February is Black History Month which provides an opportunity for students to focus on the voices and experiences of Black men and women throughout history. While Fishtank ELA centers Black voices in our curriculum year round, we know it can be particularly impactful to dedicate this time to these stories. To help you make the most of this opportunity, we’ve collected some of our favorite texts and units to teach for Black History Month.
Elementary School Highlights
Kindergarten students begin to explore African American history in the unit What is Justice? The read-aloud texts in this unit begin conversations about race, discrimination, and injustice. Students are introduced to influential leaders including Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., setting the foundation for the 1st grade Movements for Equality unit. This 1st grade unit uses narrative nonfiction to develop students’ knowledge of multiple movements for equality including the women’s rights, civil rights, and disability rights movements. Students learn about trailblazing individuals including Shirley Chisholm, Kamala Harris, Clara Luper, and Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah.
Second grade students build upon their understanding of nonfiction texts in the biography-based unit People Who Changed the World. Students are introduced to the lives, contributions, and legacies of Black changemakers like Charles Henry Turner, Wangari Muta Maathai, and Barack Obama. In 3rd grade, students are introduced to the power of oral storytelling in African American culture through folktales that have been passed down within families and communities for generations in the Passing Down Wisdom unit.
In 4th grade, students expand their understanding of the civil rights movements by digging into the history of the United States and the discrimination that African Americans have faced. In the Heart and Soul unit, students read about and discuss history from slavery through the civil rights movement, while simultaneously establishing a sense of empowerment and empathy. In 5th grade, students continue their study of the civil rights movement but shift their focus to the experiences of children that lived through it. Students read firsthand accounts from children who desegregated schools, marched for voting rights in Selma, and participated in sit-ins in the Children of the Civil Rights unit.
Middle School Highlights
As students enter middle school, they continue to engage with the stories of Black Americans, both in modern and historical contexts. To begin the 6th grade exploration of “coming of age”, students read The Watsons Go to Birmingham. With additional poems, nonfiction articles, and audio interviews, students learn what life was like for African Americans during the 1960s and the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing.
In 7th grade, students explore the American experience through the story of an African-American family in the Pursuing Dreams unit. Through Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun and supporting poems and articles, students learn about the Great Migration, the history of housing discrimination against African-Americans, and the ways in which race can shape a person’s identity.
Building upon their work from the previous grades, 8th grade students explore the American experience through the eyes of two young men - one white and one Black - in the Facing Prejudice unit. Centered around the core text All American Boys and supporting text Flying Lessons, this unit allows students to discuss racial injustice and police brutality in the United States.
Stay up to date with timely texts and ideas for engaging students year round on the Fishtank Blog and our social media accounts. We want to know how you’re elevating Black voices and experiences this month! Tell us your favorite texts to teach and activities for Black History Month.