Curated OER
Colonization
Students explore why the Americas attracted Europeans, why they brought enslaved Africans to their colonies, and how Europeans struggled for control of North American and the Caribbean.
Curated OER
Radio Program #2: Ethnic Mix
Students examine patterns of migration into the area. They complete various map activities and interviews. Students partake in family histories as well. On a map of Europe, identify the countries of immigrant origin mentioned in the...
Curated OER
Against The Tide: Three Who Made It!
Students examine the lives of three people from New Haven, Connecticut who have careers in law, politics and entertainment. In groups or individually, they read excerpts of information about the three people and what contributions they...
Curated OER
The Beat of the Blues
This lesson focuses on how students can learn basic blues percussion patterns by considering the polyrhythms of African drumming and investigating how and why such drums were banned during slavery. Students will listen to several blues...
Curated OER
Harlem Renaissance and Toni Morrison's Jazz
Young scholars study the historical time of the Harlem Renaissance, including key events and figures. They read literature that weaves fiction and history and survey some of the references to the Harlem Renaissance in the novel, Jazz, by...
Curated OER
Langston Hughes and the Blues
Students explore the connections between Langson Hughes and blues music. In this African American culture lesson, students compare and contrast blues music with poetry and short stories by Langston Hughes.
Curated OER
Pastoralists and Agrarians: Identifying Connections between Historical and Contemporary Migration
Pastoralists and agrarians, livestock raisers and farmers. Using the conflict in Darfur as a lens, class members investigate the conflicts that arise when these groups are forced to migrate from one area to another.
Curated OER
Immigration in the United States
Students examine the reasons why people leave their country to live in another. In groups, they use print and electronic resources to answer questions about where immigrants came from during different time periods and advice given to...
Curated OER
Goobers. Goobers? Goobers!
Students begin the lesson by noting the many ways in which to use peanuts. In groups, they use the internet to research the work of George Washington Carver. They discover the allergies and nutritional information of the peanut and...
Curated OER
A Cure for the School-Day Blues
Lessons on the Blues will have students singing for joy!
Curated OER
Mississippi Delta Blues Moves: Second in a Series of Three with Barb Hoffman and Steve Hoskins, MGM
Students complete a graphic organizer reviewing Barb Hoffman's prior lesson," Slave Songs (1840-1876)" as well as listen to and discuss Delta Blues music samples. Students research one Delta Blues singer and write a "color coded"...
Curated OER
Uniform Design
Students investigate the military by examining their uniforms. For this design lesson, students analyze the military uniforms from different locations and time periods. Students create new ideas for current military uniforms.
Curated OER
Introduction to Junkanoo! A Bahamian Festival
Students examine a Bahamian festival called Junkanoo. They analyze how group cooperation is related to the festival. They finally identify how factions form and how they can help or hurt a community.
Curated OER
Investigating Human Behavior
Students explore the Holocaust and themes such as prejudice and discrimination.
Curated OER
Slavery During the Nineteenth Century
Students research the life and daily activities of a slave during the nineteenth century. They write an essay role playing a slave during this time period.
Curated OER
Raising Cane: Building a Cane Flute From Scratch
Eighth graders create their own cane flute. They use a model flute to gain the correct measurements and use the scientific method to construct the flute to have sound quality and pitch accuracy.
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of African Art: Grass Roots: African Origins of an American Art
Explore the crafts that the African American culture exported from native African lands, basketry and cultivation of rice. With the lessons provided in the downloadable document, students will weave together history, geography, social...
PBS
Pbs: American Roots Music
If teaching a unit about the history of popular music in America, this PBS web site supporting their four-part TV broadcast of a few years ago would make a great resource. Includes lesson plans and oral histories too.
University of Virginia
University of Virginia Electronic Text Center: African American Resources
A collection of primary source materials on African American history. Much of it is about slavery and racism. There are many slave narratives here, letters, essays, and biographical materials, and some of the names are well known ones,...
Other
Saudi Aramco World: Muslim Roots, u.s. Blues
This site explores the link between Muslim traditions and American blues music. Using audio content, pictures, text, and the song ?Levee Camp Holler,? this site examines African Muslim history tied to the history of U.S. Blues.
Duke University
Conscience of a Nation: John Hope Franklin on African American History
An exhibition on African-American history that is inspired by the work of John Hope Franklin (1915-2009), an African-American scholar who studied the historical roots of racial prejudice. The exhibit presents primary documents, texts,...
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: African American Lives 2006
From the companion website of the first African American Lives PBS series. (A sequel to that series was broadcast n 2008.) The series profiles the family roots of nine Americans of African descent. Learn what the science of DNA can tell...
Other
Kunte Kinte Heritage Festival: Kunta Kinte History
This website contains information on Alex Haley's slave ancestor Kunta Kinte. Haley's novel "Roots" is also discussed.
Other
The African American Experience
Provides information on African American history. Includes information on the following topics: slave and free in St. Louis, African-American immigration, segregated religion, African-American education, segregated housing, roots of...