Black History Month 

5 Resources To Use 

In A Remote/Hybrid Setting

@LisaBerghoff/@JoeTaylorDHS/@MrKimDHS

    

    

    Well, here we are. It's February 2021. While so much of our world is uncertain, upside down, frustrating, and confusing, there are certain events, markers of time, that are important to keep in focus. These celebrations can be comforting to us as well as to our students but more importantly, they keep us zoned in on what is most important. 

    Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, the event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history. (credit History.com)

    In order to honor Black History month, especially while students are primarily learning online, we need to utilize the many resources that are available to all of us. Black History Month is not just for social studies teachers!  Here is a roundup of some resources created by some of our most used digital tools.

1. PearDeck Resources For Black History
Month

What it is: "Ready to teach lessons to help your class of students get to know some inspirational Black leaders, artists, scientists, and more".  Peardeck has teamed up with organizations such as PBS Newshour to put together slide decks with their interactive elements already built in. You can use these as-is or make a copy and adapt to your needs. Topics include Misty Copeland's children's book to eliminate stereotypes about ballet and Amanda Gorman's inaugural poem. There is also a wonder pack of decks designed for different developmental levels. These are designed to prompt wonder and curiosity by focusing on contributions to the arts by the Black community, origins of cultural events, and contributions to popular culture.

2. Flipgrid Honors Black History Month

What it is: A collection of over 50 topics that have been curated to support our teaching of Black history. Collections have been created by Flipgrid partners like the ADL, Langston League, and Equal Justice Initiative. There is also a list of virtual field trips in addition to their professional developments online. 

3. Facing History And Ourselves: Honoring Black Agency and Black Joy

What it is: If you are not already familiar with Facing History and Ourselves, I am honored to be the one to introduce you. This organization's mission statement is "Facing History and Ourselves uses lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate". They provide professional development and resources all year long but they have a particularly strong curation of research based lessons and activities that can be used in a wide variety of subject areas. They have a webinar coming up on Feb. 10 and you can sign up to receive notifications about their upcoming events. There is also a collection of free, on demand webinars for teachers. In addition, there are many teaching ideas, resources, readings, and ways to connect with current events. 

4. Google Applied Digital Skills- Celebrate Black History, Culture and Identity

What it is: Applied Digital Skills is Google for Education's platform for lessons, activities, and entire units that make connections between using digital skills and real world experiences. For example, students may learn how to use spreadsheets while making a budget. For Black History Month, there is a collection of 7 lessons designed to explore the importance of Black history, express identity, and celebrate the contributions of African Americans throughout history. Each lesson can be used as a stand alone or you can use the entire collection. These activities can also be customized to your needs. 

5. Edutopia: 6 Teaching Tools for Black History Month

I will admit, this is kind of cheating but I'm going rogue. It's not just one tool, it's an article of 6.  If you don't already know about Edutopia, check it out. It was founded in 1991 by George Lucas and they share evidence and practitioner based learning strategies that are designed to empower us to improve education. Their articles and resources are very well sourced and I often refer to Edutopia when I am looking for research based tools. They just put out an article that describes 6 teaching tools for Black History Month. Included are interactive timelines, mixed media for classroom use, as well as lesson guides. They are created by institutions such as the Smithsonian, and the Library of Congress.

While I know that it may be easy for some of us to think that incorporating Black History Month lessons does not apply to our content areas, I would challenge that notion. Also, remember that when we choose to highlight and celebrate contributions by Black leaders, artists, and change-makers, we are sending a message to our students of what we value and want them to think about. There are connections for all of us this month. My hope is that these resources are just a start. If you have others to share, please add them to the comments below.