Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Color of Justice

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze racism and justice. In this legal system discrimination lesson plan, students listen to their instructor lecture on disparities in the legal system. Students respond to discussion questions following...
Lesson Plan
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Teaching Tolerance

Introducing 'The New Jim Crow'

For Teachers 9th - 12th
When Jim Crow Laws ended, the intent behind them did not. Academics read "The New Jim Crow Laws" and an interview from the author to understand how racism has not ended, but rather changed over time. The activity explains how prejudices...
Lesson Plan
Pace University

The Harlem Renaissance - The Journey to Freedom: An Interdisciplinary

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The Harlem Renaissance if the focus of a carefully crafted, interdisciplinary unit designed to introduce middle schoolers to the contributions key figures made to American art and culture during the period. Class members select...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Racism in America

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine racism, stereotypes, and biases in their personal lives and in the U.S. media. They discuss examples of racism, exploring the types of stereotypes and biases that still exist in our society. They access a multi-media...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Aftermath for the Freedom Seekers

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research Black organizations the existed during the first half of the 20th Century, including the Negro Leagues baseball. They create a brochure that provides information about one of the organizations.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Land, Liberty and the Struggle for the American Dream

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students investigate equality by reading a historical fiction book in class.  In this civil rights lesson, students read the story Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry with their classmates and define the Jim Crow Laws that kept blacks...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Slavery and Empire 1440 - 1770

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students reflect on the events that led up to slavery in the early years of North America.  In this United States History instructional activity, students read excerpts from the book "Out of Many," then gather in small groups to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Muhammad Ali

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students analyze the lifetime accomplishments of Muhammad Ali in the area of sports and his role as a catalyst for social change.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Battleground: Separate and Unequal Education

For Teachers 5th - Higher Ed
Pupils investigate the history of unequal education in the United States and the impact on African American history. For this unequal history lesson, students discuss the purpose of education and describe an ideal school. Pupils...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Battleground: Separate and Unequal Education

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Learners examine the purpose and goals of education in African American society. They analyze photos, answer discussion questions, and participate in a class discussion.
Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Major League Baseball and the Negro Leagues: Correcting an Injustice

For Teachers 6th - 9th Standards
It's been a long time coming! In 2020, MLB Commissioner Robert D. Manifred, Jr. stated that "the Negro Leagues would be recognized as official major leagues." Middle schoolers investigate the history of the Negro Leagues and use evidence...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sixteenth Street: Civil Rights at the Crossroads

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners study the Civil Rights movement constructing definitions of discrimination, prejudice and racism. They use varied media to study the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, write a newspaper and complete a mock trial.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Piano

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders read The Piano and become familiar with racial discrimination.  In this racial discrimination book lesson, 2nd graders answer comprehension question to focus on the importance of the book.  Students discuss the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Hurricane

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers analyze three different ways a story is told, determine truth and fiction in each story, and discover and apply techniques to narrate a good story. Students listen to Bob Dylan's "The Hurricane" and watch the "R" rated...
Lesson Plan
Teaching for Change

A Documents-Based Lesson on the Voting Rights Act

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
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...
Lesson Plan
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Center for History and New Media

The Impact of the Jim Crow Era on Education, 1877–1930s

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Even though American slaves were officially emancipated in 1865, the effects of slavery perpetuated throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Middle and high schoolers learn about the ways that discrimination and the Jim Crow laws...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The African-American Struggle for Equality in the World War II Era

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students respect and appreciate the challenges people faced during World War II. They develop the different perspectives on race during WWII. Students develop that the nation's actions may not exemplify a nation's stated ideals. Students...
Lesson Plan
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National Park Service

Lesson 3: Resistance

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
During the time of slavery, resistance was a way of life for the men and women held in bondage. Using music as evidence of their fight against oppression, learners explore how enslaved people fought back. Writing prompts round out the...
Lesson Plan
Penguin Books

A Guide to the Works of Jacqueline Woodson

For Teachers 6th - 10th Standards
The works of Jacqueline Woodson introduce readers to diverse characters and themes. A guide covers many of the author's best-known books such as Brown Girl Dreaming and Locomotion. Dive & Discuss and Explore & Extend activities...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Northern Racism and the New York City Draft Riots of 1865

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students analyze primary source illustrations and personal accounts of the New York City Draft riots. They draw conclusions about the existence and power of Northern racism toward African Americans
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Campaigns For Economic Freedom

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine how racial discrimination affected the economic outlook for African Americans in the 20th century. They view primary source materials to examine two demonstrations, and analyze economic strategies of the mid- to-...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Racism in America

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students compare racism today to racism that existed during the nineteenth century. As a field research project, students individually keep track of examples of racism, biases, and stereotypes illustrated throughout the US media over a...
Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Shirley Chisholm: Unbought, Unbossed and Unforgotten

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A 13-page packet introduces high schoolers to a lady of amazing firsts. Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to Congress, the first Black woman to run for President of the United States, and a leader of the Women's Rights...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Character vs. Society in The Invisible Man

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed Standards
Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man is difficult to read and difficult to teach. The novel is so highly regarded that it is one of most often listed as an option for the AP Literature and Composition exam. The materials in this packet from PBS...