Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African American Community and Culture

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore the rise of jazz music. In this Duke Ellington lesson, 4th graders watch video segments regarding Ellington's life and showcasing a performance of Ellington and his band. Students discuss the rhythm...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Continuity or Change? African Americans in World War II

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the experience of African Americans during World War II by analyzing primary sources and formulating historical questions. They evaluate if the African American experience during World War II represents continuity or...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Effects of African-American Emigration From the Late 1700s-Early 1900s

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read narratives to explore the pros and cons of the 19th century African-American emigration movement. They research major groups and people involved with the movement.
Lesson Plan
Facing History and Ourselves

After Charlottesville: Contested History and the Fight against Bigotry

For Teachers 9th - 12th
History doesn't always reflect all sides. Academics discover how the remembered history of the Civil War differs for White and African Americans. The lesson explores how Civil War monuments and celebrations have racist connotations for...
Lesson Plan
2
2
Smithsonian Institution

Separate is Not Equal: Fight for Desegregation

For Teachers 8th - 11th Standards
Separate is not equal! An eye-opening lesson delves into the past to understand the fight for desegregation and how it impacted African American communities. Academics complete two one-hour lessons using documents, photographs, and...
Lesson Plan
Scholastic

Jackie Robinson

For Teachers K - 3rd
Learners complete a six-page coloring book featuring Major League Baseball's first African American player, Jackie Robinson. To bring the pages to life, scholars follow directions adding color and pictures where directed. 
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
Facing History and Ourselves

After Charlottesville: Public Memory and the Contested Meaning of Monuments

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Are Civil War monuments a kind remembrance or a reminder of a dark past? The instructional activity focuses on the public's memory of the Civil War and the monuments that represent it. Young academics explore past efforts to change...
Activity
Digital Public Library of America

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Zora Neale Hurston's novel Their eyes Were Watching God has been highly praised and severely criticized for its depiction of African American folk culture. A set of primary source materials, including photographs, articles, essays, and...
Lesson Plan
2
2
Smithsonian Institution

Resistance to School Desegregation: The Boston Busing Crisis

For Teachers 8th - 11th Standards
Despite how it sounds, Boston's busing crisis wasn't a transportation problem. Academics address the problems faced by African Americans following school desegregation and the struggle to receive equal educational opportunities. Scholars...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rosa Parks Changed the Rules

For Teachers K - 5th
Students complete a diagram of the Montgomery bus that carried Rosa Parks into the history books. They read about Rosa Park's contributions to the Civil Rights movement. They role play Rosa Park's refusal to move to the back of the bus.
Graphic
A Mighty Girl

Mae C. Jemison

For Students 5th - 12th
The poster of Mae C. Jemison, the first African-American woman astronaut, challenges young scientists to consider what they intend to do to achieve their dreams. 
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
1
1
Teaching Tolerance

The War on Drugs—Mechanisms and Effects

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The war on drugs doesn't have definite results. An interesting lesson examines the social, political, and economic effect of the war on drugs. Academics learn how the war on drugs has led to mass incarcerations and negatively affected...
Lesson Plan
2
2
Teaching Tolerance

Racial Disparity in the Criminal Justice System

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Explore the impact of the war on drugs in a thought-provoking lesson for high school academics. Young historians delve into the world of the criminal justice system and the racial disparity that occurs in the US. The resource provides...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Teaching Tolerance

Parallels Between Mass Incarceration and Jim Crow

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Is history repeating itself? A riveting lesson examines the parallels between mass incarceration in the U.S. and the Jim Crow Laws of the past. Academics review Jim Crow Laws and compare them to mass incarcerations of African Americans....
Lesson Plan
1
1
Teaching Tolerance

Dismantling Racial Caste

For Teachers 9th - 12th
It's time to end racism. The final installment of the series encourages scholars to consider what is needed to ended the racial caste system in the U.S. Young historians complete group discussion, written prompt, and a hands-on-activity...
Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Understanding the Great Migration

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What would make someone leave home and travel thousands of miles to find another one? Young historians look at letters, demographic data, and artwork to answer the question for the Great Migration, or the movement of thousands of African...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Problem with Profiling

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the issue of racial profiling and post their conclusions to a youth message board. They research the issue of racial profiling and post their thoughts to a message board.
Activity
Curated OER

Jazz Exploration: A Collage Project

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers explore and experience jazz through collage. They listen to improvisational jazz, discuss the origins of jazz, then design and create a collage that shows jazz being played. This project will result in amazing works of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pass It On: African American Poetry to Inspire Writing

For Teachers K - 8th
Students read through poems in a book called Pass it On. There are 19 poems from famous African American poets contained in the book. The poems are specialized for children and after the children have learned about the author and about...
Lesson Plan
American Institute of Physics

When Computers Wore Skirts: Katherine Johnson, Christine Darden, and the “West Computers”

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Did you know that people, known as computers, performed the complex calculations that are now done by electronic computers? Three of these human computers, Katherine Johnson, Christine Darden, and Melba Roy Mouton are featured in a...
Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Role Models and Stereotypes: Misty Copeland's Story

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
A lesson points the spotlight at Misty Copeland, the first African American Principal Dancer. A thoughtful discussion prompts pupils to think of their career aspirations and identify ways role models and stereotypes influence young...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Scholastic

Ruby Bridges: A Simple Act of Courage, Grades K-2

For Teachers K - 2nd Standards
A civil rights movement instructional activity designed specifically with the Common Core State Standards in mind, young learners are introduced to the story of Ruby Bridges as the first African American child to attend an all-white...

Other popular searches