TeachersFirst's African-American History Resources
Black History Month, held in February in the United States, is a celebration of the many achievements of African-Americans. Although it started in the United States it is now celebrated throughout the world and not limited to the month of February. This curated collection includes teaching ideas, biographies, interactive sites, research materials, and more to learn about the pivotal roles that African-Americans have had in history and continue to have today. Find inspiration and resources to share with students related to historical time periods, famous figures, and much more.
View our entire collection of tagged resources for Black History.

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Meet the Man Who Created Black History Month - CNN Staff
Grades
5 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): african american (123), biographies (94), black history (138)
In the Classroom
Include this article with other resources for student use not only during Black History Month but throughout the year as inspiration when writing biographies, studying careers, or learning about influential Americans. Take advantage of some of the free resources found at Class Tools, reviewed here, and ask students to create a Fakebook profile of Mr. Woodson or use the Turbo Timeline generator to produce a timeline of key events. Have students share their learning through a variety of digital tools. Use Site123, reviewed here, or Carrd, reviewed here, to create a webpage featuring student research and writing. Use Quizizz, reviewed here to extend learning by asking students to become the teacher. Have students create a Quizizz lessons for classmates to teach them about Carter G. Woodson or other famous African-Americans. When finished, your class will have a complete library of biographies to learn from!Mary McLeod Bethune - Learning for Justice
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): black history (138), civil rights (221), women (154)
In the Classroom
Use the provided link to import this lesson into your Google Classroom account. This lesson is part of a four-part series, use the other lessons to build your unit on black history or famous women. As you add additional resources to your lesson, enhance student learning by using Kami, reviewed here, as a collaborative discussion tool. Kami includes tools for highlighting and adding notes to online articles to facilitate peer discussions. Further enhance learning by helping students highlight important information from within articles using a word cloud creation tool like Wordsift, reviewed here. Copy and paste any text into Wordsift to highlight and enlarge frequently used words. Use this information to guide students toward significant portions of text. Ask students to use a digital annotation tool such as Image Annotator, reviewed here, to add notes, links, and additional information to images. Extend student learning by encouraging them to learn more about Mary McLeod Bethune and other feminists and then creating and sharing podcasts. One easy introduction to podcasts is through the use of Acast, reviewed here. Have students use Acast to give a "You Are There" presentation sharing events as they happened during Bethune's life, or to share their takeaways of the importance of Mary McLeod Bethune's contributions to women's rights.Famous African Americans - Famous African Americans.org
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): african american (123), biographies (94), black history (138), cultures (226)
In the Classroom
This is an excellent site to use as part of a biography unit to match biographies to individual student interests. Allow students to choose a category. Have them read several biographies from that category, then research an African American that hasn't been included on this site. Have students use these biographies as a model to write about the person they researched. Instead of using paper and pen to write down information, ask students to use Google Docs or Microsoft Word to begin research. Using these online documents affords many benefits, including the ability to add comments, highlight information, and add links to online information. Once research is underway, suggest that students use a bookmarking tool like Raindrop.io, reviewed here, to organize information. Raindrop.io includes the ability to add notes to bookmarks, making it easy for students to label and add information for later use. As a final project and to extend student learning, ask students to create their own book using OurBoox, reviewed here, that includes images, videos, and text. Math teachers could have students figure out which category has the most people in it, or what percentage of the site is dedicated to the category they are interested in.Reading Trek: Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom - TeachersFirst
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): black history (138), civil rights (221)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the many teaching ideas found on the PDF Instructional Guide. Engage and help students understand and discuss online content using Fiskkit, reviewed here, as a collaborative discussion platform. Enhance learning by having students create a Civil Rights timeline of the top ten to twenty events using Timeline JS, reviewed here, and annotate each event with their reasons for choosing it. Timeline JS also allows for students to annotate with music, photos, videos, and more. Use Odyssey, reviewed here, and have students to create digital stories including text, interactive maps, and other multimedia content.Celebrating Black History Month - Collection - Poetry Foundation
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): african american (123), biographies (94), black history (138), cultures (226), podcasts (118), poetry (195)
In the Classroom
Share several poems with students and then have them create similar poet and poem podcasts. Start your own classroom collection to be shared digitally on your website. Exchange the physical whiteboard or chalkboard by creating a digital, collaborative board using a tool such as Lino, reviewed here, for the collection ideas. Enhance learning and augment classroom technology use by using a site such as podomatic, reviewed here, for students to present their poems to their classmates. Post the podcasts to your class website for students and parents to enjoy at home.Virtual Learning Journey: Civil Rights Movement - Georgia Public Broadcasting & Georgia Department of Education
