Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man is difficult to read and difficult to teach. The novel is so highly regarded that it is one of most often listed as an option for the AP Literature and Composition exam. The materials in this packet from PBS...

Are Civil War monuments a kind remembrance or a reminder of a dark past? The lesson focuses on the public's memory of the Civil War and the monuments that represent it. Young academics explore past efforts to change historical symbols...

Not all heroes wear capes. An impactful lesson focuses on the life and activism of Fannie Lou Hamer during the civil rights movement. Scholars read her speeches and other material, participate in group discussion, and complete a jigsaw...

Informational text about the Civil Rights Movement challenges young historians to prove their reading comprehension skills with six multiple choice questions. After answers are submitted a new screen displays a score,...

A four-paragraph informational text details the life of the famous baseball player, Jackie Robinson. A prompt challenges scholars to write or discuss a time in their life when they were not included and how that made them feel. 

Introduce young learners to the read-aloud process with a short biographical passage about Ray Charles. After listening to the passage, class members respond to factual, inferential, and evaluative questions, and then create a timeline...

Get parents or guardians into the swing of things with a jazzy homework assignment. A detailed six-page guide provides before, during, and after reading suggestions for Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra, Andrea Davis...

Looking for a new and exciting way to teach young historians the art of primary source analysis? Jazz up your lesson with a resource that asks class members to analyze photos, travel documents, and letters written by some of New Orleans'...

Before there was Beyonce, before there was Madonna, before there was Cher, there was Ella. Introduce Ella Fitzgerald, The First Lady of Jazz, with a reading comprehension exercise that presents a brief biography of her life and then asks...

Why did the Black Panther Party feel colonized, and what methods did they employ to achieve empowerment? Your class members will engage in an online PowerPoint presentation, analysis of several documents, and discussion in order to...

Why do schools and government offices close one day every January to honor the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.? Young learners discover the achievements and lasting significance of this influential figure in American history...

Elementary students explore African American culture by reading children's poetry. They read the book, The Palm of My Heart which features poetry by an assortment of young African American boys and girls. Students define several...

Students create and color three-dimensional ornaments reflecting December's many cultural celebrations. They decide which symbol they wish to create as an ornament, draw or trace the outline of the symbol, and follow directions as they...

Examine the holidays of La Posada in Mexico, Hanukkah in Israel, and Kwanzaa in the United States. Learners identify the countries on a world map, listen to stories, create art projects for each holiday, and make recipes celebrating...

Students examine a variety of ways that families celebrate winter holidays. They complete a graphic organizer comparing Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, and write a five-sentence paragraph about one of the holidays discussed. Students...

Celebrate Kwanzaa with a game of Kalah, also known as Mankala or Owara. Using an egg carton and a set of beans, players take all of the beans out of one of his or her cups and move to the right, dropping one bean into each of the...

Students explore American culture by reading classic literature in class. In this African-American history lesson plan, students read the story Zora Hurston and the Chinaberry Tree while identifying the work and contributions of the real...

In this Kwanzaa learning exercise, students visit the specified website and use the information there to respond to 4 short answer questions about Kwanzaa.

Middle schoolers research different ethnic groups that lived in the United States. They compare and contrast Spanish, African American and Native American cultures and how American culture interacted with them. They present their...

Learners examine the holiday of Kwanzaa. In groups, they discuss "The Seven Principles" and the history of the holiday. They explore the objects that are used and what they represent. They end the lesson with a discussion of the...

Students take a quiz on brief histories of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Las Posadas. They, in groups, research four December celebrations and then test their comprehension.

Students listen to a book about Kwanzaa and discuss the holiday and its importance. In this Kwanzaa lesson, students make crafts after they read and discuss the story.

For this music worksheet, students complete two multiple choice questions about music moving from one culture to another. They write a sentence explaining why slavery is wrong. Students name types of music African-Americans brought with...

This lesson is a culminating lesson which follows students researching, collecting citations, evaluating and selecting text, graphic materials and visual aids. In this concluding lesson, 5th graders discuss the assessment task and how to...