K-5 Black History Lessons

What do you do for MLK Day or Black History Month? When I was growing up, every year in elementary school we learned about Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and George Washington Carver. And that was it. My Black history education was repetitive, limited, and, frankly, uninspiring.

Today's students make similar complaints. My friend's children have had repeated lessons on Harriet Tubman and Ruby Bridges. Great women, but there is SO MUCH MORE!

I believe that we should integrate Black history all year long, not just in February. If you are doing that, kudos! Still, I was happy to help when the Helena Black History Month Education Initiative asked me to work with them to create lesson plans to accompany the picture books they planned to purchase for the district's elementary schools. 

I thought the lessons we came up with were interesting enough to share statewide--even though only one of them is connected to Montana history. Want to teach one of these lessons but can't get your hands on the anchor text? You can find videos of someone reading all of these books on YouTube. 

Note: The grade level designations are flexible (so the first grade lesson can easily be adapted to second or third grade.)

Finally, if you have a great Black History resource or lesson, send it along and I'll share it out. The more the merrier.

Kindergarten: Music

Time: 50 minutes

Anchor Text: Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! by Wynton Marsalis

After being introduced to the idea of Black History Month, students will explore different types of musical instruments, hear clips from many different African American musicians, and listen to the story Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp!, by jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, illustrated by Paul Rogers. Finally, students will draw a picture of themselves playing their favorite instrument.

First Grade: Rodeo

Time: 50 minutes

Anchor Text: Let ’Er Buck! George Fletcher, the People’s Champion, by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

After being introduced to the idea of Black History Month, students will learn about rodeo cowboy George Fletcher. They will discuss the importance of being fair to everyone and what they can do when they see someone being treated unfairly. 

Second Grade: Inventors

Time: 1-3 hours

Anchor text: Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson's Super Soaking Stream of Inventions, by Chris Barton

After being introduced to the idea of Black History Month, students will learn about inventor Lonnie Johnson by listening to the book Whoosh! They will then create their own invention using scrap materials and their imaginations.

Third Grade: Mathematicians and the Space Race

Time: 1.5 hours

Anchor Text: Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 by Helaine Becker 

Students will listen and discuss a book about Katherine Johnson, a mathematician who worked at NASA. They will also do a math exercise and watch a video about trajectories and discuss how they relate to Katherine Johnson’s work.

Fourth Grade: Montana's Black Past

Time: 1-5 hours

Anchor text: The Journey of York: The Unsung Hero of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, by Hasan Davis

Part 1: After being introduced to the idea of Black History Month, students will complete a “quick write” about the Lewis and Clark Expedition and Corps of Discovery member York, and then listen to a picture book about York, pausing to discuss how the expedition told through the eyes of York is similar to and different from the stories of the expedition from other viewpoints. 

Part 2: Students will use the Montana’s African American Heritage Resources website to investigate the history of other African Americans in Montana, while interpreting primary source material and sharing what they learned with others. 

Part 3: Students will watch the Profiles of African American Montanans PowerPoint to learn more about African American contributions to Montana. Note: This PowerPoint is integrated into the Part 2 lesson--it is highlighted as Part 3 for teachers who don’t have time to teach all of Part 2.

 Fifth Grade: The Civil Rights Movement

Time: 1-4 hours

Anchor Text: Lift as You Climb: The Story of Ella Baker, by Patricia Hruby Powell

Part 1: Students will listen and take notes on a read-aloud about civil rights activist Ella Baker and consider how they can apply her philosophy to their own lives.

Part 2: Students will research a civil rights activist, create a poster for the class civil rights museum, and then tour the museum to see their classmates’ work.