Black History Month is an important time to celebrate and recognize the contributions and impact of African Americans on American history and culture. As educators, we must take this opportunity to incorporate meaningful and engaging Black History Month activities into our middle school English classrooms that allow students to learn about and appreciate the rich legacy of African Americans.
Let’s take a dive into fifteen ways to honor and celebrate all month long!
1. Take A Virtual Field Trip
Who doesn’t love a virtual field trip? An easy, cost-effective, time-friendly way to see some amazing things without the puke on the bus…just saying. Here are a few places that offer virtual tours that might interest you and your students.
- The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) – This Smithsonian museum in Washington D.C. offers a virtual tour of its exhibits, including a section dedicated to the Civil Rights Movement and another on the cultural contributions of African Americans.
- The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park – Explore the life and legacy of Harriet Tubman, who helped many enslaved people escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad.
- The National Civil Rights Museum – This museum, located in Memphis, Tennessee, offers a virtual tour of its exhibits, including a section dedicated to the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
- The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in New York- This virtual tour allows visitors to explore the history and culture of African Americans in New York City and the surrounding area.
- Have somewhere near your hometown that has a rich history? Bust open Google Earth and go there as a class. It’s not necessary for an “official” virtual tour. Let your students explore some historical sites on their own.
2. Read ALL The Books
You can utilize novels in a couple of different ways. You can focus on Black authors and characters. It’s important to feature African American characters who are THRIVING. Share success stories, not just stories of struggles. e these books for:
- Book Clubs
- Read Aloud
- First Chapter Friday
- Novel Studies
There are SO many choices to choose from. A few of my favorites include:
- The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
- Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
- Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
- The Skin I’m In by Sharon Flake
- New Kid by Jerry Craft
3. Poetry
Read or listen to poetry by black authors. The poem by Amanda Gormans from the 2020 inauguration is a great place to start. If you are looking for something that will really get them engaged, Crossover by Kwame Alexander is a great place to start.
4. Mini Research Writing Template
Spice up your writing routine and have your students do a mini Black History Month research paper. These templates are easy to print and go with no prep. They even include a digital version. Allow your students to gather information and answer reflective questions. They will love the images, and you will love the ease of the print-and-go materials!
5. National Archives
The National Archives is a valuable resource for teaching Black History Month, as it provides access to primary sources and other materials that can help bring the past to life for students. The National Archives is an organization in the United States that serves as the official repository for historically significant government records. These records include documents, photographs, maps, and other materials that document the nation’s history. The National Archives also works to preserve these records and make them available to the public for research and education…AND IT’S FREE!
6. Evaluate and Review Art
Incorporate Black artists into the curriculum by studying their work and the historical context in which it was created. This can help students understand the impact of Black artists on the art world and on society as a whole. Even better, find a local artist to invite into the classroom and discuss their work with the class.
7. Use Video to Introduce Black History Month
Kevin Hart’s Guide to Black History Month is a corny and funny way to introduce Black History Month. Show clips from the special and then use them as a jumping-off point for further exploration of Black history and culture.
8. Highlight Black Entrepreneurs
Incorporate Black entrepreneurs into the curriculum by studying their businesses and the historical context in which they started. This can help students understand the impact of Black entrepreneurs on the economy and on society as a whole. If you are looking for a way to include this into your everyday routine, this Today in History bellringer includes fun historical facts for every day of the year. It includes many black entrepreneurs and how they began their businesses.
9. Create Together
Use students’ work or a collaborative project to create a bulletin board or decorate the classroom door. Make it a school-wide competition and get everyone involved.
10. Host An Author or Guest Speaker
Technology is AMAZING, you can invite an author into the classroom for a zoom meeting. Students can ask prewritten (and prescreened, hehe) questions. This really helps gain student buy-in during reading time and school in general. Can’t seem to find someone; many authors have Youtube videos telling their stories and the background behind their books.
11. Create A Black History Month Timeline
Get a giant paper roll and make a timeline of Black History Month with your students. How did it get started? Track all of the developments with your students. Make it LARGE. When you’re done, let your class add illustrations to make the timeline complete.
12. Incorporate Music Into Your Classroom
I love having music on during writing and reading times. It helps make those quiet times feel less stiff, and if a student sneezes, it’s not the end of the world and doesn’t feel so disruptive. I know there are a number of studies about how it’s good for the brain, but I mainly do it for my sanity!
13. Analyze Famous Speeches and Their Impact
Break them down with your students. Why are they so important? What did they lead to? Did this speech cause a movement, or is it a result of? Some great speeches by Black Authors include:
- Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, given on August 28, 1963, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. This powerful speech, in which King called for racial equality and an end to segregation, is widely considered one of the most iconic speeches in American history.
- Malcolm X’s “The Ballot or the Bullet” speech, given on April 3, 1964. In this speech, Malcolm X encourages Black Americans to take control of their own political destiny and vote in the upcoming presidential election.
- Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech, given at a women’s rights convention in 1851. Truth, a former slave, and abolitionist uses this speech to call attention to the intersectionality of her identity as a Black woman and the ways in which this informs her experience of oppression.
- Maya Angelou’s “On the Pulse of Morning” speech, given at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton in 1993. This speech, which was written and delivered by Angelou, is widely regarded as one of the most powerful and poetic speeches in recent history.
- Angela Davis’s “Reflections on the Black Woman’s Role in the Community of Slaves” speech, delivered in 1973, is a powerful and thought-provoking analysis of the role of Black women in the Civil Rights Movement and in American society.
- Frederick Douglass’s “What to the slave is the fourth of July?” speech, given in 1852, Douglass, a former slave, uses this speech to call attention to the hypocrisy of celebrating America’s independence while slavery still existed in the country.
14. Create A Podcast
Even if you aren’t tech savvy, I’m sure your students are! Have each student pick a topic relating to Black History Month. Have them record a quick voice recording and listen to it as a class later down the road. It doesn’t have to be fancy! Can it be, absolutely? If time and technology allow, have them edit it, create an intro and outro, and gain some student buy-in!
15. Create A Class Website
Creating a collaborative website is one of my FAVORITE activities!!! Google Sites can do some amazing things. I typically create a main hub of the website, and each student is assigned a page. Don’t think your students can handle all working on one site? I get it. Have them make their own! I highly recommend Google Sites because it’s easy to use, and if you use Google Classroom, your students already have access to it. Publish it and share it with parents.
BONUS
Middle schoolers are not too old for picture books. Period the end. Use them as minilessons, writing mentor texts, or just as a good story to listen to. Again there are so many amazing picture books it’s hard for me to narrow it down. Here’s a brief list to get you started:
- Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman and Caroline Binch
- Skin Like Mine by LaTashia Perry
- I Am Enough by Grace Byers
- Dream Big, Little One by Vashti Harrison
- Miss Tizzy by Libba Moore Gray
Well, friends! I hope this helped get your brain chugging and thinking of some activities to help you celebrate Black History Month in your classroom.
Remember, I’m rooting for you!
-Alisha
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