African-American History Lesson Plans

Students explore African American culture by reading children's poetry. In this cultural heritage lesson, students read the book The Palm of My Heart which features poetry by an assortment of young African American boys and girls. Students define several vocabulary terms from the book and answer study questions based on the poems and book.

Students explore the topic of African American aviation. In this African American aviation lesson, students examine primary and secondary sources that enable them to discover challenges faced by African American aviators and identify African American aviator leaders. Students write about their impressions of the lesson.

Students express their opinions on the danger from HIV. They study appropriate speaking techniques and become aware what it feels like to learn that they have been infected with an incurable, fatal disease. The share personal reflections about their feelings.

Learners analyze the reasons African-Americans settled in the area to be known as Nebraska. Using primary source documents, they read about the challenges they faced and compare their growth and distribution of African-Americas in the 19th and 20th century. They discuss the feelings they get from photographs of the time period as well.

Fourth graders explore the differing beliefs of African American activists. In this American history lesson plan, 4th graders examine the views of racism resistance that Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, and Marcus Garvey held.

Students explore eras in African American history, then create quilts depicting important events and personalities from these eras and write an explanation of the significance of the imagery of the quilt; display in classroom or school hallway.

Students complete a unit on Black History Month. They explore various websites, develop a diagram of the Underground Railroad, create a postage stamp for an African American, and develop a resume for an African American scientist.

Fifth graders are introduced to ways to increase their self-esteem. As a class, they share their specific talents under three categories. In groups, they use the internet to research the lives of various African Americans making sure to note their struggles and behaviors. To end the lesson, they set their own career goal and how to accomplish it.

Students listen to data on African American women in Texas before the Civil War. In this Civil War lesson, students compare and contrast the lives of slave and free women, and discuss case studies, locating areas on a map. Students select a problem to write a response to solve it during the slavery era in Texas. 

Examine the contributions of African Americans in art and literature through a series of lessons based. 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 about their reflections, comparing different peoples through a graph, and creating a class mural.