In 1926, Black historian Carter G. Woodson created the forerunner to Black Historical past Month, Negro Historical past Week.
Since that point, the popularity of Black historical past as integral to American historical past has grown tremendously. On the identical time, outdated habits and old style curricula die arduous, conserving Black Historical past Month a related necessity.
The next are a number of the finest classes and actions for educating Black historical past. Be sure you begin with No. 1, “Do’s and Don’ts of Instructing Black Historical past.” Right here academics can study methods to combine Black historical past into the American Historical past curriculum—the place it belongs—all 12 months lengthy.
Finest Black Historical past Month Classes and Actions
Do’s and Don’ts of Teaching Black History (opens in new tab)
Black historical past ought to be a part of the curriculum all 12 months lengthy. Discover ways to combine Black historical past into your historical past and social research curricula 12 months spherical.
Black Athletes and Civil Rights: 6 Upstanders to Introduce to Your Students (opens in new tab)
Black athletes have been within the forefront of the wrestle for civil rights for greater than a century. Have your college students examine Black athletes from historical past who took a stand after which examine them to modern-day activist athletes. How have the problems modified? How have they remained the identical?
National Civil Rights Museum Before the Boycott (opens in new tab)
What occurred to trigger the Montgomery bus boycott? This interactive places college students within the position of journalists who examine the occasions main as much as the primary large-scale demonstration in opposition to segregation.
Poets.org Lesson Plans for Black History Month (opens in new tab)
A very fantastic choice of poetry from Gwendolyn Brooks, Langston Hughes, Marilyn Nelson, Nikki Giovanni, and different nice African-American poets. Featured poems are supported by classroom actions, associated art work and audio.
The Birth of Hip Hop (opens in new tab)
When was hip hop invented? Hip hop is a comparatively new type of American music, however its roots lengthen all the way in which to 1973. This fascinating and energetic video explains the origins of hip hop and the way it unfold to the bigger society.
iCivics Black History Month (opens in new tab)
Six temporary movies from the extremely revered iCivics group are accompanied by standards-aligned lesson plans, together with fillable PDFs for digital studying. The teachings illuminate not solely the best-known activists, but in addition lesser-known pioneers, reminiscent of Constance Baker Motley, the primary African-American girl to argue a case earlier than the U.S. Supreme Courtroom. Different matters embrace the Jim Crow period and the desegregation of Little Rock Central Excessive College.
Rosa Parks’ Biography (opens in new tab)
That is one civil rights story that everyone knows, isn’t it? Nicely, not likely. The story of Rosa Parks is not solely that one celebrated act of defiance on the bus. What many People don’t notice is that Parks’ civil rights activism prolonged all through her life, throughout many years and cities. This authoritative and complete examination of the life and activism of Rosa Parks reveals the depth of her dedication and contributions. Included is an interactive timeline, educating guides, and workouts. Ideally suited for college kids grade 10-post secondary.
Lesson of the Day: When Blackness Is a Superpower (opens in new tab)
Who doesn’t love a superhero? A splendidly inventive method to merge writing, artwork, and social research, this lesson is pure for youths and anybody who likes mythology.
The Teacher Who Desgregated New York Transit (opens in new tab)
Everybody is aware of Rosa Parks. However are you aware the story of Elizabeth Jennings? This in-depth excerpt from America’s First Freedom Rider: Elizabeth Jennings, Chester A. Arthur, and the Early Combat for Civil Rights is an interesting have a look at a little-known however necessary civil rights episode that occurred not within the deep South, however in New York Metropolis. Have your college students learn the story, then examine it to the better-known Rosa Parks civil disobedience.
American Experience: Freedom Riders Film (opens in new tab)
From award-winning filmmaker Stanley Nelson, Freedom Riders explores the 1961 Freedom Rider motion to desegregate Southern bus and practice journey. Options are a number of quick clips from the film, specializing in the individuals, methods, inspiration, music, and way more. A terrific educating useful resource.
