Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Traveling Southern Style: A Lesson on the Jim Crow Laws

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders create a poster of a travel route. In this discrimination lesson, 3rd graders read The Gold Cadillac and use it to discuss the problems African Americans faced while traveling south in the 1950's. Students compare three...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jazz Music and the Crisis Over School Desegregation

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers will learn to appreciate the civil rights movement with a focus on Little Rock, Arkansas. They will also acknowledge Louis Armstrong's unparalleled contributions to American music.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Jazz is About Collaboration": Jim Crow Laws And Segregation

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore development of jazz music in the 1930s by forming imaginary jazz bands which tour several cities in Depression-era America. Jazz band members create imaginary identities for themselves, develop publicity for their tour,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil Rights/Segregation

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders investigate Civil Rights by participating in role-playing activities.  In this U.S. History lesson, 6th graders research the history of slavery in order to portray a story through their debating and acting...
Lesson Plan
Maryland Department of Education

A Raisin in the Sun and Dreams Deferred

For Teachers 10th Standards
To conclude a study of A Raisin in the Sun and to prepare for a visit to the Lewis Museum, class members analyze Langston Hughes' poem "Harlem." Learners then draw connections to characters in the play and to their own experiences...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sam Cooke - Lesson 1

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students identify the impact of the social injustices and Civil Rights movement on Cooke's life and career. They create lyrics to a familiar song that express a personal struggle or concern.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

LESSON 4: This is Rosa Parks

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students learn about Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights Movement.
Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Jazz Lessons That Tell The Story

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Jazz lessons can provide a look into history, and a way to talk about present day jazz musicians.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Growing Like Dr. King

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore American History by reading biographical material. In this civil rights lesson, students read information about Martin Luther King Jr. and his successful demonstrations which led to equal rights for African Americans....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Birmingham Blues

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate racial inequality and prejudice in American history through the words of Langston Hughes, an American black poet. They develop and share thoughtful collages and presentations inspired by the words of Langston Hughes.
Lesson Plan
Mississippi Whole School Initiative

Dream Big...With Your Eyes Wide Open

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
For many people, Barack Obama's presidency was the next step in Martin Luther King, Jr's dream of America's future. Explore the dreams of Americans past and present, as well as the young Americans in your class, with a set of activities...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lena Horne: Race and the American Artist

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine how race played a critical role in Lena Horne's life. They conduct Internet research, participate in a class debate, write a letter, and create a presentation based on their Internet research.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

In the Shadow of Death

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students research the initial labeling and classification of Jews through the use of images on the Web. They gather additional information about the history and effects of the Holocaust on survivors.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

James Brown: Life and Times

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students trace James Brown's rise from "Little Junior" in Depression-era Augusta, Georgia, to the "Minister of the New Super Heavy Funk" and create a collage that captures his impact on American music.
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
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
Curated OER

20th Century Civil Disobedience

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Young scholars write from varying perspectives in the American South about the civil rights movements in the 1950s. In this civics lesson, students view video clips and take notes. Young scholars discuss the film and listen to a lecture...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Say It Loud!: A Celebration Of Black Music In America - Lesson 5

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners identify many genres of Black music. They listen to examples of black artists playing songs of social concious, then identify issues that are addressed by today's Black artists.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Giving Cheer

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
Students explore kind behavior. In this values development and literacy lesson, students listen to The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, then generate a class list of ways the tree helped the boy and ways in which the boy helped the tree....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Act of Courage, The Arrest Records of Rosa Parks

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars research accounts on Rosa Parks and look for differences between the modern form and an older report on Parks. They discuss why information about race and nationality are collected on these and other forms.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Suffering and Sunset: An African American Artist's Impression of World War I

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study paintings by a Pennsylvania artist, Horace Pippin, to explore African-American contributions in World War I. They create presentations based on their impressions of the artwork.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Voice for the Times

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students make connections with events of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960's with songs made popular by Aretha Franklin.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jazz: An Expression of Democracy

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners watch a video segment about the distinguishing characteristics of jazz. They describe those characteristics and the relation between the culture of jazz and democracy. They improvise simple rhythms and melodies.
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs: Jazz Is About Collaboration: Jim Crow Laws: Segregation

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Engage your students in discussion about segregation and the Jim Crow laws with this in-depth lesson plan. Using jazz music, you will contrast the ways in which America's most significant contribution to the arts depended on...