Five Lessons in Black History

To celebrate Black History Month, Education World presents five lesson plans -- plus links to dozens of other lessons in our archive! These lessons help students put in perspective events such as the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, and school integration in Little Rock, Arkansas. Also included are lessons that use census resources to teach about the growth of the African-American population and a rap about a long-ago inventor to inspire student-written raps about famous figures in Black History. Included: Plus: Links to a dozen more great Black History Month lessons on the Net!

Each year, the editors at Education World look forward to February. No, not for the cold weather or endless snow shoveling -- for the opportunity to focus on Black History. We look forward to celebrating the contributions African Americans have made to the color and fabric of our country�s culture. We look forward to providing lessons that will help students understand the African-American perspective. We look forward to providing lessons that can be used the whole year through!

This year, we have five very special lessons to offer. Click each of the five lesson headlines below for a complete teaching resource. (Appropriate grade levels for each lesson appear in parentheses.)

Black History Month
On Education World

Have you seen our Black History Month theme page? Don�t miss it! You�ll find loads of great resources there.

As we searched for resources for this week�s Black History Month lessons, we found a handful of nice teacher-created lessons as well. So we gathered together 15 of those lessons on a special lessons page.

Build a Black History Database/Timeline
The simple Black History timeline students create can be sequenced, sorted, and searched. (Grades K-12)

Rosa Parks Changed the Rules
Students complete a diagram of the Montgomery bus that carried Rosa Parks into the history books. Work sheet included. (Grades K-5)

The African-American Population in U.S. History
Charts, graphs, and maps help students learn about the growth of the African-American population throughout history. (Grades 3-12)

Black History Rap
Invite students to write a rap or hip-hop lyric about the life a famous Black American. (Grades 3-12)

Melba Pattillo and Ruby Bridges: Two Heroes of School Integration
Put your students in the shoes of those who integrated Little Rock High School in 1957-58. (Grades 3-12)

Originally published 01/31/2003
Last updated 12/09/2008