Those new to teaching an AP level language and composition prep course and seasoned veterans will find much to treasure in a unit that is designed to help young language scholars develop the skills they need to analyze the language...

The film American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs introduces viewers to the differing philosophies of and strategies employed by 1960s civil rights leaders such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. and the debate over...

Marcus Garvey: a leader of African-American independence and freedom, or a polarizing figure? Using primary sources from Garvey, Malcolm X, J. Edgar Hoover, and a textbook excerpt, pupils explore the controversial legacy of Garvey....

Track the transformation of Malcolm Little into Malcolm X and then into El Jajj Malik El-Shabazz with the second part of Make it Plain, a documentary on the famous civil rights activist. Viewers consider not only how events shaped and...

Malcolm X was a complicated man that few in white America understood. After sharing what they know or think they know about this civil rights leader, about nationalism and Black Nationalism, class members view a two-part documentary...

Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were contemporaries. Both were gifted orators, both were preachers, both were leaders during the Civil Rights era, both were assassinated. But the two had very different views on violence and...

How did the Voting Rights Act affect the daily lives of American citizens? A document-based lesson developed by the Student Non-Violent Coordinating committee (SNCC) presents a case study of the impact of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 on...

Investigate milestones along the path that lead to the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. After researching key people, events, court cases, and legislative orders, teams present their findings as a magazine, newspaper, or...

Much has been made of the differences between Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. But was there any common ground between them? Class members reconsider what they think they know about these two civil rights leaders with biographical...

After reading a series of primary source documents detailing the teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, class members craft newspaper columns assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each man's vision, and present their...

Your young learners will delve into the language of primary source documents in order to identify the characteristics, benefits, and costs of nonviolence. The lesson plan includes a mix of activities, including an anticipatory activity,...

Discover the incredible change and volatility that was 1960s America with an engaging, informative video. It begins with an extensive overview of pivotal moments during the civil rights movement and the subsequent shift toward militant...

Analyze visual texts and describe, in writing, what makes them persuasive. Middle schoolers identify the use of persuasive appeals in formal speech writing, and analyze famous speeches from the 20th century. Use these speeches to focus...

Although Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X both work for equal rights, social change, and political empowerment, their approaches were radically different. To better understand these contrasts, class members compare King's "I...

Students view film footage of the Ku Klux Klan in the U.S. in the early 1920s and examine how the actions of the KKK have been viewed by different strands of the civil rights movement. They watch the film and answer discussion...

Students explore the ideological and political development of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X through primary source documents. They identify the various personal, social, and political factors that influenced Martin Luther King,...

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...

The ideas of the leaders of the Black Arts Movement were in direct contrast to those of Ralph Ellison. A clip from the American Masters film Ralph Ellison: An American Journey clarifies these conflicts between Ellison and the younger...

Three lessons in the Let Freedom Swing concert tour resource guide packed with information, materials, and activities that provide the context for any study of American history.

To demonstrate their understanding of the differences in the philosophies of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X class members read short biographies of the two famous civil rights leaders, analyze statements made by both men, and then...

Freedom, independence, liberty: the ideas the USA was built on. A string of images is connected with a freedom song and provides an opportunity for learners to really think about what civil rights are. Start and end your unit on civil...

Reflect upon the poetry of the Harlem Renaissance by looking at some of Langston Hughes' works. "I, Too" and "American Heartbreak" are mentioned, as well as work by Malcolm X and Smokey Robinson. Specific questions help guide discussion...