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Lesson Plan
PBS

African American History: Lunch Counter Closed

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Young historians investigate and evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies the Civil Rights Movement used to end segregation in the United States. After watching an video interview with Carl Matthews and Bill Stevens who participated...
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Lesson Plan
National Woman's History Museum

Unsung Voices: Black Women and Their Role in Women's Suffrage

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Reclaim perspectives often left out of the narrative about the suffrage movement with an activity that lifts up the voices of African American women. Using primary sources and biographical details of Fannie Barrier Williams' life, young...
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Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Major League Baseball and the Negro Leagues: Correcting an Injustice

For Teachers 6th - 9th Standards
It's been a long time coming! In 2020, MLB Commissioner Robert D. Manifred, Jr. stated that "the Negro Leagues would be recognized as official major leagues." Middle schoolers investigate the history of the Negro Leagues and use evidence...
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Lesson Plan
C-SPAN

Presidential Candidate Firsts

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Hilary Clinton may have been the first woman to run for president on a major party ticket, but she was only one example of an historic candidacy. Class members use video clips curated from C-SPAN to examine historical firsts in...
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Lesson Plan
Crafting Freedom

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper: Lover of Literacy

For Teachers 6th - 8th
This, the sixth in a series of 10 related resources, examines the life and works of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, an African American author, born in 1825, who advocated literacy for both free and enslaved African Americans.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

1920s Variety Show

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
To better understand the cultural achievements of the Harlem Renaissance and become familiar with its major figures, class members examine a painting by Aaron Douglas and a poem by Langston Hughes and compare how the artists develop...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Linking Kwanzaa to Technology and History

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders use the Internet to research the holiday of Kwanzaa. Using the information, they create a brochure to promote the holiday to others. They email the information to a friend to end the lesson plan.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pizza Biography

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
A biography writing lesson with a tasty twist! Kids create a "visual biography" in which each pizza slice represents a paragraph, and toppings represent supporting details. They learn research techniques, note-taking skills, and how to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

World War II Home Front

For Teachers 10th - 11th
Eleventh graders examine the political demands put on one of four groups living in America during WWII. Each class member is asked to research and write a paper describing the homefront experience for women, Hispanics, African-Americans,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Do Artists Effectively Relate Historic Events?

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students explore African American migration. In this black culture and history lesson, students use a map to identify northern and southern states in which African Americans lived in the 1900s. Students observe and describe objects and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Breaking Barriers

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Determine how African-Americans have broken barriers in this history lesson. Middle schoolers discuss the 15th Amendment and the American civil rights movement prior to analyzing Barack Obama's speech "A More Perfect Union," taking care...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Minority Groups

For Teachers 12th
Explore the contributions individuals have made in the lives of American minority groups. Twelfth graders write a five-page expository piece providing a social history, examples of discrimination, and patterns of assimilation for an...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Problem with Profiling

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the issue of racial profiling and post their conclusions to a youth message board. They research the issue of racial profiling and post their thoughts to a message board.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students develop computer research skills while searching facts about Harriet Tubman. Students learn about ways in which Harriet Tubman's childhood influenced her future. Students learn to use primary documents to learn about the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Living Museum: George Washington, the Slave Owner

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders bring early America to life. In this George Washington lesson plan, 8th graders listen to a lecture about the first president, explore the relationships he had with his slaves, and research the backgrounds of some of his...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Underground Railroad Mini-Unit

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students watch a film about slavery. Students view a PowerPoint about the Underground Railroad and use various resources to make a timeline for the topic. Students research a historical figure from the Underground Railroad era and give a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African American Population Shifts

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate population trends. In this African American history lesson, students access U.S. Census records from 1900 to the present online. Students analyze the migration of African Americans from one area of the U.S. to another.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life in Ancient Ghana, Mali, and Songhai

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students study the ancient African kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai. They brainstorm what they know about ancient African kingdoms before investigating the trade and barter situations, and researching one of the kingdoms for an oral...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African Americans in the Civil War

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the contributions of African American soldiers during the Civil War. In pairs, they complete Civil War timeline worksheets. They use character cards to assume the identities of African Americans and determine whether or...
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Lesson Plan
American Institute of Physics

Optics and Anthony Johnson

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Message sending has come a long way since the days of Morse code's dots and dashes. Young scientists study the research of optical physicist Anthony Johnson and his work in fiber optics, lasers, and the principle of total internal...
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Lesson Plan
American Institute of Physics

The Physical Sciences at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The history of science instruction at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) is the focus of a lesson that explores the early challenges these institutions faced in accessing equipment for their labs and instructors for...
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Lesson Plan
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Center for Civic Education

The Power of Nonviolence: Music Can Change the World

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Here is a fantastic activity through which class members discover how music has the ability to influence others in a meaningful way. After reviewing selected pieces and modern-day protest songs, learners will research other songs that...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Research Project

For Teachers 7th - 12th
After reading books about Black history, complete an outline and research important African Americans in history. Use the included outline to write a report.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Migration: An Oral History

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students research the factors which contributed to the great migration and write a well organized research paper using multiple sources. They incorporate quotations into their paper, both direct and paraphrased, in accordance with MLA...