New ReviewA reading of Tanya Lee Stones' biography of Ella Fitzgerald lets middle schoolers get up close and personal with the First Lady of Jazz. Stone recounts details of Fitzgerald's life from her early days through her experiences as a teenage...

New ReviewA three-minute exercise warms-up scholars' writing abilities in order to follow a writing process that ends in an essay. The essay's topic is a barrier and the values used to break it. Four steps include choosing a topic, jotting-down a...

New ReviewScholars investigate and discuss the importance of values and how they can be used to break barriers. Small groups work collaboratively to examine the text and draw inferences to answer questions. A writing assignment challenges pupils...

New ReviewScholars discuss the concept of a barrier with a short passage on Jackie Robinson. The writing process begins with a paragraph and several other sentences about Robinson's unique traits that made breaking a barrier possible.  

Music lyrics offer messages. Some lyrics offer positive messages, some negative, some reflective, some explosive. Class members investigate the powerful messages in the lyrics of popular rap songs by first reading one student's essay on...

Learners complete a six-page coloring book featuring Major League Baseball's first African American player, Jackie Robinson. To bring the pages to life, scholars follow directions adding color and pictures where directed. 

Slaves laboring in the cotton fields of the old South singing joyously may have convinced overseers that their workforce was happy and content, but in truth, these spirituals contained secret codes. After viewing a short video about...

New ReviewFour multiple choice questions, four short answer questions, a summary, and a reflection make up a learning exercise dedicated to Rosa Parks. Following a one-page informational text, scholars show what they know by way of a variety of...

New ReviewInformational text about the Civil Rights Movement challenges young historians to prove their reading comprehension skills with six multiple choice questions. After answers are submitted a new screen displays a score, answers—correct and...

New ReviewA four-paragraph informational text details the life of the famous baseball player, Jackie Robinson. A prompt challenges scholars to write or discuss a time in their life when they were not included and how that made them feel. 

New ReviewA short video spotlights Major League Baseball's first African American player, Jackie Robinson. Engaging photographs, fun graphics, and a clear narrator detail Robinson's life starting with his military background to his induction into...

Introduce young learners to the read-aloud process with a short biographical passage about Ray Charles. After listening to the passage, class members respond to factual, inferential, and evaluative questions, and then create a timeline...

Get parents or guardians into the swing of things with a jazzy homework assignment. A detailed six-page guide provides before, during, and after reading suggestions for Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra, Andrea Davis...

Looking for a new and exciting way to teach young historians the art of primary source analysis? Jazz up your lesson with a resource that asks class members to analyze photos, travel documents, and letters written by some of New Orleans'...

Before there was Beyonce, before there was Madonna, before there was Cher, there was Ella. Introduce Ella Fitzgerald, The First Lady of Jazz, with a reading comprehension exercise that presents a brief biography of her life and then asks...

Scholars read and become familiar with peaceful protests detailed in the story, Delivering Justice: W.W. Law and the Fight for Civil Rights by Jim Haskins. Pupils reexamine the tale and use the Six Steps to Nonviolent Direct Action in...

In the story, Nobody Gonna Turn Me 'Round: Stories and Songs of the Civil Rights Movement by Doreen Rappaport, listeners become familiar with nonviolent protests of the Civil Rights Movement through music. Scholars then compose original...

Accompany a reading of, Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins by Carole Boston Weatherford, with an in-depth investigation into nonviolent protest using primary and secondary sources, narratives, and documentary excerpts. 

A activity begins with a read-aloud of the story, A Sweet Smell of Roses by Angela Johnson. Scholars then take part in a discussion about the nonviolent methods featured in primary and secondary sources. 

A two-part lesson features Civil Rights hero, Ruby Bridges. Part one focuses on the heroic actions of Ruby Bridges then challenges scholars to complete a Venn diagram in order to compare themselves to her. Part two begins with a...

Boost reading comprehension with an interactive website featuring an informational passage about Martin Luther King Jr. Scholars read, or listen to, several paragraphs detailing MLK's life in order to answer seven multiple choice...

Scholars examine the courageous efforts made by civil rights activist, Rosa Parks. Discussion questions and a brief writing assignment follows a short film. A photograph and a silent film delve deeper into Park's history and three...

Enhance Black History Month with a twenty-page resource designed to boost scholars' knowledge of the great accomplishments made by African Americans. Learners take in fun facts about famous inventors such as George Washington Carver and...

Maya Angelou's first autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is the anchor text in a unit that asks readers to examine how personal relationships and the environment impact a writer's point of view. Class members complete a variety...