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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

After the American Revolution: Free African Americans in the North

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners investigate the life of African Americans in the North during the American Revolution. They analyze how authors use various techniques to write biographies, read about Sojourner Truth, conduct research, and write an excerpt...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African-American Communities in the North Before the Civil War

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine what life was like in free African-American communities before the Civil War. They analyze maps, identify elements of everyday life in these communities, explore various websites, and complete a chart.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Palm of My Heart: Poetry By African American Children

For Teachers 1st - 6th
Elementary students explore African American culture by reading children's poetry. They read the book, The Palm of My Heart which features poetry by an assortment of young African American boys and girls. Students define several...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African American Women Before and After the Civil War: Slavery and Freedom

For Teachers 7th - 9th
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...
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Lesson Plan
North Carolina Consortium for Middle East Studies

Missing Pieces of the Puzzle: African Americans in Revolutionary Times

For Students 5th - 11th
What's missing from most studies of the American Revolutionary War is information about the role African Americans played in the conflict. To correct this oversight, middle schoolers research groups like the Black Loyalists and  Black...
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Lesson Plan
American Institute of Physics

African American Inventors in History

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
A two-part lesson introduces young historians to the work of famous African American inventors. Groups first research and develop a presentation of an inventor that includes biographical information and information about one of their...
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Lesson Plan
2
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Smithsonian Institution

Fighting For Freedom: The Stono Rebellion and Free Frank McWhorter

For Teachers 8th - 11th Standards
Travel back in time to the Stono Rebellion. Young historians research historical figures who played a role in African Americans' fight to escape slavery. Scholars research material, complete handouts, participate in group discussion, and...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

African-Americans in the American West

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Secondary learners explore the westward movement of African Americans. Segmented into four time periods, the lesson provides an overview of how African Americans experienced westward expansion. Learners view PBS specials on the westward...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African American Poetry: Family and Traditions

For Teachers K - 3rd
Learners are introduced to the elements of African-American poetry. As a class, they are read different types of poems to discover there are different styles of poems and practice rhyming words. They share information on their family...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African American Population Shifts

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate population trends. In this African American history lesson, students access U.S. Census records from 1900 to the present online. Students analyze the migration of African Americans from one area of the U.S. to another.
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Activity
Joy Uzarraga

Famous American Research Project

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd Standards
Designed specifically for lower elementary pupils, this is a great biographical research project in which students research a famous American, and then design creative poster boards to help them "become" the famous American they have...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African Americans in Oregon

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this African American history lesson, students examine the African American experience in Oregon.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African American Concentration

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students increase their awareness of the important contributions made by individuals throughout history by discussing African American history month. They then play Concentration by matching the picture and name of a famous African...
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Lesson Plan
1
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PBS

Civil War: Blacks on the Battlefield

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Imagine a war being fought to free slaves, with slaves on the front line. Scholars use primary documents, videos, and research in the second installment of a three-part series to guide their analysis of the first African-Americans on the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Eighteenth-Century Slave Codes

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore slavery by reviewing the written laws intended to keep African Americans subservient. For this U.S. slavery lesson, students analyze a time-line of the history of African Americans. Students discuss the patterns of the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African Americans in California’s Heartland – The Civil Rights Era

For Teachers 11th Standards
Events related to the Civil Rights Movement in Sacramento, California during the 1960s offer class members an opportunity to compare the nonviolent resistance approach favored by Dr. Martin Luther King and the NAACP with those of the...
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Lesson Plan
National Park Service

Discover the Mary Ann Shadd Cary House

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Mary Ann Shadd Cary was an extraordinary woman, no matter the time period. Academics research the life and achievements of Mrs. Cary, who was born a free African American in 1823. The lesson uses primary sources, worksheets, written...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Buffalo Soldiers

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate the role of the buffalo soldiers. In this African American history lesson, students research the African American soldiers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Students discuss their findings and compose songs that...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African Americans in the Maritime Trades

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students explore Civil Rights by analyzing U.S. history. In this African American workforce lesson, students discuss the history of African Americans in Baltimore and the need for steady work that formed. Students define vocabulary terms...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Colonization of Liberia

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students analyze how slavery shaped social and economic life in the South. They study methods of passive and active resistance to slavery, and the similarities and differences between African-American and white abolitionists.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African Americans: 1800 - 1870

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students explore living and working environment of both slave and free African Americans from places throughout the United States.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Colonial New York Slave Codes: Law and Order

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Build a historical perspective from four different points of view. Young historians take on the role of a slave-owning white person, non-slave owning white person, slave, or free African-American person and imagine what life would be...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Freedmen's Bureau

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Young scholars examine the African American experience after they received their freedom after the Civil War. They complete a Mind Map, read and analyze a poem, and write a paragraph using key vocabulary words. They analyze the impact of...
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Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

10 Ideas for Teaching Black History Month

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
Celebrate Black History Month with the help of 10 ideas that delve deep into the history, major events, contributions, famous African Americans, and sheds light on how scholars today can take a proactive stance on current civil rights...