Langston Hughes Was Born On This Day In 1902 – Here Are Two Good Lessons For ELLs Using His Poetry

American poet Langston Hughes was born on February 1st, 1902.

One lesson that I’ve used for years with Intermediate English Language Learners is reading his poem, The Ballad of the Landlord as part of our unit on Problem-Solution essays. After studying the poem, students write a letter to their own landlord (though we obviously don’t send it).

Here’s a video reading of that poem:

The second lesson is a great one that I’ve previously shared by teacher Andrew Kozlowsky.

Here’s a video with Hughes himself reading his poem:

Have you used his work in other ELL lessons?

ADDENDUM:

Wonderful! I teach "Dreams" to lower level ELLs. It's perfect for newcomers and anyone who's fled terrible things… I begin with a cloze where we build missing words (dreams, bird, fly; go & snow) & build to pairs that memorize one stanza each & present.

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— Karen “Not Sanguine about the Healing” Robertson (@karenrobz.bsky.social) February 1, 2025 at 7:02 AM