Lesson Plans and Worksheets
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- Box Elder, SD
- 02-14-11
African-American History Teacher Resources
Find teacher approved African American History educational resource ideas and activities
Examine the contributions of African-Americans in the worlds of art and literature. Over the course of a few days, young scholars will read and analyze a poem, a short story, and a piece of art. They complete a range of comprehension-building activities, including writing poetry based on their reflections, comparing different people groups through a graph, and creating a class mural.
Determine how African-Americans have broken barriers in this history lesson. Middle schoolers discuss the 15th Amendment and the American civil rights movement prior to analyzing Barack Obama's speech "A More Perfect Union," taking care to evaluate the speaker's argument. Then they compose essays of their own regarding social change.
Explore US history with your charges by providing age-appropriate Black History Month activities. (Five options are provided with this resource.) Read biographies of Martin Luther King, Jr., Langston Hughes, Rosa Parks and other recommended (and linked) texts as a way to learn about African-American history in-depth. Finish by conducting a class discussion about race and equality in America.
How has the African American population changed over the years? Learners use charts, statistical data, and maps to see how populations in African American communities have changed since the 1860s. Activity modifications are included to accommodate grades 3-12.
Ten questions about famous African-Americans are presented in this interactive presentation. If a question is answered correctly, "Happy," the smiley face, is happy; if it is answered incorrectly, he is sad and sick. "Happy" will keep students motivated to play this game. Tip: This is a great slide show for students to view individually.
Celebrate Black History Month with this lesson, in which middle schoolers create an essay about a famous African-American. Writers conduct research online, take notes to write an essay in proper format, and use ideas, text, and graphics to design posters. They practice oral presentation skills by reading excerpts from their essay at a school-wide Black History Month celebration.
Groups of high school learners conduct research on a particular era of African-American history, focusing on events, people, and places important to that era. Next, they review children's literature in four different genres. As a culminating activity, group members combine what they have learned in their research and readings to create their own piece of children's literature based on African-American history.
Helpful for an American literature or history unit, this lesson prompts middle schoolers to examine slavery in the United States. They read slave narratives that were part of the Federal Writers' Project and then conduct their own research on slavery in the nation. After, they write descriptive stories that reflect what they learned in their research.
Sixth graders read about several African-American authors for young readers who are listed on the "This Goodly Land" Web site. They complete a graphic organizer for each author and compare and contrast the authors. They discuss and tell how the author's own life experiences may have played a role in the writing of the book.
Students are introduced to a groups of African American inventors. In groups, they research the role of each person in improving different industries. They also examine the barriers African Americans faced from the Civil War to the Civil Rights movement. To end the instructional activity, they share their information with the class.