5 Black History Month Resources for Kids
Author and public speaker Ola Joseph once said, “Diversity is not about how we differ. Diversity is about embracing one another’s uniqueness.”
One way to celebrate diversity is by honoring Black History Month.
However, finding great Black History Month resources for kids can be time-consuming. You can easily spend an entire planning period finding just one resource.
To help you save time, I’ve compiled 5 high-quality Black History Month resources for kids.
Resource 1: Three Visions for Achieving Equal Rights by Facing History
What is it?
In this lesson plan from Facing History, students learn about and compare three Black Civil Rights leaders: Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, and Stokely Carmichael. The lesson uses writing and reading activities to examine each man’s role in the Civil Rights Movement.
This in-depth lesson plan includes historical context information, vocabulary support, and reading modifications to fit your students’ levels. It also includes step-by-step lesson instructions.
This lesson is designed for middle and high-school students and provides enough material for two 50-minute class periods.
Learning Objectives:
- Students will discuss each man’s vision for achieving equal rights for Black Americans.
- Students will draw connections between the readings and their lives to determine which strategies they might choose to create positive change in their own communities.
Activities:
- Warm-up journal response
- Close reading passages (one about each leader)
- Jigsaw discussion
- Exit writing response
- Optional: View the documentary Eyes on the Prize: The Time has Come (1964-1966) (Note: the video is only available Amazon Prime or DVD)
How can teachers use this Black History Month resource in the classroom?
This lesson plan is completely planned for you. You can print out the instructions, reading passages, and handouts here.
If you teach upper-elementary students, you would need to significantly modify the lesson for your students.
Malcolm X
Resource 2: Trading Cards That Honor True Greatness by Learning for Justice
What is it?
In this resource from Learning for Justice, students create trading cards about a diverse group of Black men and women.
This activity is designed for elementary school students. However, it could be adapted and extended for older students as well. It provides enough material for at least two 30-minute class periods.
Learning Objectives:
- Students will identify and study the lives and contributions of prominent Black Americans.
- Students will create a trading card to showcase the accomplishments of one Black American honoree.
Activities:
- Read biographies of various prominent Black Americans
- Create Trading Cards
- Students draw a portrait of their honoree
- Students write important facts, details, and symbols on their trading card
How can teachers use this Black History Month resource in the classroom?
Although the website gives an outline of the activity, you will need to flesh out the lesson plan and select biographies. You can print out the instructions and see student examples here.
Lesson Plan Idea:
- First, students read multiple biographies of prominent Black Americans.
- Here are some resources for finding biographies:
- Then, students select one person to be their honoree.
- Next, students plan out their trading cards.
- Ask students to brainstorm the important facts, details, and symbols they want to include on their trading cards.
- Fourth, students create their trading cards.
- Students should draw an illustration of the honoree. They should also include facts about their honoree.
- If you need a template, there are lots of free and cheap templates on Teachers pay Teachers.
- Another option is to have students create virtual trading cards using this tool from Read Write Think.
- Finally, students share trading cards with the class. You could also ask students to answer the following two reflection questions:
- What did you like about making your trading cards?
- Why did you pick this person to be your honoree?
For older students, you could extend this activity to make it more challenging. For example, students could also create a digital presentation, write an essay, or give an oral summary about their honoree.
Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, Link
Resource 3: Remembering Nelson Mandela by PBS
What is it?
In this lesson plan from PBS, students learn about Nelson Mandela’s life by watching an informative video and analyzing Mandela’s writing.
This resource is designed for middle and high-school students and provides enough material for one 50-minute class period.
Learning Objectives:
- Students will identify and discuss Mandela’s life and significant contributions.
- Students will draw connections between Mandela’s autobiography, “Long Walk to Freedom” and Mandela’s life and activism.
Activities:
- View “Remembering South African Leader Nelson Mandela” (18-minute video)
- Read and annotate a portion of Mandela’s autobiography, “Long Walk to Freedom”
- Share favorite sentences from Mandela’s autobiography
- Write a short summary of the biography
How can teachers use this Black History Month resource in the classroom?
This lesson plan is completely planned for you. You can print out the instructions and reading passage here.
If you teach upper-elementary students, you will need to modify this lesson. I recommend pre-teaching vocabulary words and completing the activities as a whole group.
Nelson Mandela
Resource 4: Drop Me Off in Harlem by The Kennedy Center
What is it?
Drop Me Off in Harlem is an educational website that explores the themes and creative works of the Harlem Renaissance period. Harlem was the epicenter of Black culture between the years of 1917 and 1935. This site teaches about the Harlem Renaissance and provides short biographies of Harlem Renaissance figures.
This resource is designed for middle and high-school students. Some of the site’s activities aren’t working currently due to outdated flash settings. However, there are a number of sections and activities that work just fine.
Activities:
- Faces of the Harlem Renaissance – short biographies of prominent Black Americans from the Harlem Renaissance period
- Themes and Variations – informative articles about important themes of the Harlem Renaissance
How can teachers use this Black History Month resource in the classroom?
Students can use the “Faces of the Harlem Renaissance” to research a Black artist. Consider having students create a PowerPoint presentation, poster board, oral presentation, or research paper on their artists. Students could share their presentations with the class.
One great way to use the “Themes and Variations” articles is by creating a jigsaw activity. Break students into “expert” groups. Each group reads and summarizes one article. Then, put students in “jigsaw” groups (jigsaw groups are made up of one student from each expert group). Students take turns teaching their group about the article they read.
Finally, this site also provides two activities based on grade level:
- Why Harlem? (grades 6-8)
- Collaboration, Influence, and Support (grades 9-12)
Three Black women in Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance
Resource 5: Portraits of African Americans by The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
What is it?
Portraits of African Americans is an online exhibit that highlights Black history makers. The collection showcases individuals who made important contributions to science, the arts, politics, and sports. Each portrait also includes a short biography. The portraits feature individuals such as Ida B. Wells, Langston Hughes, A. Philip Randolph, and Barack Obama.
The website organizes its portraits in the following categories: 19th Century Survivors, 20th Century Groundbreakers, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Contemporary Collaboration.
This resource is designed for middle and high-school students. Some of the portraits include mature themes such as slavery brutality and the entertainment industry.
How can teachers use this Black History Month resource in the classroom?
The Smithsonian has created a lot of wonderful resources to help teachers use the portrait gallery in the elementary, middle school, and high school classrooms. For example, they have provided teacher guides to help students analyze portraits, lesson plans, and portrait spotlights. Access all of their classroom resources here.
Portraits of African Americans homepage
More Resources
I hope that these Black History Month resources for kids will help save you time as you teach about Black History in February and throughout the year.
Do you need more help teaching about U.S. history? I’ve created interactive history units with everything you need from lesson plans and answer keys to student articles and worksheets. They will save you tons of time and your students will love the activities! Check them out below! You may also be interested in browsing my free lessons.
