk about with this novel, from the reference to Dante’s Divine Comedy, to the use of spirits and magical realism that Ward employs. I hope my materials do the book justice, and that they may be helpful in your own classroom.