Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Utilizing Art, Literature and Film to Teach Black History

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders are introduced to different aspects of African-American history through literature, art, and films. As a class, they are read a story about the Underground Railroad, identify the main characters and put the events into...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Translating African Masks

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students identify traits of African masks. In this multicultural art activity, students view online examples of African masks and discuss the characteristics of the masks. Students create an original 2-D version of the African mask by...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ancient Origins: The Role of Archaeology in Reconstructing the Past

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students read information about the ancient origins of art and archaeology with a focus on the Malian culture. In this art origins lesson, students read background information for the topic and compare ancient and contemporary objects....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Examining the African American Family through the Eyes of Women Authors

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students read stories by women authors on the characteristics of the African-American family. Using the internet, they research the history of issues that have affected African-American families from the Civil War to the Civil Rights...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping the African American Past

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore the African Americans impact on New York.  In this US History lesson, 4th graders examine an archaeological website.  Students research the Five Points neighborhood. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Black History Month - - Mary Seacole CV

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students commemorate black history month. Using the Internet, information books and printed web pages, students research the events of Mary Seacole's life. Students role play Mary Seacole being interviewed for a job.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Jim Crow Era

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine how African-Americans were affected by the Great Depression. In this African-American history instructional activity, students conduct independent research on the social conditions of the time period using the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who Do You Know?

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Pupils research and describe the contributions of African-American men and women. They write their notes in a Microsoft Word document. They present their information to the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cyberspace Safari

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers go on an information gathering hunt on the Internet to study West African empires. They work in teams; meteorologists, bankers, writers, and archaeologists. They collect data on all sorts of topics related to West...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Achievements and Challenges of Zimbabwe

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Here is an excellent set of five short lessons and activities intended to help learners not only gain an understand of current issues in Africa, but build critical thinking, synthesis, analysis, expository writing, research, and...
Lesson Plan
John F. Kennedy Center

Musical Harlem: How Is Jazz Music Reflective of the Harlem Renaissance?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Bring jazz music and the Harlem Renaissance to light with a lesson that challenges scholars to research and create. Pupils delve deep into information materials to identify jazz terminology, compare types of jazz and jazz musicians,...
Lesson Plan
Albert Shanker Institute

Strategizing for Freedom

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, Marcus Garvey, and A. Philip Randolph developed different views on how to advance civil rights for African Americans. Class members research these famous figures and their strategies before developing...
Lesson Plan
US National Archives

Documented Rights Educational Lesson Plan

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How have groups struggled to have their unalienable rights recognized in the United States? Acting as a research team for the Human Rights Council of the United Nations, your young historians will break into groups to research...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Teaching Tolerance

Understanding the Prison Label

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Break the chain. An engaging lesson examines why it is so hard to break free of the prison system in the US. Academics participate in a reader's theater, read primary sources, and discuss their thoughts. The lesson explains the hardships...
Lesson Plan
2
2
Smithsonian Institution

Native Resistance: Native Resistance Then and Now

For Teachers 8th - 11th Standards
Native Americans lost so much—and gained so little in return. Scholars explore Native Americans' resistance to the United States government. The lesson uses primary sources to explore the different forms of protest and gives a voice to...
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

LBJ and Voting Rights

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Challenges to voting rights is not a new thing. Using President Lyndon B. Johnson's 1965 "The American Promise" speech on voting rights as a starting point, young historians research current voting rights laws and challenges.
Lesson Plan
1
1
Speak Truth to Power

John Lewis: Non-Violent Activism

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
After comparing and contrasting non-violent and violent social movements, your young historians will take a closer look at the work and influence of John Lewis on the civil rights movement. They will then choose a current social...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Jackie Robinson's Complicated — and Important — Legacy

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Americans tend to lock their heroes in history, holding these icons to a particular event or time. Jackie Robinson is such a hero, remembered by most for becoming the first African American to play in the Major Leagues. Young historians...
Lesson Plan
C-SPAN

Women's Suffrage and the 19th Amendment

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
The right to vote was hard-won after decades of organizing by women and their allies. Using a series of video clips featuring women's historians, class members consider the efforts behind the Nineteenth Amendment. Possible extension...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Teach Engineering

What is GIS?

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Is GIS the real manifestation of Harry Potter's Marauders Map? Introduce your class to the history of geographic information systems (GIS), the technology that allows for easy use of spatial information, with a resource that teaches...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African-American Participation in Wars and Conflicts

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students research the enlistment of African Americans, including particular divisions and individuals, in different conflicts. They access a narrative which contains excellent information they can use to research a variety of conflicts.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Researching Equality and Justice

For Teachers 8th
Choosing from a list, researchers investigate topics that range from the women in the American Civil Rights movement to the quest for equal rights in Iraq and Afghanistan. Although the plan is not detailed, a link to a PBS site that...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African Art is Alive: Drum, Dance, Storytelling....

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Young scholars investigate and experience African culture through various art forms. Students explore the physical and political geographies of Africa through mapping activities. Young scholars, in groups, prepare presentations about...
Lesson Plan
Marybeth Lobiecki

Beyond Baseball with Jackie Robinson

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
Jackie Robinson was more than a baseball star, he was a prominent activist. The thought-provoking resource focuses on the life and achievements of Jackie Robinson, from his baseball career to his civic participation. Academics listen and...