Organizer
Curated OER

Understanding King's Use of Metaphors in the

For Students 7th - 10th
One of the most famous and well-crafted speeches of all time, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, consists of rich metaphors and rhetorical language. Using a provided graphic organizer, students analyze five quotes...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King, Jr.

For Teachers K - 2nd
Primary learners will embrace diversity and celebrate multiculturalism through these engaging activities. Which include reading the story Martin Luther King and singing the song "A Man Named King." They will also explore the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Minority Groups

For Teachers 12th
Explore the contributions individuals have made in the lives of American minority groups. Twelfth graders write a five-page expository piece providing a social history, examples of discrimination, and patterns of assimilation for an...
Lesson Plan
Historical Thinking Matters

Rosa Parks: 3 Day Lesson

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
How can evidence and perspective challenge even the most well-known of stories? Through primary and secondary source analysis, think-alouds, and discussion, young historians evaluate the historical narrative of Rosa Parks across multiple...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Battleground: Separate and Unequal Education

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

Rights and the Wyandotte Constitution

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the fundamental civil rights granted to people under the Wyandotte Constitution. They use the worksheet Reading the Wyandotte Constitution to identify what rights Kansans were guaranteed under the state constitution of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Power of Protest

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explain how Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man. They discuss how her actions were heroic and how they affected the civil rights movement. They reflect on the lesson in journal entries.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Robert Smalls: Warrior and Peacemaker

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students research the events that led to the Civil War and the Reconstruction. In this Civil War history lesson, students study images of Robert Smalls and research his role in the Civil War. Students review the South Carolina...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

On the Other Side of the Color Barrier: Segregation and the Negro Leagues

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students study segregation that occurred in the past and that is currently occurring. In this equal rights activity, students use primary source documents to student segregation of the past. In a culminating activity, students find or...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Deciphering the Declaration of Independence

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students explore the textual meaning of the Declaration of Independence. In this Declaration of Independence lesson, students read and paraphrase the text of the document into modern-day language. Students also consider the meaning of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The AME Church in U.S. History

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders explore the history of the African Methodist Church in the United States. In this African American history lesson, 9th graders discover why the church was founded and research its history and noteworthy members. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Focused Learning Lesson

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders analyze an issue discussing the rights of citizens. They debate after they have formed an opinion and argue the points and evaluate who had the stronger argument.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Return South Migration Lesson Plan

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars read the narrative "Return South Migration" and research online about the reasons many southerners returned to the south following the Civil Rights Movement. They write a letter to a friend about their decision whether or...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rosa Parks

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders discover who Rosa Parks was and the significance of her role in Black History. Students place events in Rosa Park's life in chronological order.
Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

Marketing a Bad Idea: Why So Many People Joined the Klan in the 1920s

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
How did the Klu Klux Klan manage to gain so many members during the 1920s? Class members examine Klan documents and promotional materials to gain an understanding of the propaganda techniques used to attract members.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Time for Justice

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explain the protections and privileges of individuals and groups in the United States.
Activity
Prindle Institute for Ethics

My Dream of Martin Luther King

For Teachers Pre-K - 5th Standards
Conduct a book study of the story, My Dream of Martin Luther King by Faith Ringgold. Followng a read-aloud, scholars take part in philosophical discussions covering the topics of freedom, equality, race, and heroes. 
Lesson Plan
Scholastic

Lesson 1: What Are Barriers?

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Scholars discuss the concept of a barrier with a short passage on Jackie Robinson. The writing process begins with a paragraph and several other sentences about Robinson's unique traits that made breaking a barrier...
Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Brown v. the Board of Education: Success or Failure?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Desegregation does not mean equality. An eye-opening lesson focuses on the impact of the Brown v. Board of Education decision to end school segregation. Scholars review a series of political cartoons to understand how the public viewed...
Lesson Plan
National Woman's History Museum

Shirley Chisholm, Unbossed and Unbought

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
An engaging resource introduces young historians to Shirley Chisholm, the woman, the Black congresswoman, the activist, and the candidate for President in 1972. Class members study primary sources, watch a video of her announcing her run...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Black Panther Party Lesson Plan

For Teachers 11th Standards
Why did the Black Panther Party feel colonized, and what methods did they employ to achieve empowerment? Your class members will engage in an online PowerPoint presentation, analysis of several documents, and discussion in order to...
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
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US House of Representatives

Black Americans in Congress Speak Their Mind

For Teachers 7th - 12th
To conclude their study of Black Americans in Congress, groups select a statement made by one of the Members, examine the Member's profile on the provided link, and create a display that includes state represented, years of service, an...
Lesson Plan
North Carolina Consortium for Middle East Studies

Journey of Reconciliation, 1947

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
After examining the Jim Crow laws and reading primary source materials about the 1947 Journey of Reconciliation, class members create historical markers that honor riders and their journey.