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): 1960s (26), black history (138), civil rights (221), cultures (226), martin luther king (46)
In the Classroom
Be sure to include this virtual learning experience as part of civil rights lessons and Black History Month activities. Include a link to the experience on classroom computers for students to explore on their own. As students travel along the learning path, replace pen and paper and engage them by asking students to use an online note taking tool like Webnote, reviewed here, to write down their thoughts and questions they may have. As students learn about Civil Rights events, have them enhance their learning by asking them to step back in time and create podcasts from this time. Use Podbean, reviewed here, a free tool for creating and sharing podcasts. Extend learning by challenging students find an image from the Civil Rights movement and create an annotated image using Google Drawings, reviewed here. Google Drawings allows you to annotate an image with links to videos, text, websites, and more. Not familiar with Google Drawings? Watch an archived OK2Ask session to learn how to use: OK2Ask Google Drawings, here.National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection Stories - National Museum of African American History and Culture
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): african american (123), black history (138), cross cultural understanding (178), cultures (226)
In the Classroom
Share stories from this collection to provide a personal look at events from African-American history in the United States. Use stories as an example, and ask students to find additional artifacts from the National Museum and research to discover the story behind the item. Have younger students use Kiddle, reviewed here, a kid-friendly search engine to find documents about their particular object. Younger students could bring an item from their home to tell the story of its history. For either of these ideas, enhance student learning by encouraging them to create online books for sharing the stories using a tool such as Ourboox, reviewed here. Ask students to find local residents with knowledge of historical events to come talk to your class about the "behind the scenes" story, or set up a Zoom meeting with an African-American leader. Use these stories for informational reading in your Language Arts classroom, and as a wonderful resource to use for covering the informational reading standards required with the CCSS.Civil Rights History Project - National Museum of African American History and Culture
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1960s (26), african american (123), black history (138), civil rights (221), cultures (226), interviews (17), racism (83), video (267), women (154)
In the Classroom
Share these videos on an interactive whiteboard or with a projector as part of any Civil Rights or racism unit. Include a link to the interviews on your class web page. After watching a video, have students research more about the events discussed. Engage students by replacing pen and paper and having them write blog entries of what they are learning using a blogging tool such as Penzu, reviewed here. With Penzu you can add images or your own artwork as illustrations. Take this a step further by modifying and enhancing learning and challenging students to create an interactive timeline using Preceden, reviewed here, about the events in the life of one of the activists. Alternatively, challenge students to create maps using Zeemaps, reviewed here, to share stories and events from the Civil Rights Movement. Zeemaps allows students to create audio recordings AND choose various locations on a map where the events take place.Civil Rights Movement Interactive Map - NewseumEd
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): black history (138), civil rights (221), newspapers (94)
In the Classroom
Share a link to this site on your class website and allow students to explore on their own. Discuss their findings and interpretations of media coverage of civil rights events in class. Replace pen and paper and use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to compare and contrast media coverage in two different cities. Enhance learning by asking students to investigate newspapers from additional locations, then create a presentation sharing their findings using Presentious, reviewed here.Making a Change: The First Amendment and the Civil Rights Movement - NewseumED
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): black history (138), civil rights (221), constitution (99), cultures (226), journalism (74), media literacy (113), newspapers (94)
In the Classroom
Use any or all of the units and interactives with any Civil Rights lessons; this site isn't just for Black History Month! Share with journalism students as they explore the role of the press in shaping and telling the story of a nation. Have small groups or pairs of students enhance their learning by making a multimedia presentation exploring the First Amendment and the role of the press using a tool such as Sway, reviewed here. With the web-based Sway, you can include text, images, and video. To illustrate different press coverage around the nation, have students modify their learning by creating maps using Zeemaps, reviewed here. This tool allows students to create audio recordings AND choose a location on a map where the news report takes place.Black History Month Resources - PBS
Grades
K to 12tag(s): black history (138), civil rights (221), cultures (226), martin luther king (46), racism (83), video (267)
In the Classroom
Explore this site for many different lessons and resources to use during Black History Month and with lessons on racism and bias throughout the year. Use lessons found here to differentiate for students of different levels. Be sure to check out the Discrimination - fair or unfair? lesson plan that is designed specifically for students who have difficulty with verbal and written expression.Created Equal - National Endowment for the Humanities
