What were the driving forces behind American expansion in the nineteenth century, and what were its effects? Scholars watch a video, read biographies, engage in discussion, write journals and poetry, draw, and create a multimedia...

Students study slavery from the perspctive of an American slave. In this Frederick Douglass lesson, students complete the suggested pre-reading and post-reading activities included for Douglass's autobiography, Narrative of the Life of...

Students participate in activities that teach them about the Gilded Age of industrialization and urbanization. In this social changing lesson plan, students answer questions, watch videos, have discussions, read texts, and more to teach...

Students identify and discuss six traits of writing and complete some beginning drawing and writing utilizing the traits. Six lessons on one page.

Selections from a black newspaper, "The Colored American, "from 1837-1838 that detail the numerous issues and agendas confronting enslaved and free blacks.

Oral and written narratives of the experiences of the Underground Railroad and documents identifying efforts by northern societies to free slaves during the 1850s.

A comprehensive learning module on the impact of emancipation on ex-slaves that includes three supporting questions accompanied by formative tasks and primary source materials, followed by a summative performance task. Topics covered...

CommonLit.org is a wonderful resource to use in a Language Arts classroom. Each story or article is accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. In addition, students can click on words to see...

Visit this resource to find a wealth of poems, lesson plans, and classroom activities to help middle school students discover the diversity in African American poets and create their own voice in poetry. This resource is in PDF form.

After the Civil War and end of slavery, Americans had to decide how to integrate freed African Americans. Learn about the lives of African Americans from Reconstruction to the end of the prejudiced Jim Crow era. This collection includes...

Selected (7) reading passages (grades 8-10) to pair with the drama "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry. When a struggling African-American family receives a large insurance check, a conflict erupts on how to spend the money....

Nikki Giovanni is one of the foremost authors of the Black Arts Movement and has won numerous awards. Her work ranges from covering topics on race, gender, the African American experience and social issues to children's literature and...

Jacqueline Woodson describes her experiences growing up as an African American girl in South Carolina and New York in the 1960s. Selected (6) reading passages (grades 3-6) to pair with "Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jacqueline Woodson. [Free...

The play "Fences" explores the complex relationships of a 1950s middle-class, African American family and how they deal with issues of financial hardship, infidelity, and insecurities. Selected (7) reading passages (grades 7-11) to pair...

John Woodruff was an African American track athlete who won a gold medal in the 1936 Summer Olympics. In this informational text, Angie Kay Dilmore discusses John's life and famous race. As you read, take notes on how John achieved...

CommonLit.org is a wonderful resource to use in a Language Arts classroom. Each story or article is accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. In addition, students can click on words to see...

A learning module that begins with "George Washington Carver" by Barbara Radner accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free...

A learning module that begins with the "Marian's Revolution" by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through...

A learning module that begins with the biography "The Story of Ida B. Wells" by Shannon Moreau, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online...

A learning module that begins with the poem "Learning to Read" by Francis Ellen Watkins Harper, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online...

A learning module that begins with the poem "Fastest Woman in the World" by Pat Parker, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through...

A learning module that begins with "Showdown in Little Rock," accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free teacher and student...

A learning module that begins with "The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: Excerpts" Frederick Douglass, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF...

Maya Angelou recounts her coming of age story as a mature but apprehensive girl in the American South and California during the Jim Crow era. Selected (8) reading passages (grades 7-10) to pair with "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by...