February 1st marks the beginning of Black History Month, which began in 1986, the year Congress passed Public Law 99-244, designating February 1986 as "National Black (Afro-American) History Month." This year’s theme for Black History Month is “Black Resistance” to highlight how African Americans have and continue to resist oppression.
As a teacher, the responsibility to engage learners in understanding Black history may seem challenging. To make the task easier, read on to discover resources that can support you in engaging and inspiring your ELA students during Black History Month and throughout the year.
The resources listed below were identified by Achieve the Core. Achieve the Core provides free design tools, professional learning, and other materials to support teachers in integrating culturally responsive instruction into their curriculum.
Race, Racism and Racial Justice Resources
The New York Times has curated a collection of free, short readings, films, and stories featuring minority voices accompanied by unit and lesson plans. Everything needed to teach a culturally responsive ELA unit or lesson is available through this collection.
CommonLit Black Heritage Collection
With more than 40 free texts highlighting influential figures in Black history, CommonLit helps students develop ELA skills. Each text has a label identifying the reading level, type of text, and Lexile level. CommonLit also provides a list of texts that can supplement the selected text, which includes related media and a teacher guide. With a free account, learners can have the text read aloud to them, change the font size, and download a PDF version of the text to access offline. Reading guides, assessments, and discussion questions also accompany many of the sources.
Teachers can sign up to receive daily emails that will be sent to them beginning February 1st. Emails highlight the influence of Black people on US history through cultural artifacts and provide opportunities to act. Also included are discussion guides that can be used to stimulate reflection and meaningful conversation with students that are aligned with the speaking and listening College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education (CCRSAE). Teachers can encourage students to sign up for the emails to practice digital literacy skills, which may result in them having meaningful conversations with friends and family.
Black History in Two Minutes or so
The YouTube channel presents short videos ranging from one minute to four minutes long that provide a concise explanation of various topics in Black history. Teachers may use these videos to stimulate discussion and develop writing prompts that align with ELA Standards.
