Black History Month – 4 Teaching Resources

We are entering the last week of Black History Month and by now you’ve surely covered concepts like the Civil Rights Movement in your class. Figures like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. can be incorporated in an age-appropriate way in any grade. But there is still so much to teach, share, and celebrate during Black History Month.

To expand your students’ knowledge about other prominent Black figures, check out these resources and incorporate them in your class.

Blavity

First, author Ida Harris’s piece, “13 Incredible Black Artists, Past and Present, Everybody Should Know,” highlights influential artists. From Augusta Savage, the first Black artist to join the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors, to present-day collagist, Deborah Roberts, the article covers different mediums and their cultural influences. Extra points for the students who can name the artists who painted the portraits of President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, housed at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.  

Red Tricycle

Here you’ll find many useful resources for Black History Month. The author has gathered lesson plans; and classroom activities such as colorables, crosswords, and crafts. You’ll also find information about groundbreaking Black athletes, educators, and artists.

iHeart Radio

“Influential Black Musicians,” will capture students’ attention as it flows from Dizzy Gillespie to Beyoncé. Music by Black artists encompasses a wide variety of genres, so there’s a bit of something for everyone.

Journeys in Film

Lastly, if you’ve seen the 2016 movie Hidden Figures, you’re familiar with the inspiration behind this resource. The film centers around women known as “human computers,” who worked at NASA to help launch the first astronauts into space. The website has curriculum guides covering subjects like social studies, geometry, and career readiness.

If you’ve used another particularly helpful resource to help teach about Black History Month, share it in the comments below.