Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Quilt to Freedom

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students investigate the Underground Railroad. In this African-American history lesson, students listen to the book Clara and the Freedom Quilt and use map skills to identify the various locations in the book. Students create a freedom...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Deep like Rivers: Four African American Poets of the 1920s and 1930s

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine work by outstanding African American poets from the time period of the 1920s and 1930s. They study aspects of American and African American social, cultural and artistic history that influenced the content of some of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African Americans in Aviation: The 1940s- A Decade of Change

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students investigate African Americans in aviation. In this primary resources lesson, students examine primary resources to research the history of African American in aviation. Students answer two research questions and write an essay...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pizza Biography

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
A biography writing instructional activity with a tasty twist! Kids create a "visual biography" in which each pizza slice represents a paragraph, and toppings represent supporting details. They learn research techniques, note-taking...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Harlem Renaissance Births a Black Culture

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students examine the men and women who were a part of the Harlem Renaissance. Individually, they recreate their favorite pieces of art from the time period and create their own original works after reading poem from the movement. In...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A South African Storm

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students read "A South African Storm" by Allison Howard and participate in a class discussion that examines Howard's letter for both content and writing form. They write a letter using some of the techniques they identified in Howard's.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African American Inventors Study

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students learn about African American inventors. In this inventing lesson, students are assigned an African American inventor to research. Students work in pairs to complete their research. Students write a compare and contrast paragraph...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The War Lesson Plan

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students view video clips of the film "The War". Several classroom activities are included and address major themes found in the film. The lessons incorporate video clips from the film as well as additional resources provided.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Harlem Renaissance: Black American Traditions

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine the time period of the Harlem Renaissance. As a class, they are introduced to five artists and discuss their art and techniques. Using the internet, they also research the philosophers of the time period and how...
Lesson Plan
Crafting Freedom

Thomas Day's Letter to His Daughter, Mary Ann

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Why is a letter a better way to learn about a person than a different primary source? Explore Thomas Day's ideas and advice to his daughter in a letter from 1851, which details the struggles of the American South before the Civil War....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

6th Grade: Express Yourself, Lesson 1: Poem

For Teachers 6th Standards
While originally created to accompany The Cay, this poetry lesson could be used on it's own, especially if you are working on dialect. Class members conduct a close reading of "When Malindy Sings" by Paul Laurence Dunbar and listen to an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Rise and Fall of the Jim Crow Era

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explore African American history by researching the Jim Crow laws. In this Civil Rights lesson plan, students define the Jim Crow laws, the reasons they were put into place, and how they were ultimately defeated. High...
Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Celebrate Kwanzaa in the United States

For Teachers K
Students explore and study the celebration of Kwanzaa in which African-Americans remember their heritage and remind people of the importance of sharing with family and friends. They participate in a chant about the seven continents and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson 4: Author's Purpose

For Teachers 5th Standards
Learners identify the author's purpose in various poems from the book Words with Wings: A Treasury of African-American Poetry and Art. In order to determine the purpose, pupils first observe as the teacher completes a PIES char...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ceramics - African African American Folk Art

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars gain appreciation and knowledge of art history, specifically the African American contributions to folk art made in the South Carolina region.
Lesson Plan
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The Role of African Slaves on South Carolina Rice Plantations

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders investigate the role of African American slaves in rice plantations. In this slave life lesson plan, 4th graders discuss the products produced in the 13 colonies. Students discuss the importance of rice to South Carolina's...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tears of Joy Theatre Presents Anansi the Spider

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
Accompany the African folktale, Anansi the Spider, with a collection of five lessons, each equipped with supplemental activities. Lessons offer multidisciplinary reinforcement in English language arts, social studies, science,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Struggle for Equality

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars read and discuss a selection of news clippings, sermons, and narratives that depict the continued struggle for equality and mistreatment of African American citizens. They present a "60 Minutes"-style news program with the...
Lesson Plan
The Imagination Factory

Design a Postage Stamp for Black History Month

For Teachers 1st - 6th
Learners create a postage stamp for Black History Month. In this U.S. History lesson, students discuss the contributions of African-Americans and design a postage stamp to celebrate their impact.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African American Traditions: Cameroonian and African-American Folktales

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils compare Cameroonian and African-American folktales. In this folktales lesson, students participate in a jigsaw activity that requires them to read "The Owl Never Sleeps as Night," "Why the Lizard Often Nods," "Tappin, the Land...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Utilizing Art, Literature and Film to Teach Black History

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders are introduced to different aspects of African-American history through literature, art, and films. As a class, they are read a story about the Underground Railroad, identify the main characters and put the events into...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Call and Response Singing

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners investigate call and response singing.  In this fine arts and U.S. history lesson, students listen to several call and response songs that were sung by African-American slaves during the period before the Civil War. ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Harlem Renaissance

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students investigate the African American culture in the 1920's and the Harlem Renaissance. They read and analyze poems written by poets of the Harlem Renaissance, listen to jazz music and identify the characteristics of the music, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Story of Latino Civil Rights: Fighting for Justice

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students identify the civil rights abuses suffered by African Americans, Japanesse Americans during WWII, and Hispanic Americans. They explain what the common element is among the discrimination against these three groups. Students are...