Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Thanks Be To You

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students research U.S. history by completing a worksheet activity in class. In this historical figure lesson, students identify the contributions and risks taken by the former African-American leader Martin Luther King Jr. Students read...
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

From Jim Crow to Linda Brown: A Retrospective of the African-American Experience from 1897 to 1953.

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research the American Memory collection to explore the African-American experience from 1897 to 1953.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

People are People

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Explore human diversity in this human rights lesson. Middle schoolers compare novels, speeches, videos, and short stories that promote diversity and basic human rights. They complete daily coursework as they read the selected literature...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jackie Robinson, Civil Rights Activist

For Teachers 6th - 11th
Pupils analyze the life of Jackie Robinson and determine which characteristics contributed to his success as the baseball player who broke the color barrier and as a political activist.
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

Rights and the Wyandotte Constitution

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Every state uses a set of rights to establish laws and regulations. Explore the Wyandotte Constitution as it was written in 1859 and compare it with how rights in Kansas have changed, especially those that pertain to gender and race. A...
Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Ruby Bridges

For Teachers K - 2nd Standards
A two-part lesson features Civil Rights hero, Ruby Bridges. Part one focuses on the heroic actions of Ruby Bridges then challenges scholars to complete a Venn diagram in order to compare themselves to her. Part two begins with a...
Lesson Plan
City University of New York

The 15th and 19th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Who gets to vote? Learn more about struggles for suffrage throughout United States history with a lesson based on primary source documents. Middle schoolers debate the importance of women's suffrage and African American...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Analyzing a Letter to Congress About Bloody Sunday

For Teachers 7th - 11th Standards
The brutality of Bloody Sunday—when non-violent protesters who supported voting rights for African Americans were beaten by police—captured a nation. Young historians examine the letter of one horrified American to Congress to consider...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Bringing Animal Issues into the Classroom: César Chávez

For Students 5th
Fifth graders get critical and political while they begin thinking about human and animal rights in relation to the US Constitution. This hand out includes answers to several questions regarding Cesar Chavez and his work to secure rights...
Lesson Plan
Atlanta History Center

What if YOU Lived During Jim Crow?

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Young historians envision what life was like for African Americans living in the Jim Crow South through hands-on, experiential activities. 
Worksheet
K12 Reader

African American Freedom Fighters Word Search

For Students 1st - 3rd
An informative word search includes the names of six famous African American civil rights leaders. The list includes Rosa Parks, Sojourner Truth, Martin Luther King, Jr., Harriet Tubman, and Frederick Douglass.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Black History: Famous People, Movements, Events (Crossword Puzzle)

For Students 8th - 11th
If you want a light exercise to review 12 famous people, events, and movements in American history, with a focus on African-American history, this crossword puzzle may be useful. It requires familiarity with Rosa Parks, Martin Luther...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil Rights Heroes

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the actions of people involved in the Civil Rights Movement. They explore the reasons for the movement and its successes and failures, and explain the sacrifices made by those who participated in the movement.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil Rights Movement in America

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders explore the Civil Rights movement as a culmination of history and cultural perspectives developed from the Slave Trade and Reconstruction. They identify leading persons and organizations and their personal philosophy to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making More Places at the Table: The American Civil Rights Movement of the 50's and 60's

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders examine the biography of Henry B. Gonzalez. They examine primary source documents from Congressman Gonzalez's personal papers related to his contributions to the Civil Rights Movement.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil Rights and the ADA

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers examine and discuss the 14th and 15th amentments, and evaluate the agendas of Americans from underrepresented groups in the quest for civil rights. They conduct Internet research and create essays or posters regarding...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fight For Your Right - Leading A Revolution of Change

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners examine civil rights. In this civil rights instructional activity, students research human rights issues of United States history. Learners then discuss their research findings and write Bill of Rights statements for the topics...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African Artist El Anatsui as a Reflection of African Culture: Human Rights Issues and Activism Through Art

For Teachers 12th - Higher Ed
Students explore global issues through visual art analysis. In this African art lesson, students examine works by El Anatsui and discussing their human rights themes. Students then design lesson plans based on their findings.
Lesson Plan
Teaching for Change

Stepping into Selma

For Teachers 6th - 12th
The 1964 Selma to Montgomery, Alabama voting rights marches are the focus of a lesson plan designed to introduce learners to people who took part in the Civil Rights Movement. Class members set into the role of one of the participants,...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Analyzing Jackie Robinson's White House Letter

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Jackie Robinson: A hero on and off the field. An eye-opening activity focuses on Jackie Robinson's social activism during and after the civil rights movement. Academics read a letter addressed to President Nixon, answer questions, and...
Interactive
DocsTeach

The Impact of Bloody Sunday in Selma

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Who is to blame when a peaceful protest turns deadly? Scholars research the impact of the civil rights march in Selma, better known as Bloody Sunday. The activity uses files from the FBI's investigation to help academics understand the...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Confronting Work Place Discrimination on the World War II Home Front

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Before the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing, FDR's executive order helped promote fair employment. The activity uses primary documents to explore FDR's executive order to help minorities gain equal employment and pay during the...