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): bill of rights (34), black history (138), civil rights (221), civil war (142), cultures (226), emancipation proclamation (14), segregation (20)
In the Classroom
The documentaries, or the excerpts presented, are all available to stream from the site. While they may be too lengthy to show in their entirety during one class period, they have also been divided into clips according to themes. For example, Equality is part of the full video about Law and the Strategy of Nonviolence. This makes them more adaptable for classroom use. Share the videos on your interactive whiteboard or projector, or flip your class using edpuzzle, reviewed here, and have students watch clips at home and come back to class ready to discuss. eduzzle is a great way to take sections of videos and add your own voice or add questions within the video. Alternatively, you could use VideoAnt, reviewed here, to enhance student learning with students asking questions about the parts where they need clarification. The issues raised by these Created Equal documentaries may be easily incorporated into lessons related to the Civil Rights Movement, modern U.S. history, Black History Month, or civics and government. Use these videos as conversation starters in the classroom.Nelson Mandela - Facts - Nobel Media
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): 1960s (26), 1970s (10), 1980s (7), 20th century (62), biographies (94), black history (138), civil rights (221), cultures (226), heroes (24), Nelson Mandela (10), south africa (15)
In the Classroom
Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then, students can explore this site independently or in small groups. This site is perfect to include with Black History Month activities or in a unit on Civil Rights leaders. Enhance student learning by using one of the following suggestions: have students create a simple infographic with words used to describe Mandela, sharing their findings using Venngage, reviewed here, have students create a word cloud of the important terms they learn from this site using a tool such as WordItOut, reviewed here, use an online tool such as an interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to compare South Africa at the time of Mandela's arrest to current South Africa, or ask students to use Fakebook, reviewed here to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about Mandela during his time in prison or after his release.The Brown Bookshelf - Paula Chase-Hyman
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): african american (123), black history (138), book lists (168), civil rights (221), cultures (226), literature (221), preK (291)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site for use throughout the year, not just during Black History Month. Create a link on classroom computers for students to explore and find books for reading. Share this link on your class website or blog for students to use at home. Showcase books found on this site for classroom read aloud. Librarians will find this site helpful for creating displays in their library or for presentations in classrooms. Enhance student learning by having students create commercials for books found on this site using a tool like PowToon, or Adobe Express Video Maker, and share them using a tool such as School Tube.Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database - Voyages - Emory University
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): africa (170), black history (138), cultures (226), slavery (80)
In the Classroom
If you are teaching a course that covers the African slave trade, this site will be invaluable. Take some time to browse the maps and timelines and find images that can be used to supplement reading and discussion. Discover the glossary of terms that could be used for vocabulary work, the tables of information useful for teaching data analysis, and the African name database for genealogy research. Challenge cooperative learning groups to research a specific section of this site and create multimedia presentations. Try Google Drawings, reviewed here, to enhance or extend student learning. This site allows you to narrate a picture. Not familiar with Google Drawings? Watch an archived OK2Ask session to learn how to use: OK2Ask Google Drawings, here.By Popular Demand: Jackie and other Baseball Highlights 1860s-1960s - Library of Congress
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1800s (75), 1900s (72), africa (170), african american (123), baseball (31), black history (138)
In the Classroom
Provide your students with this website and a good 20-minutes of exploration time. Then, enhance learning by having your class write journal entries through the eyes of the African-American baseball stars. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, replace paper journals and have students create blogs (digital journals) sharing their learning and understanding using Telegra.ph, reviewed here. This blog creator requires no registration. With Telegra.ph have students click on an icon to upload related images, add YouTube or Vimeo, or X (formerly Twitter) links. Or divide the class into cooperative learning groups. Extend learning by having each group research a specific time period and share their findings with the class using an infographic tool created with Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here.A People's Journey, A Nation's Story - African American History and Culture - Smithsonian
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): africa (170), african american (123), black history (138), cultures (226)
In the Classroom
This site is a great tool for individual research; add this site to your teacher web page so students can access it from home. Replace paper and pencil and use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here from Classtools, to compare information from different time periods or locations in the United States. Enhance learning by having cooperative learning groups create podcasts providing information about African-American life throughout the years, or as a newscast from one particular time or event. Use a site such as podomatic, reviewed here.Black Wings: African American Pioneer Aviators - Smithsonian- National Air and Space Museum
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): africa (170), african american (123), black history (138), cultures (226), flight (34)