Curated OER
Translating African Masks
Young scholars identify traits of African masks. In this multicultural art lesson, students view online examples of African masks and discuss the characteristics of the masks. Young scholars create an original 2-D version of the African...
Smithsonian Institution
The Music of the Mardi Gras Indians
The traditions, costumes, and the music of the Mardi Gras Indians, African-Americans and those with African American or Native American Heritage are the focus of a unit that introduces class members to a little-known group that plays a...
Curated OER
The Influence of Musical Folk Traditions in the Poetry of Langston Hughes and Nicolás Guillén
Pupils listen and explore how African-American culture relates to learning Spanish as a foreign language. Poetry, music, and history are utilized while learning about Langston Hughes and Nicolas Guillen.
Curated OER
How Perceptions of Cultures Influences Perceptions and Historical Outcomes
Students research different ethnic groups that lived in the United States. They compare and contrast Spanish, African American and Native American cultures and how American culture interacted with them. They present their findings...
Curated OER
African Americans in Oregon
Learners interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this African American history lesson, students examine the African American experience in Oregon.
Curated OER
Migration - An African-American Adventure During WWI
Sixth graders explore the push/pull factors that influenced the South to North migration. In this African-American migration lesson, 6th graders read an article and answer comprehension questions. Students write a letter to the government.
Curated OER
African-American Participation in Wars and Conflicts
Students research the enlistment of African Americans, including particular divisions and individuals, in different conflicts. They, in groups, research past American military conflicts, and report on the experience of African Americans...
Curated OER
Entrepreneurs and the African-American Dream
Students make a simple graph of labor supply and labor demand in the North and South in the early twentieth century. They conduct research to identify top contemporary African-American entrepreneurs.
Curated OER
Portrait of The African American Family
Students examine how African American families were affected by slavery. As a class, they watch and read King's "I Have a Dream Speech" and write a paper on how this message relates to families. In their journals, they compare and...
Curated OER
Masks of Africa
Students explain the purpose of masks to various cultures in Africa. They recognize the conceptual patterns used to create African masks and illustrate their understanding by creating their own masks
Curated OER
Bill Robinson: Mr. Bojangles
Mr. Bojangles was born just after slavery was abolished and became one of the most beloved entertainers of his time. Explore key vocabulary, the life of an African-American entertainer, and the impact of the Harlem Renaissance on...
National Woman's History Museum
Unsung Voices: Black Women and Their Role in Women's Suffrage
Reclaim perspectives often left out of the narrative about the suffrage movement with an activity that lifts up the voices of African American women. Using primary sources and biographical details of Fannie Barrier Williams' life, young...
Curated OER
African Americans in California’s Heartland – The Civil Rights Era
Events related to the Civil Rights Movement in Sacramento, California during the 1960s offer class members an opportunity to compare the nonviolent resistance approach favored by Dr. Martin Luther King and the NAACP with those of the...
Curated OER
Kuba African Cloth
Young scholars identify four different African cloth design styles and associate them with the cultures examined in this lesson plan. The lesson plan also includes a creative project where each student creates their own cloth design.
Rutgers University
African-Americans in WWII
Using transcripts of interviews of African-Americans who served in WWII, class members work in pairs to understand their experience. Prior to the group work, the teacher provides background on WWII and the African-American experience....
Curated OER
American Music Styles: European Roots and African Influences - Lesson 3
Young scholars describe some of the characteristics of country and blues music. They see how country music rose to a nationally known music style. They write a two-paragraph essay on what they think country music be like in the next 100...
Annenberg Foundation
Slavery and Freedom
How do nineteenth-century texts by African American and Native American writers contribute to the country's ideals of freedom and individuality? Learners explore the topic by watching and discussing a video, reading biographies, writing...
Curated OER
African American Inventors Study
Students learn about African American inventors. In this inventing lesson, students are assigned an African American inventor to research. Students work in pairs to complete their research. Students write a compare and contrast paragraph...
Center for History Education
The Tobacco Economy: How did the Geography of the Chesapeake Region Influence its Development?
Explore the relationship between geography and economy using primary sources. After examining wills, advertisements, and other primary sources, individuals consider how the Chesapeake Region came to be home first to indentured servants,...
Curated OER
Influencing Others in Our World
Learners discover that the actions of people can have a positive influence on a community. They use a variety of resources to research biographies of African Americans. Students research and discuss the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.,...
C3 Teachers
Uncle Tom’s Cabin: Can Words Lead to War?
"Words, words, words." Despite Hamlet's opinion, words can be significant. In this inquiry lesson, middle schoolers learn how the words in Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, in the view of many, lead to the American Civil War. To...
Curated OER
African Americans in the Maritime Trades
Students explore Civil Rights by analyzing U.S. history. In this African American workforce lesson, students discuss the history of African Americans in Baltimore and the need for steady work that formed. Students define vocabulary terms...
Curated OER
Say It Loud!: A Celebration Of Black Music In America
Students watch a video that highlights the role of artists' images throughout the history of Black music in the United States and describe the influences of the civil rights movement on Black culture.
Curated OER
Women in Africa: Tradition and Change
Students examine a selection of traditional African artwork that portray women and explore postcolonial African literature created by women in order to gain insight into the lives of some black women in Sub-Sahara Africa.