Worksheet
Curated OER

Social Movements in American Politics

For Students 11th - 12th
In this Civil Rights Movement worksheet, students follow the provided instructions to write term papers on the social movement and how it was impacted by American politics.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Music of the Civil Rights Era, 1954-1968

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Young scholars experience the aesthetics of music and learn about freedom songs that motivated the Civil Rights activists. For this music history lesson, students learn how music can motivate and move listeners. Young scholars then...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students discuss the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (and affirmative action) and how it has influenced American history in the decades since it's signing.
Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Civil Rights Lesson Plans

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Civil rights lesson plans can help students delve into history, music, law, and literature. There are a multitude of options.
Worksheet
Student Handouts

Geography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

For Students 4th - 8th Standards
Young geographers follow Dr. Martin Luther King's journey during the civil rights movement by identifying major events on a map of the eastern United States, such as his birth in Atlanta, Georgia and his famous...
Lesson Plan
American Institute of Physics

African Americans in Astronomy and Astrophysics

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
A two-part instructional activity focuses on the contributions to the fields of astronomy and astrophysics of two African Americans: Benjamin Banneker and Dr. George Carruthers. In part one, scholars learn about Benjamin Banneker by...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil Rights Movement in America

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders explore the Civil Rights movement as a culmination of history and cultural perspectives developed from the Slave Trade and Reconstruction. They identify leading persons and organizations and their personal philosophy to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Remembering Rosa

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students research and profile figures in American civil rights such as Rosa Parks, from 1955-68, to create commemorative posters.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

THEMATIC ESSAY

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students Compare and contrast the beliefs and methodology of three leaders of the Civil Rights movement. Using specific examples, discuss how these leaders were either successful or unsuccessful in attaining their goals.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Land, Liberty and the Struggle for the American Dream

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students investigate equality by reading a historical fiction book in class.  In this civil rights lesson, students read the story Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry with their classmates and define the Jim Crow Laws that kept blacks...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dr. King's Dream

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr., reflect on section of King's "I Have a Dream" speech, discuss inequities that still exist in the United States, and create picture books about their own dreams of freedom for...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Responding to the Murder of Harry T. Moore

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Heroic civil rights leader Harry T. Moore is murdered! An eye-opening activity delves into the past to understand the murder of prominent civil rights leader and educator Harry Moore and his wife. Academics also read President Truman's...
Interactive
DocsTeach

"We Are Badly in Need of a Breath of Fresh Air": A Letter to President Kennedy About LGBTQ+ Rights

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The 1960s were a pivotal time for many Americans who had long been discriminated against. Scholars read a document addressed to President Kennedy in support of LGBTQ+ rights and why they are essential. The activity includes group...
Lesson Plan
American Institute of Physics

The Black Scientific Renaissance of the 1970s-90s: African American Scientists at Bell Laboratories

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
A two-part lesson asks young scientists to research the contributions of African American scientists at Bell Laboratories. After presenting their findings, class members watch two demonstrations that introduce them to total internal...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Perspectives on Civil Rights

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine speeches of the Civil Rights Era. In this American history lesson, students listen to speeches delivered by Martin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy. Students respond to guiding questions as they listen to the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Laws of Civil Rights

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students investigate the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In this segregation lesson, students explore the rights that were guaranteed by the legislation as well as attempts by southerners to stop African Americans from voting. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Art of Nonviolence: Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, and Concepts of Nonviolence in Indian Art

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students make connections between nonviolent ideals and art. In this visual arts lesson, students discuss the successes of the American Civil Rights Movement and discuss Gandhi's influence on the movement. Students then examine images of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Childhood Stories of Truth and Nonviolence

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore the childhood of Martin Luther King, Jr. In this nonviolent resistance lesson, 5th graders listen to their instructor present a lecture regarding the details of King's early life and how that life contributed to his...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Art: Faith Ringgold Story Quilts

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders examine the impact of African American culture on the United States by inspecting Faith Ringgold's story quilts. Working in groups, they create a collective story quilt about current cultural issues. They research their...
Lesson Plan
Rancocas Valley Regional High School

Teaching American History for All

For Students 11th Standards
Although Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X both work for equal rights, social change, and political empowerment, their approaches were radically different. To better understand these contrasts, class members compare King's "I...
Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Freedom Summer

For Teachers K - 2nd
Young scholars brainstorm and discuss what the concept of "fairness" is and how to identify examples of "fairness." They pull from historical fiction and the Civil Rights Movement to explain how individual are affected by, cope with, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Write a Letter to Jesse Owens

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Young scholars examine the accomplishments of Jesse Owens and the views of the Nazi Party in 1936. They read and discuss two handouts, conduct research on the Nazi Party's views and the Civil Rights Movement in American in 1936, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil Rights Methodology Martin Luther King, Jr. – Stokely Carmichael

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students compare and contrast the visions of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Stokely Carmichael. In this African-American history lesson, students read speeches by each of the men and summarize the arguments made by each of them about...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil Rights Leaders; Past and Present

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars explore the concept of social justice. In this Civil Rights instructional activity, students fulfill the Rubric for Historical Research requirements as they conduct research on a Civil Rights or Anti-Apartheid Movements...