Black History Month Lesson Plans

Black History Month, February, is the one month of the year that we celebrate African American history, which has changed America as we know it. This is why having a lesson plan for Black History Month is essential for students. Like all history, black history should be taught to all students so that they can have a foundation of how their country, America, was built.

Preparing lesson plans for black history month should be specified according to age groups and the school's curriculum. All that is taught in the classroom, in regards to the black history month lesson plans, should be easy for the students to understand; this is very important if it is the first time a student is learning about black history. The following are some ideas for black history month lesson plans, along with ideal age groups and how to make your lesson plan for black history month fun:

Grades K - 5

Ideal lesson plans

1. Rosa Parks

2. Jackie Robinson

3. Martin Luther King Jr.

4. George Washington Carver

5. Garrett A. Morgan

These are the five most common lesson plans to teach this age group during back history month. To make these lesson plans fun, you can print out coloring pages of those African Americans with brief details of their roles in history. You can also put together a play of those historical figures for parents or the school. These will not only be fun, but an easy way to learn.

Grades 6 - 8

Ideal lesson plans

1. Sarah Boone

2. Martin Luther King Jr.

3. The Civil Rights Movement

4. Harriet Tubman

5. Jackie Robinson

These black history month lesson plans can be great lesson plans if you can have your student create art, a play, and projects. By doing this you not only give them a reason to learn about black history, but give them the knowledge of why black history month is a very important month of the year.

Grades 9 - 12

Ideal lesson plans

1. The Harlem Renaissance

2. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

3. Malcolm X (make sure to have permission from the school)

4. Harriet Tubman

5. History of Jazz

As you would for the other age groups mentioned above, you can make these lesson plans by creating art projects, book writing contests, poetry contest, school plays, and a music show for the school (great for music classes).

Learning about black history during black history month not only teaches the students about the struggles of those historical figures, but it also inspires students to achieve all of their dreams and goals in life. It teaches the students to become anything in life they want. Keep in mind, a few things to teach about black history during black history month can only be fun if you, the teacher, are excited and open minded about teaching the lesson plans. Do not create black history month lesson plans if you are not going to be happy to teach it; the reason for this is because if the teacher's not into the lesson plan then they will do a bad job teaching their students, thus, cheating the students of the importance of black history.