Black History Month: Things to do

Teaching Pre K-8, Feb 1999 by Lindroth, Linda L

As I began investigating the resources available for Black History Month, I turned to the search cm,gi,nf.cs to find appropriate references ota the Internet. Keywords such as Black History, African American and individual names led me to many web.sites.

The first reference I checked was NetNoir Online at: www.netnoir.com(spotlight/ bhm98/index.stm The activities my students complete for Black History Month will be mere personal this year because of a discovery I made at the NetNoir Online site. The founder of Black History Month, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, was a 17-year-old coal miner from West Virginia, my home .sate. He received his doctorate from Harvard in French la uge and literature.

Personalize your study with a significant person or event in Black History from your state or regions Use the "Black History Database" or "Today in Black History" to research Black History in your state.

Here are enough activities for most of Black History Month, with related resources on the next page (see numbers in parentheses). Choose one or two and expand them to reflect your curricular objectives, or try one each day and immerse your students in the study of Black History.

Start a "Today in Black History" bulletin board. (1, 8,14) Begin a journal for Black History Month. Start by writing what you know about prejudice. (4, 8, 11) Read-aloud books: Just Like Martin by Ossie Davis (Simon and Schuster, 1992) or Mayfield Crossing by Vaunda Nelson (Putnam, 1993). Encourage discussions about racial prejudice. (2)

Choose a physical characteristic to discriminate against each day, making sure that all students experience segregation. If feelings are too intense, limit experiences to half a day. Examples: Blue-eyed students must go to the back of the line. (2, 11)

5. Challenge the class to a Black History quiz. (3, 4, 7,13)

6. Invite a Black leader from your community to visit the classroom to share his or her experiences. (8)

Look through the newspaper for articles to add to a "Black History News" bulletin board, scrapbook or newsletter at school. (1, 8,12,14,17)

Write a diary entry as if you were on a slave boat in the 1500s to 1800s. (11,18)

9. Take a virtual walking tour of the Black Heritage Online Trail from the Boston museum. (10)

lO.Create an editorial cartoon for an important event in Black History. (17)

11.Plan a skit to act out one of the laws from Civil Rights legislation or events like the Rosa Parks bus boycott. (2, 18)

12.Do research on Abraham Lincoln, our 16th President. Make a chart of his accomplishments. (5, 6)

13.Put your research about our 16th President in a slide show presentation or big book about Abraham Lincoln to share with the school. (5, 6)

14.Frederick Douglass was born on Valentine's Day. Make a list of his accomplishments. (8,12,14)

15.Read about Harriet Tubman. Draw a map of the Underground Railroad route. (7)

16.Listen to the "I Have a Dream" speech. Write or draw your own dream and post it in the hallway to share with the school. (8, 12)

17.Create your own U.S. postage stamp featuring a Black American hero. Write a proposal to nominate your design for the "Stamp on Black History" collection. (7)

18.Plan a Black American Hero Day. Students can role play a Black American. Have students guess, "Who Am I?" (1, 7, 8, 9, 12,14, 16, 18)

19. Use PuzzleMaker on the Internet to make a word puzzle for Black History Month. (All)

RESOURCES

Black Facts Online: Get facts for any date. Why not add a fact a day to your calendar for Black History Month? www.blackfacts.com/

Teaching U.S. History Through ea Children's Literature by Wanda J. Miller (Teacher Ideas Press, 1998). Wonderful resource for a literaturebased unit on Civil Rights. Extensive discussion questions about theme books with activity suggestions for the classroom.

Afro-Americ@: Black History Quiz. Test your knowledge. Multiple-choice quiz on Black History. Check out the other interactive exhibits at www.afroam.org including the KidsZone with more games, activities and an in-depth look at African countries. www.afroam.org /children/brain/historyquiz/ql.html

"Black History: Exploring African-American Issues on the Web." Comprehensive education site with activities for the classroom from a Black History hotlist to an indepth webquest on the Tuskegee Tragedy. Try the Treasure Hunt. www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/BHM/A froAm.html

"His Name was Lincoln," CD-ROM about the life and times of Lincoln and an in-depth look at the Civil War. Sunburst Communications; $59.

"Abraham Lincoln for Primary Children." Designed by a second grade class, this website has research links, a treasure hunt and quiz about our 16th President. www.siec.kl2.in. us/-west/proj/lincoln/

"Stamp on Black History." Categorized database of U.S. stamps that honors accomplishments and achievements of Americans in Black History. Online quiz or print the quiz for a treasure hunt of 25 famous Black Americans with web links to biographical information. http.//library .advanced. org/10320/Stamps.htm

"Britannica Guide to Black History." Available through March 31, this site will contain lessons, activities, and resources for Black History month. View movies and audio of great leaders. http://blackhistory.eb.com