BackStory: Blackstory (opens in new tab)
From BackStory, the weekly podcast that explores the historic roots of present occasions, this episode delves into lynching, racial expulsion, passing as white, and Martin Luther King Jr. Contains questions to check college students’ comprehension and extra educating assets for every part of the podcast.
Bay Area Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement: Civil Rights Movement Archive (opens in new tab)
An in depth archive of photographs, paperwork, letters, articles, speeches, poetry, and extra associated to the Nineteen Fifties-60s Civil Rights motion. Take a look at the Instructor Assets, which offer classes, actions, and a how-to for connecting college students nearly with freedom motion veterans.
50 Black Writers Whose Impact Went Beyond the Page (opens in new tab)
A terrific jumping-off level for finding out a various group of Black American writers, from Toni Morrison to August Wilson. Theologian James Cone, suffragist Mary Church Terrell, and educational Barbara Christian are just some of the various Black writers who’ve helped to form American letters.
31 Highly Influential African-American Scientists (opens in new tab)
Transcend the oft-cited George Washington Carver to find out about many different African-American scientists, previous and current, whose work has been instrumental within the making of the trendy world.
The Kennedy Center: Blues Journey (opens in new tab)
This have a look at the “most necessary American music” of the twentieth century delves into the historical past and musical traits of the blues in 4 narrated audio recordings, full with traditional blues songs.
Library of Congress: Freed People Tell Their Stories (opens in new tab)
What was slavery actually like? Transcend the written paperwork and hearken to the voices of people that survived it. This exceptional set of interviews with individuals who had been as soon as enslaved was recorded between 1932 and 1975, in 9 states. The unique recordings are accompanied by transcripts for cautious examine.
Library of Congress: African American History Month For Teachers (opens in new tab)
A wealth of digital and digitized major assets, with hyperlinks to teacher-created actions and classes. Contains assets from the Nationwide Archives, Nationwide Endowment for the Humanities, the Nationwide Gallery of Artwork, the Nationwide Park Service, and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial museum.
The National Archives Educator Resources: The Slave Trade (opens in new tab)
Assets for educators to research the slave commerce in American historical past, together with major supply paperwork, educating actions, and doc evaluation worksheets.
National Education Association: Black History Month Lessons & Resources: (opens in new tab)
Organized by grade degree and subject, this sturdy assortment of lesson plans and actions will assist educators educate Black historical past. Quizzes, printables, and movies are offered.
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum: 22 Stories about the Negro Leagues (opens in new tab)
These 22 compelling video tales concerning the Negro Leagues—spotlighting not solely the gamers, but in addition the enterprise behind the sport—supply an amazing alternative for college kids to know the vital position African People performed within the rise of our nationwide pastime.
The New York Times: Unpublished Black History (opens in new tab)
An enchanting and visually arresting collection of beforehand unpublished photographs about Black historical past from the New York Instances. Every picture is accompanied by explanatory textual content and hyperlinks to the unique information articles.
The Smithsonian American Art Museum: Oh Freedom! Teaching Art and the Civil Rights Movement (opens in new tab)
Educate Civil Rights by exploring art work from the collections of the Smithsonian American Artwork Museum and the Smithsonian Nationwide Museum of African-American Historical past and Tradition. Search by art work [https://americanart.si.edu/education/oh-freedom/art] or artist [https://americanart.si.edu/education/oh-freedom/artists].
Smithsonian Learning Lab (opens in new tab)
The Lab is a free, interactive platform for locating hundreds of thousands of genuine digital assets, creating content material with on-line instruments, and sharing within the Smithsonian’s expansive neighborhood of data and studying.
Slave Voyages (opens in new tab)
Analyze the Atlantic slave commerce by way of interactive maps, timelines, and animations. A visually spectacular website, incorporating 3D video of a slave ship and a timelapse map illustrating the motion of 31,166 slave ships over a whole lot of years.
