Ms. Effie's Lifesavers
Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man in the Spotlight
Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man is the most frequently cited novel for the Advanced Placement Literature and Composition Open Response Question. Those new to using the book and and veterans as well will find the teaching strategies, the...
Curated OER
Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave, Written by Himself
Foster reader confidence when encountering complex text and reinforce the skills readers have acquired to build and extend their understanding of text. The plan uses a section of Douglass’ narrative as an exemplar text. Directions for...
Curated OER
Heroes in Art
Young scholars examine the life, portraits and speeches of Frederick Douglass. They consider what made his speeches effective and why he is regarded as a national hero. They write an original speech.
Curated OER
Slavery: Acts of Resistance
Historical accounts of various events have proven to differ depending on the point of view of the person documenting the event. Learners read and analyze two first person accounts of acts of slave resistance seen at a southern...
Curated OER
African American Inventors Study
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...
Curated OER
Cinderella Stories: An African Tale
Pupils read and analyze an African version of the Cinderella story. They listen to John Steptoe's story, "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters," locate Africa on a map, compare and contrast the story with Cinderella, and identify fairytale and...
Curated OER
African Pride- Reading Comprehension
In this reading comprehension worksheet, students read a speech which the President of South Africa delivered. Students answer questions, and write an essay.
Curated OER
Famous African Americans Mini-book
Students develop understanding of prejudice as they study famous African Americans. In this African American lesson, students become familiar with various African Americans and the obstacles they faced and overcame. Students put...
Curated OER
Modern African Art and Artisans
Learners are explained the difference between artists and artisans. They discuss some of the common themes among artisans, such as traditions, materials, process, and inspiration. Students descsribe other modern-day African artisans and...
Curated OER
African Power Figure Sculptures
Students develop character, write short narrative about how it got its powers, and create a clay figure using modeling and assembling techniques to explore the concepts relating their figure to the African power figures.
Curated OER
Survival of the Fastest: Predator and Prey in the African Savannah
Students explore the predator-prey relationship using an interactive game. In this biology lesson, students compare their physical attributes. They explain how predators develop to make it stronger and efficient as hunters. Each...
Curated OER
Solutions or Impossibilities? HIV Prevention for African Children
Students analyze maps for clues as to why students and mothers in both urban and rural areas of Africa may not fight HIV the same way as those in wealthier countries. They write an essay outlining solutions to the AIDS epidemic.
Marybeth Lobiecki
Beyond Baseball with Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson was more than a baseball star, he was a prominent activist. The thought-provoking resource focuses on the life and achievements of Jackie Robinson, from his baseball career to his civic participation. Academics listen and...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan: Musical Myths
Create musical myths in this West African tales lesson. Middle schoolers read myths from African Myths and Legends as well as West African Trickster Tales. They note when music could be used to enhance the tales, and then write their own...
National Gallery of Canada
From Africa to Canada
Represent the African diaspora with figurines. Using a discussion on the contributions of people of African descent as inspiration, class members prepare sketches of a figure and put together a small sculpture from those sketches.
Curated OER
Struggle for Equality
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...
National Gallery of Canada
A Cultural Portrait
Explore heritage and identity through an examination of art and a related project. The featured art, related to the African diaspora, includes several types of art created by different artists. Pupils consider their own backgrounds and...
Curated OER
Dance: Discovering the Culture of Gullah
It's wonderful to see a lesson that incorporates art, movement, and writing. These three forms of creative expression are explored as learners dance to music from the Gullah people of West Africa. They analyze several paintings, listen...
American Evolution
Virginia Runaway Slave Ads
What does an ad reveal about a culture, or about the values of its intended audience? Class members examine a series of runaway slave ads—one of which was written by Thomas Jefferson—and consider what these primary source documents...
Curated OER
Nature's Perfect Recycler
What a great way to start a recycling lesson! Introduce your students to the dung beetle! They will get a kick out of "nature's perfect recycler," when they learn about the scarab beetle's way of life: eating dung and rotting...
Curated OER
The World's Newest Nation
Reading comprehension can be fostered in many ways. Learners become informed as the read a New York Times article on the South Sudan, the world's newest nation. They read the article and then answer each of the 12 related questions.
Queen's University
The African-American Civil Rights Movement
Every once in awhile a resource comes along that has all the materials you could ever want on a specific topic. Here's such a resource; an amazing collection of primary sources, photographs, posters, handbills, articles, and even the...
National Endowment for the Humanities
David Walker vs. John Day: Two Nineteenth-Century Free Black Men
What was the most beneficial policy for nineteenth-century African Americans: to stay in the United States and work for freedom, or to immigrate to a new place and build a society elsewhere? Your young historians will construct an...