National Endowment for the Humanities
Toni Morrison's Beloved: For Sixty Million and More
Complex, disturbing, and challenging, Beloved is the focus of a activity that provides three activities to guide a close reading of Toni Morrison's novel. Readers create chapter titles based on key plot elements or themes,...
Curated OER
Lesson: David Goldblatt: Structures and Normativity, looking at Photography
Art can be a vehicle for social change and cultural expression. Upper graders examine the art of photographer David Goldblatt, as it pertains to apartheid, South Africa, and the AIDS epidemic. Discussion questions and image links...
American Institute of Physics
African Americans and the Manhattan Project
A lesson about the Manhattan Project will explode young physicists' understanding of the racial attitudes in the United States during and after World war II. Groups select an African American scientist or technician that worked on the...
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: "On Being Brought from Africa to America" by Phillis Wheatley
Phillis Wheatley's poem, "On Being Brought from Africa to America" is the focus of a lesson that asks readers to consider how the poem is a critique of slavery. Groups comprise a list of words and phrases they notice as well as questions...
Center for History Education
The Untold Story: The Black Struggle for Freedom during the Revolutionary War in Maryland
The American Revolution brought freedom to select groups and ignored others. An enlightening resource highlights the struggle of African Americans during the American Revolution and their efforts to escape slavery. Scholars analyze...
Healthy Native Youth
Chapter 1: Circle of Life
Volition, or will-power, is the focus of a lesson that brings forth the Native symbol, the Circle of Life, to instill the importance of responsible decision-making. Scholars take part in six activities that empower them to reflect on...
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: "A Place in the Country" by Toi Derricotte
Build young scholars' confidence in analyzing art and poetry with a lesson that first asks pupils to list details they notice in Edouard Vuillard's painting "Garden at Vaucresson" and then to describe how the painting makes them feel....
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: "Theme for English B" by Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes' "Theme for English B" is featured in a lesson that asks pupils to first read a biography of Hughes and list things about his life they think are important. The class then reads the poem and compares what they learned...
Curated OER
Inside The Harlem Renaissance
High schoolers explore the Harlem Renaissance to discover where, when, and why it took place and who was associated with the experience. They decide what are the most informative facts, interesting people, and events in this lesson.
Curated OER
Martin Luther King Jr. Layered
Young scholars identify African American and their contributions to American Society. They describe what African Americans did and explain how it positively changed our way of life. In essence, this lesson plan increases children's...
Curated OER
From Slave to Entrepreneur: The Life and Times of William Ellison
Eighth graders interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this South Carolina history lesson, 8th graders examine sources that require them to examine the life of William Ellison, a black slave owner.
Curated OER
Aboriginal Quilting Activity
Students explore Aboriginal culture by participating in an art activity. For this First Nation history lesson, students utilize the Internet to research images and designs from Native American culture. Students create images on quilting...
Center for History and New Media
Slavery and Free Negroes, 1800 to 1860
What was life like for enslaved and free black people before the American Civil War? Explore the building tension between states and the freedom of individuals with a thorough social studies lesson. Learners of all ages explore...
Smithsonian Institution
Singing for Justice: Following the Musical Journey of “This Little Light of Mine”
Scholars go on a musical journey to discover the origin, importance, and evolution of the song, "This Little Light of Mine". Class members boost their voice talents and clap to the beat while learning the lyrics in both English and Zulu....
C3 Teachers
Civil Rights: What Made Nonviolent Protest Effective during the Civil Rights Movement?
Sit-ins and boycotts, marches and speeches, songs and demonstrations were hallmarks of nonviolent protest of the civil rights movement. Young scholars research primary and secondary source documents to determine what made nonviolent...
Carolina K-12
African Americans and the Vietnam War
No need to look any further. This resource has everything for a solid exploration of the role of African Americans in the Vietnam War. Class members read primary sources, including a Martin Luther King speech, political cartoons of the...
Albert Shanker Institute
Strategizing for Freedom
Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, Marcus Garvey, and A. Philip Randolph developed different views on how to advance civil rights for African Americans. Class members research these famous figures and their strategies before developing...
Albert Shanker Institute
The March on Washington Logistics Then and Now
I have a dream ... that all pupils will be able to organize a march of their own after learning about how Bayard Rustin organized the 1963 March on Washington for civil rights. Young reformers work collaboratively examining informational...
K12 Reader
Civil Rights Biography: Rosa Parks
Add to your instruction on the civil rights movement with this biography of Rosa Parks. Class members read the one-page summary of her life, which focuses mainly on the part she played in the bus boycott. After reading, pupils respond to...
K12 Reader
Her Story: Sojourner Truth
Sojourner Truth is one of the most prominent faces of the abolitionist movement, but what was her life in slavery like? Learn more about her early years with a reading comprehension resource that provides a short passage from...
Institut Obert de Catalunya
20th Century Music: Jazz
A 67-page packet provides instructors with a complete course in the history of Jazz. Lessons look at the roots of jazz in early 20th century African American communities in the southern United States and continues to the New Orleans...
Curated OER
Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
Students develop computer research skills while searching facts about Harriet Tubman. Students learn about ways in which Harriet Tubman's childhood influenced her future. Students learn to use primary documents to learn about the...
US Department of Agriculture
George Washington Carver Coloring and Activity Book
Learn about the interesting life of George Washington Carver and his many accomplishments with this series of worksheets for primary grade learners. From coloring pages and word searches, to non-fiction reading passages and math skills...
Curated OER
Black American Soldiers in the Civil War
Eighth graders explore the actions needed to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. In this US History lesson, 8th graders analyze documents pertinent to the Congressional Medal of Honor. Students examine the process of...