Black History Month Lesson Plan Ideas

With Black History Month approaching, many teachers are struggling with ideas on what to teach. Black History is very deep and developed, so this month should be quite easy to teach. The problem lies in discerning what topics to discuss and what students should know. These are my top 5 picks for what to teach students during Black History Month:

#1 - Important figures

Different people have different ways of learning. Some people learn by sound, while others learn better by reading. Despite these differences, almost all students learn well by making connections. By teaching just an important event and not connecting this event to anything, students are likely to forget. For instance, when most people think of Martin Luther King Jr. they think of his one famous speech. Few people know that Martin Luther King Jr. had actually been doing speeches and meeting with groups of people for many years. This is because the day of his famous speech is solely tied to him. If you plan on teaching students events and ideas, make sure to make connections so the black history does not go from ear to ear. Making connections to important figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks will lead to students learning more from the material.

#2 - Important events in Black History

It is undeniably important that for a student to learn well about Black History Month they will need to know important events. Events such as the development of the NAACP in 1909, Oscar DePriest elected to 71st Congress from Chicago's South Side, becoming the first Black congressman from the North, The great migration of 1915, or even Jackie Robinson playing in baseball. There are so many important events in Black History that covering all would be troubling. Try to cover a single event in-depth, give a day to recollect, and then more on to another event. Teaching too many events may overload students brains, causing them to forget information. Black History is very important, and it is very important to teach it properly.

#3 - Lesser known people and events in black history

While it is important for students to learn about the main events and people in black history, you can help the students learn about things they haven't even heard of before. Very few students have probably heard of events such as the Fifth Pan-American congress meeting in England in 1945, or Ralph J. Bunche, United Nations mediator in Palestine who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950. Yet these events and people remain some of the most important events and people in Black History. It is vital for students to learn new information in Black History on top of cementing knowledge on events and people that they already know about.

#4 - Events not directly related to black history

Events not directly related to black history are important to teach because they serve as a basis for other events happening. For instance, World War II is quite important in this sense because it serves as a basis for black history during and especially after the war. Roosevelt's ban on racial and religious discrimination in war industries may be one of the biggest events in history for the advancement of black culture. Black History month should be a month of learning about events that both directly and indirectly relate to black history. The great depression is a great example of this. With the majority of black America already living in poverty in 1929, the great depression further drove blacks deeper into poverty. This is a pivotal event in Black History and often goes overlooked during Black History Month.

#5 - Vary your teaching style for black black history

History is one of the subjects that the majority people forget in their later years and even in the short-term. It is very important to vary your teaching styles if you want to be successful in education your students during Black History Month. If you plan on lecturing on a specific topic of black history, try using a different method of teaching your next day, such as a video or a class discussion. A variance in teaching style is beneficial to students as different people learn better from different styles.

Good luck in your quest to educate your students about black history during Black History Month.

Johnson Publishing Co.

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