Discover Yahoo! With Your Friends

Explore news, videos, and much more based on what your friends are reading and watching. Publish your own activity and retain full control.

To get started, first

YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    Free Educational Resources and Activities for Black History Month

    By Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Tue, Feb 1, 2011
    This story comes from the Yahoo! Contributor Network, where individuals publish their unique perspectives on some of the world’s most popular websites.
    Do you have a story to tell? Become a Yahoo! contributor

    Black History Month kicks off today. The idea of establishing an annual commemoration of the African-American experience has been around since the turn of the 20th century; the first Black History Month was celebrated in the United States on its bicentennial anniversary in 1976. Black History Month is observed in Canada and the United Kingdom also. Here are suggested free resources for families, homeschool educators, school teachers, scout troop leaders and civic and community groups to help explore Black History Month.

    PBS.org -- PBS has always been a trailblazer in education and responsiveness to social justice. Follow this link for hundreds of resources, primary sources, film footage, historical archives, documentaries and educational activities.

    PBS Parents -- Follow this link to a compendium of Black History Month activities and programs from the vast PBS Kids educational programming network. This index lists episodes of different children's shows that have focused on Black History Month in the past.

    Movie resources -- This link provides a comprehensive list of literature-based films that educators can use to teach children about Black History Month and the achievements of black Americans. Here are some several other films not included on the list but also helpful:

    Invictus (2009)

    Akeelah and the Bee (2006)

    Selma, Lord, Selma (1999)

    Our Friend Martin (1998)

    Teaching Heart has a huge library of free printable lesson plans and classroom activities. Included is a recommended reading list for Black History Month. This list covers several grade levels.

    Mr. Donn covers Black History Month with a variety of lesson plans including: African-American history, Civil War, Civil Rights, Jim Crow laws, Kwanzaa, Harlem Renaissance and Underground Railroad. There are free printables, puzzle, worksheets, writing activities, social studies, history and biography activities.

    Biography.com has a nice collection of biographical resources, including film clips, videos, timelines and activities. This website is devoted to Black History Month.

    Opponents of Black History Month, black and white say that there is no need to devote a month to studying black history. Actor Morgan Freeman made his now famous statement -- "I don't like Black History Month" -- to Mike Wallace on CBS 60 Minutes in 2009. Freeman's contention is that every month is Black History Month because black history is American history. Freeman states that the only way to stop racial tension is to stop talking about it. Regardless of personal opinion on the issue, Black History Month is a required component in school curriculum across the grades in the United States.

    Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben writes from 25+ years teaching K-8, EI, CI, ESL, Montessori, adult education and homeschool. She is passionate about child welfare, family issues, emotional health, sustainable lifestyles and social justice. She writes about parenting concerns for the Yahoo! Contributor Network.

     

    There are no comments yet

    [ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['Titanic', 7]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/titanic-anniversary/', ' ', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/b/4e/b4e5ad9f00b5dfeeec2226d53e173569.jpeg', '550', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]
    [ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

    News For You

    Loading...

    US News »

    • Astronauts float inside SpaceX Dragon capsule Irene Klotz
      The SpaceX Falcon 9 test rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral

      CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Astronauts aboard the International Space Station opened the hatch and floated inside a Space Exploration Technologies' Dragon capsule on Saturday, the first privately owned spaceship to reach the orbital outpost, NASA said. Running ahead of schedule, station commander Oleg Kononenko …

    • Gunman in Indiana standoff dies after shooting himself
      Snipers sit trained on a real estate office where authorities said a gunman was holding an unknown number of hostages in Valparaiso

      VALPARAISO, Indiana (Reuters) - A gunman took hostages in an Indiana real estate office on Friday, then released them after an eight-hour standoff and fatally shot himself in the head, authorities said. The gunman died at a hospital in Valparaiso, Indiana, about 40 miles southeast of Chicago, police said. "We believe there …

    • New Jersey man charged in Etan Patz death after 33 years Joseph Ax
      Hernandez is arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court via video link seen here in this courtroom sketch in New York

      NEW YORK (Reuters) - A man who police say confessed to strangling Etan Patz was charged with second-degree murder on Friday, 33 years after the 6-year-old boy vanished from his New York neighborhood and soon changed the way the nation responds to missing children. Pedro Hernandez, 51, who worked as a stock boy in a small …

    • Subtropical Storm Beryl swirls toward U.S. southeast coast

      MIAMI (Reuters) - Subtropical Storm Beryl churned toward the U.S. southeast coast on Saturday, threatening heavy rains and dangerous surf on Sunday to northeastern Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Beryl was centered about 230 miles east-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, …

    • Penn State ex-president sues over Sandusky emails: report
      Jerry Sandusky, former Penn State football defensive coordinator, arrives for a hearing at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania

      (Reuters) - Pennsylvania State University's former president filed suit on Friday to force the school to turn over emails that are relevant to its probe of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal, the Centre Daily Times newspaper reported. Sandusky, a former Penn State assistant football coach, goes on trial next month on …

     
    One money saving tip you probably haven't tried
    Add your ideas and help make it happen. Join the conversation.
    Episode 11: Hard times for Hometown Hardware
    Should Bill and Donna take on more risk to boost their business?
    One small business owner surprises Bill and Donna
    How Josh's comment on a Remake America video laid the groundwork for something bigger.
    Learn more about Remake America »