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Six Teaching Tools for Black History Month
January 28, 2013 | Matt Davis
Although Black History Month provides a great opportunity for students to explore black history, it's important that teachers "reinforce that 'black history' is American history," writes Pat Russo in Dos and Don'ts of Teaching Black History Month. Keeping that in mind, in February, teachers can dig deeper into the history, provide students context, and connect the past to the present.
Each year since 1928, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History has provided a theme for Black History Month. This year's theme, "At the Crossroads of Freedom and Equality: The Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington," corresponds with the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, and the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.
To help celebrate Black History Month 2013, there are a plethora of valuable teaching resources on the Web, from interactive timelines and rich multimedia to lesson plans and study guides. Here are some suggestions:
- Beyond Black History Month from Learn NC: This article from the University of North Carolina's School of Education offers ways teachers can "shift the lens" and explore African American history from new perspectives. The school has also produced a long list of lesson plans and related resources for teaching black history.
- Black History timeline from Biography: This interactive timeline from Biography follows African American history in the United States from 1619 to the present, featuring fast facts, quizzes, and discussion starters. Biography also hosts a larger collection of black history resources, including study guides, videos, and games.
- Celebrate African American Heritage with Scholastic: This rich collection of teaching resources covers a lot of ground, including The Civil Rights Movement, African American contributions to the arts, and slavery in America. Each topic is covered with lesson plans, multimedia, and reading lists.
- Black History Resources from the New York Times Learning Network: Students can explore African American history using an archive of newspaper front pages from important dates in Civil Rights history. Other resources include lesson plans, crosswords, and updated lessons using current Times content.
- Black History Month Lessons and Resources from the NEA: The National Education Association produced this exhaustive collection of teaching resources for Black History Month. Lesson plans are provided for all grade levels, and they include quizzes, discussion topics, and background information.
- Smithsonian Education's Black History Month Teaching Resources: These resources from Smithsonian Education feature various collections, from 'The Blues and Langston Hughes' to 'Harlem Renaissance: A Reading List'. There is something for students of any grade level here.
There are many wonderful resources online for Black History Month, and unfortunately, we could just cover a few. Did we miss anything? What resources do you use in your classroom during Black History Month?
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Comments (11)
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"American History"
I teach fourth graders and broaching the subject of African American studies can sometimes be a tricky thing (considering how horrible and violent it was), especially working in a district that's demographics are primarily Caucasian. However, after reading your blog and checking out the websites you tagged, I felt better informed and more comfortable talking about African American history from the stand point of it being, "American history" as well- I’ve never really looked at it this way. I appreciate your insight and the resources you provided- I found them very helpful. Currently my students are creating African American reports. Each student has chosen a person to explore and research on his or her iPads and in the library. I've taught them to write a summary style of essay using a persuasive tone to convince me that there person of choice is the most interesting African American that has lived. They are also expected to create an oral presentation explaining their person to the rest of the class, as well as some sort of visual aid to go with their report. We'll see how it goes...
Thanks for your post and information I found it very helpful!
Live Entertainment
Agreed.. mostly i visit ghanalive.tv for this kind of articles
Thank you for this resource!!
Thank you all for this list!! This is excellent. Thanks for everyone who included additions.
Thank-you everyone for all
Thank-you everyone for all the great online resources. I work in an environment where there is no access to online resources. Therefore, I have utilized our local public library. I was able to get a variety of DVDs and books.
I highly recommend reading the link on the Do's and Don'ts of Teaching Black History.
African American Read-Ins
Nice list! We have a resource to add. You can also celebrate Black History Month by hosting an African American Read-In in your classroom or community: http://cehdvision2020.umn.edu/cehd-blog/celebrate-black-history-month-by.... Either formal or casual, it’s a great way for students to learn the historical significance of education and literacy in the African American community.
-Dean Jean Quam, University of Minnesota CEHD
Great list! I might have my
Great list! I might have my students create posters on iPads to go with a writing assignment http://wp.me/p2qsME-eP
Great list! I might have my
Great list! I might have my students create posters on iPads to go with a writing assignment http://wp.me/p2qsME-eP
Please see our free ebook
Please see our free ebook which includes contributions from W.E.B. Du Bois, Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin, and many others. Each selection includes a brief introduction by educator-editors Leon and Amy Kass with guiding questions for discussion.
http://www.whatsoproudlywehail.org/curriculum/the-american-calendar/cele...
Resources for Teaching African-American Literature and History
This is a series of new Common-Core-based textbooks on African-American literature and history for students in Grades 9-12:
http://www.callistoeducation.com
This series of supplementals is called Voices of the People: Our African-American Heritage.
2012 Best Books for African American History
Here at WeAreTeachers, we've created a Book Club and this month are sharing top books for this topic -
enjoy: http://bit.ly/WdvkKW