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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Famous African Americans Muhammad Ali: The Greatest

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
[Free Registration/Login Required] Biographical information about the famous boxer Muhammad Ali is contained in this passage. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that reinforces essential reading skills and strategies and...
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Famous African Americans Duke Ellington

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This passage contains biographical information about the famous jazz composter, Duke Ellington. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that reinforces essential reading skills and strategies and...
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Famous African Americans Marian Anderson

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This passage contains brief biographical information about the famous singer named Marian Anderson. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that reinforces essential reading skills and strategies...
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Famous African Americans Maya Angelou

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This passage contains biographical information about the famous author and civil rights leader and activist named Maya Angelou. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that reinforces essential...
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Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Lesson Plans: Civil Rights

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A rich resource on civil rights from the early struggles of African Americans during slavery on through to today. Includes seven lesson plans for multiple grade levels, with information on standards.
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Website
Great Idea Finder

Great Idea Finder: Lewis Howard Latimer

For Students 9th - 10th
An extensive biography of the life of African-American inventor, Lewis Latimer. Find out about his primary claim to fame in the development of an incandescent light bulb, but be sure to read about his many patents, and his importance to...
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Handout
Other

O'malley Seidler Partners: Hall of Famers: Jackie Robinson

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the challenges Jackie Robinson had to deal with while being the first African-American to play major league baseball.
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Website
Library of Congress

Loc: America's Story: Althea Gibson Won Again!

For Students 3rd - 8th
Althea Gibson made it possible for the Williams sisters to play at Wimbledon. As the first African-American to win that title, she was a pioneer. See photos and read more about her on this Library of Congress site.
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Website
Library of Congress

Loc: The Negro in the Wars of the Nation

For Students 9th - 10th
African Americans have fought proudly for our country as far back as the Revolutionary War. Christian Fleetwood gives an account of the history of African-American soldiers in the Revolutionary War to the Civil War. He cites examples of...
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Website
Library of Congress

Loc: America's Story: Marian Anderson's Performance

For Students 3rd - 8th
Marian Anderson was the first African American to sing at the Metropolitan Opera. She had to overcome prejudice many times in her career. The Library of Congress tells you more with words and pictures.
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Handout
Library of Congress

Loc: America's Story:jackie Robinson Throws Opening Pitch

For Students 3rd - 8th
Jackie Robinson was not only one of the all-time great baseball players, he was the first African American to play in the Major Leagues. The Library of Congress presents a site with information and photographs of this amazing man.
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Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Gwendolyn Brooks, Poet [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 4th Standards
"Gwendolyn Brooks, Poet" is a one page, biographical passage about Gwendolyn Brooks, an African-American poet from Chicago. It is followed by an open-ended question which requires students to provide evidence from the story; it includes...
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Dancing Towards Dreams

For Students 3rd - 5th
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...
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Website
American Academy of Achievement

Academy of Achievement: Ernest J. Gaines

For Students 9th - 10th
Biography of American author, Ernest Gaines, well-known for his novels and essays, including The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pitman and A Gathering of Old Men, both adapted for television.
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Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Ellison, Ralph

For Students 9th - 10th
This encyclopedia article gives a brief biography of Ralph Ellison, African American novelist and essayist, famous for his book, "Invisible Man."
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Article
Curated OER

History Matters: w.e.b. Du Bois Critiques Booker T. Washington

For Students 9th - 10th
W.E.B.DuBois, famous African American activist, wrote an essay disputing the path Booker T. Washington advocated in his Atlanta Compromise speech, and, instead, proposed a call for greater political power, civil rights, and higher...
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Handout
Other

Rhode Island College: About Edward Mitchell Bannister

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides a detailed biography of the famous African American artist, Edward Mitchell Bannister.
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Activity
University of Illinois

University of Illinois: Modern American Poetry: Claude Mc Kay

For Students 9th - 10th
A biography and analysis of the life of the famous author, as well as literary criticism as well as online poems, letters and a bibliography. Includes many quotes and his poetry.
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Unit Plan
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Capture, Making of African American Identity: V. 1

For Students 9th - 10th
Several narratives of the capture of West Africans, including the famous autobiography of Venture Smith, from the eighteenth century, two accounts of conditions on slave ships, and an audio recording of the memories of the descendants of...
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Article
US House of Representatives

History, Art, and Archives: Barbara Charline Jordan 1936 1996

For Students 9th - 10th
One of the first African-Americans elected from the Deep South and the first black Congresswoman ever from that region, read about how Barbara Jordan emerged as a powerful interpreter of the Watergate impeachment investigation.
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Website
University at Buffalo

Phat African American Poetry Book: Arna Bontemps

For Students 9th - 10th
Three of Arna Bontemps' more famous poems are printed here.
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Website
Other

Afgen.com: George Washington Carver

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource reviews the life of famous African American inventor George Washington Carver. Includes mention of how this humble, soft-spoken man drew the attention of many important world figures of his day and how he "revolutionized...
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Website
Other

Romare Bearden Foundation

For Students 9th - 10th
Site provides not only a biography of this great African-American artist, but many beautiful images of his work. At this site you can use "Bearden in the Classroom," for teaching ideas across grade levels. A great place to explore!
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Primary
Columbia University

Columbia University: The Price of Freedom [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
A lengthy interview with Mr. Ferguson who was a very early follower of Malcolm X and who was present at the assassination of the famous African American leader.

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