BLACK+HISTORY+MONTH

Black History Month provides a great opportunity for students to explore and learn more about a variety of issues. But it's important that teachers "reinforce that 'black history' is American history," writes Pat Russo in __Do's and Don'ts of Teaching Black History Month__. Russo's article is a great place to start when determining how to best incorporate black history into your lesson plans. Really, it's a topic that should be incorporated throughout the year, Russo writes, but in February, teachers can dig deeper, provide students with more context, and connect the past to the present.

Every year since 1928, the __Association for the Study of African American Life and History__ has provided a theme for Black History Month. This year, we'll celebrate the 101st Black History Month, and the theme is "Hallowed Grounds: Sites of African American Memories." Here are some resources for diving into that theme:

Hallowed Grounds: Sites of African American Memories


 * __Black History Month Resources for the Classroom__ : PBS curated a valuable collection of teaching resources, covering a variety of themes and important locations central to African American history in the U.S. The focus is primarily on upper grades -- 6-12 -- and there are lesson plans, videos, and multimedia collections available. Also, check out the __Civil Rights Collection From PBS LearningMedia__, which features a trove of engaging content.
 * __EDSITEment's Guide to Teaching Black History Month__ : EDSITEment, from the National Endowment for the Humanities, produced this useful resource covering black history through many eras. The guide features lessons plans and resources for teaching black history. Lesson plans and other resources are grouped according to different periods, including the Jim Crow era, the Twenties and Great Migration, and the World Wars.
 * __African American History Month Resources From the Library of Congress__ : There's plenty for students to discover in this collection from the LOC. In addition to __lesson plans for teachers__, there's also a cache of primary sources for students to explore, including artwork, baseball cards, political cartoons, and photographs. Also be sure to check out the Library's __civil rights-themed collection__.
 * __African American History Month Collection From TeachingHistory__ : There is a stockpile of engaging content in this resource from TeachingHistory from the National History Education Clearinghouse. Included are interesting collections for students of all ages to explore, lesson plans for teachers, and interactive quizzes.
 * __African American History Through the Arts__ : In this collection from ArtsEdge, students can explore black history through the lens of a variety of artistic disciplines, including music, poetry, and dance. There are lesson plans, as well as collection of primary multimedia sources; and there are resources targeted at students of all ages. Another great arts-related collection, The __National Association for Music Education's lesson plans page__, covers African American contributions to music.
 * __Smithsonian Education's Black History Month Teaching Resources__ : These resources from Smithsonian Education feature various collections, from "The Blues and Langston Hughes" to "Harlem Renaissance: A Reading List." It's a great place to let your students explore primary sources, and there is something for students of all ages.

Additional Resources for Black History Month


 * __Dive Into Primary Sources on BlackPast.org__ : BlackPast.org is one of the largest repositories of information relating to Black History on the web. The site features more than 13,000 pages, and the content is organized into three categories: African American History, African American History in the American West, and Global African History. Teachers, be sure to check out __BlackPast in the Classroom__ for ideas and tips for using the site with students.
 * [|__EdTech Ideas From Edutopia__] : Last year, Edutopia blogger Irvin Weathersby curated some really innovative tech tools for exploring Black History Month. One that's particularly relevant to this year's theme is __More than a Map(p)__, a "multi-layered geo-location app that locates sites and landmarks relevant to African American history in your immediate vicinity."
 * __Beyond Black History Month From Learn NC__ : This article from the University of North Carolina's School of Education offers ways teachers can "shift the lens" and explore African American history from new perspectives. The school has also produced a long list of __lesson plans and related resources__ for teaching black history.
 * __Celebrate African American Heritage With Scholastic__ : This rich collection of teaching resources covers a lot of ground, including the Civil Rights Movement, African American contributions to the arts, and slavery in America. Each topic is covered with lesson plans, multimedia, and reading lists.
 * __Black History Month Lessons and Resources From the NEA__ : The National Education Association produced this exhaustive collection of teaching resources for Black History Month. Lesson plans are provided for all grade levels, and they include quizzes, discussion topics, and background information.
 * __Civil Rights Lessons From the Smithsonian__ : Smithsonian Source offers a smaller package of document-based question (DBQ) activities and lesson plans with links to source material. There are resources here for all grades, including two elementary school plans and both high school and middle school DBQs.

Symbalo [|Black] History for 4th grade

=What you will learn =

 Students will learn about famous Black Americans who have made significant contributions to art, music, poetry, civil rights, and history that benefit and improve the world we live in.
 *  I can identify the contributions of famous black Americans to society.
 *  I can use Kiddle, a search engine, to find websites on famous Black Americans.
 *  I can choose a biography from the 921 section.
 *  I can choose a famous Black American to research.