Black History Month Free Teaching Materials

February is Black History Month. Maine Educator hopes these free resources will help you as you prepare lessons for your students. Ideas are broken out into age group categories to make things easier.

Grades PK-2

Take the Pledge! and Get on the Bus

Create a classroom pledge to encourage diversity and create a bus filled with a diverse group of passengers. Download the graphic for free on Scholastic Teachables. Sign up for free for 30 days.

FMI: http://bit.ly/takethepledgebus

Grades K-5

Trading Cards

Create Black History Month trading cards for your students to learn and share. You can download a free set with the link below. On the front the card is a picture of a notable person and on the back the student will write their name and one sentence about the person(s) on the front of the card. For older, more advanced students, ask them to write a short paragraph.

Trading Card Download: http://bit.ly/tradingcardslearn

Grades 4-8

Culture and Change: Black History in America

Students in grades 3-4 can meet 14 inventors who changed history with their contributions to science, industry, business, agriculture, transportation, and communication.

Learn More: http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/inventors/

Grades 9-12 Grades 6-8

Underground Railroad: Routes to Freedom

National Geographic provides a host of free resources for educators to help students understand key moments in history. Among the articles, an explanation of The Underground Railroad complete with vocabulary words, maps, and additional resources for further discussion.

To learn more about this resource: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/maps/ undergroundrailroad/

Negro Leagues Baseball Museum: Electronic Resources for Teachers

Before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball there was Negro League Baseball. This site features history, a timeline, photos, and teacher resources, including lessons for grades 9-12.

Learn More: https://nlbemuseum.com/resource/lpfaqs.html