Harlem

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/harlem

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Where is Harlem?Upper Manhattan, New York City, USA
2. How big is Harlem?The greater Harlem area encompasses multiple community districts within Manhattan
3. When was Harlem built?Formally organized as a Dutch village in 1658
4. Why is Harlem famous for the Harlem Renaissance?In the 1920s and 1930s, many African‑American artists, writers, musicians, and thinkers lived in Harlem, creating a vibrant cultural movement called the Harlem Renaissance.
5. How did Harlem change over time?It began as a Dutch village in 1658, later had Jewish and Italian residents, then many African Americans moved there during the Great Migration, and today it is a lively arts community.

Great Migration: The large-scale movement of African Americans from the rural Southern United States to the urban Northeast, Midwest, and West between 1916 and 1970.
Harlem Renaissance: A flourishing of African-American intellectual, social, and artistic life that occurred in Harlem, New York, during the 1920s and 1930s.
Gentrification: The process of renovating and improving a house or district so that it conforms to middle-class taste, often leading to changes in the area's character and displacement of existing residents.