Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Martin Luther King, Jr. vs. Malcolm X

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders compare and contrast the visions of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. In this African-American history lesson, 11th graders read speeches by each of the men and summarize the arguments made by each of them about...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African Diaspora: Misconceptions, Misinterpretations, and Omissions

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study the definition of the African Diaspora. They examine the conditions/circumstances that produced the African Diaspora.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tears of Joy Theatre Presents Anansi the Spider

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
Accompany the African folktale, Anansi the Spider, with a collection of five lessons, each equipped with supplemental activities. Lessons offer multidisciplinary reinforcement in English language arts, social studies, science,...
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Smithsonian Institution

World War I

For Students 5th - 12th Standards
How did World War I effect the United States' status as a world power? Pupils examine a website to learn many interesting facts about American involvement during World War I. They read passages and interact with artifacts in an online...
Activity
Academy of American Poets

Teach This Poem: "Black Laws" by Roger Reeves

For Teachers 6th - 12th
After investigating the Black Lives Matter movement, class members do a close read of Roger Reeves' "Black Laws." They write down words and phrases that rhyme, consider the kinds of rhymes used and their function in the poem. Scholars...
Assessment
American Battlefield Trust

Middle School Assessment for the Civil War Curriculum

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The bravery of African American troops on the frontlines directly impacted the lives of the newly freed enslaved people. Using documents, including letters from African American troops and an excerpt of the Emancipation Proclamation,...
Lesson Plan
Benjamin Banneker Association

Celebrate Benjamin Banneker

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
Inventor, astronomer, surveyor, mathematician, clock maker. Learners celebrate the life of Benjamin Banneker by building creative analog clocks, making scale models, and solving problems related to surveying. The activities model the...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Hidden Messages in Spirituals

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
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...
Interactive
DocsTeach

The Civil War: Commemorate or Celebrate?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
While the Civil War ended over 150 years ago, Americans are still unsure how it should be remembered. Is the tragic conflict to be celebrated for bringing freedom to African Americans or commemorated for its sad place in US history?...
Lesson Plan
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation

Making a Patriot Inquiry: Are Independence, Freedom, and Liberty the Same Thing?

For Students 5th - 12th Standards
As part of a study of the American Revolution, class members engage in an inquiry-based lesson that has them watch a scene from the play Slave Spy, examine multiple primary source documents, and then discuss the similarities and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Parallel Studies in American/Afro-American Literature, Part II -- Black and White Images in Alienation

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students begin the lesson with a review of the elements of poetry. Individually, they read a variety of poems and literature one white and one black author focusing on decay, sterility and alienation. They identify these images within...
Lesson Plan
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation

What Was Everyday Life like in Colonial Virginia?

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
After reflecting on jobs people perform in the present day, scholars discuss what they believe jobs would have been like in Colonial Virginia during the American Revolution. Small groups then perform a jigsaw using informational packets....
Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Factory vs. Plantation in the North and South

For Teachers 6th - 8th
North is to factory as South is to plantation—the perfect analogy for the economy that set up the Civil War! The first lesson in a series of five helps teach beginners why the economy creates a driving force for conflict. Analysis of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Samuel's Choice

For Teachers 5th
The book, Samuel's Choice is used to illustrate the decisions that African Americans who were enslaved during the Revolutionary War had to make. The series of four lessons is designed to be implemented after the book is read. The book,...
Lesson Plan
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Teaching Tolerance

Using Photographs to Teach Social Justice | Legal Action: The Supreme Court

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
A social justice lesson plan focuses on the Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia which struck down laws that prohibited marriages between African Americans and white Americans. The lesson plan begins with class members examining a...
Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Northern Racism and the New York City Draft Riots of 1863

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Just how racist were some people in the North during the American Civil War? Using excerpts of the Conscription Act, as well as graphic images of lynchings, young historians consider why white people in New York City rioted and killed...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Analyzing a Letter to Congress About Bloody Sunday

For Teachers 7th - 11th Standards
The brutality of Bloody Sunday—when non-violent protesters who supported voting rights for African Americans were beaten by police—captured a nation. Young historians examine the letter of one horrified American to Congress to consider...
Activity
Fairfax Public Schools

Walter Dean Myers

For Teachers 6th - 8th
If you are reading works by Walter Dean Myers in your class, this resource might be worth a look. Included here are activities and discussion questions for Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary, Somewhere in the Darkness, Scorpions, Fallen...
Lesson Plan
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Carolina K-12

World War II through the Radio Waves

For Teachers 8th Standards
Young historians channel the very medium used to convey news during World War I. They create and present a five-minute radio broadcast on a particular topic from the war, such as the roles of African Americans and women, war bonds,...
Worksheet
K5 Learning

Fight for Equality: Thurgood Marshall

For Students 2nd - 3rd Standards
Students read an informational text passage on Thurgood Marshall and his contribution to African Americans' rights, and then answer questions based on what they read.
Lesson Plan
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BrainPOP

Civil Rights Lesson Plan: Tracking History Through Timelines

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Use the accompanying assessment to determine your class's prior knowledge on Martin Luther King, Jr. before beginning a lesson on the famous civil rights movement leader. The resource has young historians thinking about life for African...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

Elijah of Buxton: Novel Study

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Most think Elijah in Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis gets famous for being the first African American child born free from slavery. However, his true fame comes from his adventures to capture a thief. Readers study...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Ken Burns: Jackie Robinson Living in Jim Crow America

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Your class members may know that Jackie Robinson was the first African American man to play Major League Baseball, but they may not be aware of his efforts to achieve social justice. A clip from Ken Burns: The Jackie Robinson Collection...
AP Test Prep
College Board

2003 AP® English Language and Composition Free-Response Questions

For Students 10th - 12th Standards
How does perspective change a person's view? Scholars view different perspectives as they compare the styles of two different authors describing a flock of birds. Writers also create essays in response to entertainment ruining society...

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