To celebrate and honor Black History Month, we’ve assembled a set of lessons, resources, and learning materials from education-focused organizations for students of all ages.
As we pay tribute to the vast contributions African Americans have made to our country, we also recognize how far we still have to go to end systemic racism and violence.
We know that educators play a key role in helping students to understand history and contemporary issues related to racial justice. They help students process current events as they unfold in our country and across the globe, empowering young people with the knowledge and skills to create a better future. We hope these resources can help support classroom conversations this month and throughout the year.
- The ‘For Teachers’ section of AfricanAmericanHistoryMonth.gov features ready-to-use lesson plans, student activities, collection guides and research aids from the Library of Congress, National Archives, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian, and U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
- The U.S. Library of Congress’ Blog Round-Up: African American History and Primary Sources features posts on landmark moments in African American history as well as profiles on significant historical figures in the Black community.
- Black History Month Lessons & Resources from the National Education Association presents a selection of Black history-related lesson plans that can be adapted by grade level.
- African American Education Resources from the Smithsonian Learning Lab include innovative learning tools that explore issues such as Black representation in popular culture in addition to historical lesson plans that include a variety of interactive media.
- The Center for Racial Justice in Education’s Black History Month Resource Guide for Educators and Families shares resources that can be used by parents and caregivers as well as teachers.
- PBS NewsHour has put together 20 pertinent classroom resources for Black History Month, with topics ranging from the civil rights movement to more recent events.
- Learning for Justice asks educators to examine the liberation, civic engagement, creativity and intersecting identities of Black people during Black History Month.
- TeacherVision’s Black History Month Activities page includes videos, activities, printable materials, and lesson plans for all grade levels.
