Teacher Tools – Lessons, Activities and Information for Teaching Black History
Black History Month began in 1915, when historian Carter G. Woodson began the “Negro History Week” to honor the contributions of African Americans. He chose the second week of February to pay respect to two Americans who changed the lives of African Americans forever. Former President and abolitionist Abraham Lincoln tribute falls on February 12th, while former slave and social reformer Frederick Douglass remembrance lands on February 14th. The resources below will provide more information, lessons, and activities that will help educators bring Black History into the classroom, not just in February, but year round!
Elementary Lessons & Activities
- Smithsonian African American Heritage: Teaching resources for Black History Month, including calendars, lessons, and activates.
- Martin Luther King Jr.: Resources, activities, and coloring books about Martin Luther King Jr.
- February is Black History Month: Lessons, interactive quiz, scavenger hunt, and K-12 activities and trivia games.
- Lesson Plan – Rosa Parks: Language arts, technology, and social studies lesson plan for 3-5 graders about Rosa Parks.
- Black History Month – Activities and Resources: Lots of resources for children, including quizzes about important figures and Black History reading resources.
- Lessons on Slavery: Curriculum packet and lessons to help teach students about the issues of slavery.
- The ABC’s of Black History: Major class project about Black history that will generally take between 10 and 14 class sessions to complete.
- Black History Month – Teacher Resources: Large collection of Black History Month printables, slideshows, lessons, and activities.
- The Margaret Garner Story: Lesson plans and activities that focus on slavery, abolition, and the Margaret Garner story.
- Teachers First Resources for Black History: Over 40 Black History teacher resources, such as ideas, interactive materials, and research information.
- Brain Pop Spotlight Black History: Here you will find a Harlem Renaissance lesson plan, civil rights quiz, and tons of lesson plans.
- Celebrating African American History Month: Brief history of Black History Month and five interactive student lesson plans.
- Africans in America: Historical narrative and teacher’s guide showing America’s journey through slavery, presented in four parts.
- Black History Museum Educational Programs: Here you will find several lesson plans that feature significant African American sites.
- Culture & Change – Black History in America: Projects regarding the chronicles of slavery and emancipation, leading to the civil rights movement.
- The Underground Railroad: Map of Michigan’s Underground Railroad and a brief overview of how it was used.
- K-12 African Studies: List of Black History and African history curriculum materials, lessons, and educational activities.
- Lesson Plans and Teacher Guides: Brief history of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as well as curriculum materials and lesson plans.
- Crafts, History, and Activates for Black History: Children can celebrate Black History Month through fun crafts, activities, and information on culture.
Middle & High School Lessons & Activities
- The Emancipation Proclamation: History, audio clip, and photographs of the primary documents of the Emancipation Proclamation.
- Downloadable Activities for Black History: List of activities on Black history topics, such as a civil rights timeline
- Black History Stamps: Lesson plan to honor the contributions of black Americans through U.S. commemorative postage stamps.
- The Underground Railroad: Students can choose their path in this interactive audio and visual tour through the Underground Railroad to find freedom.
- From Slavery to Civil Rights: Select an era to view a timeline of important African-American historic events.
- Delaware Black History Project: Lesson plans developed from the Delaware Black History project that takes two to three 45-minute class periods.
- Teaching with Historic Places: List of complete free lesson plans that are ready for classroom use by students in social studies and history classes.
- Learn about Slavery: An introduction to slavery and slaveholders, as well as slave trade maps and pictorial images.
- National Register of Historic Places: Information and photographs of historic properties that were contributions of African American culture.
- Black History Curriculum: List of Black History Month lesson plans, activities, and curriculum materials for grades 6-8.
- Chicago’s Black Metropolis: Information, facts, and photographs of the celebration of African American contributions through a Victory Monument.
- Fun and Facts into Black History Month: Several educational activity ideas for students to celebrate Black History Month.
- African American History Lesson Plans: Collection of lessons plans regarding African American history.
- Child of the Underground Railroad: Lesson plan and memorial of Malinda Paris used in classrooms to retell the story of the Underground Railroad.
- Slavery and Abolitionism: In-depth information on slavery and abolitionism, as well as a list of related lesson plans.
- Black History Month – The Power of Nonviolence: Here you will find 3 lesson plans and several podcasts.
- Literature Based Lessons: Great lessons and activities for students regarding Black History topics.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.: Students must use the given timeline to complete a series of questions on Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Civil Rights Exhibit Brings History to Life: Tons of teacher resources, including Black History stories, video and sound clips, and information on events.
- A View of Black History: Information and video to give students a general overview of Black History.
- The African American Mosaic: Resource guide from the Library of Congress for the study of black history and culture.
- Internet African American History Challenge: Students can complete these history questions to challenge their knowledge of African American history.
- Powerful Days in Black and White: Collection of photographs that show the civil-rights struggle in America.
- Life Lessons for Black History Month: Here you will find several projects and lessons used to celebrate Black History Month.
- Civil War and Reconstruction: Information, PowerPoint’s, and activities regarding the Civil War, Underground Railroad, and changes to American structures.
