Black History Month - Past to PresentInternet Lesson PlanGrade level: 4-6

Teacher Activities

GOAL:

To utilize Internet resources to learn about the history, the significance of thepeople, and the contributors to America as it relates to Black History Month.

OBJECTIVE:

At the end of the unit, the participant will be able to:

• Outline the beginning of "Black History Month" describing how, why, andwhen it began being celebrated in North America.

• Diagram the Underground Railroad utilizing the proper vocabulary todescribe the people, places, and lifestyle associated with this part ofhistory.

• Recount the role Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War, and the Emancipation Proclamation played in Black History.

• Dramatize a period in Black History emphasizing significant or important aspects of the era.

• List 3 African Americans who have been honored with their own U.S.postage stamp.

• Create an original postage stamp for an African American he/she believeshas greatly contributed to the United States.

• Explore myths and fables from around the world utilizing the Internet.• Locate Africa and one of its countries on a world map.• Complete a table with geographic information on a country in Africa.• Create a resume for an African American scientist who has contributed to

the advancement of science and engineering from resources found on theInternet.

• Describe an event in African American history which took place on his/herbirthday.

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DURATION:

Two weeks, one hour of on-line time each day.

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY:

Divide the class into pairs or small groups of approximately 3-4 participantseach. Provide each group with a two-pocket folder. Distribute the activities inthe left pocket of each folder to encourage problem-solving strategies within thegroup.

Have students utilize the right hand pocket of the folder to record their strategies,take notes, and track project completion. Students should store information theyhave gathered or printed from the Internet in this pocket as well.

Provide additional resources for students relating to Black History Month, famous African Americans, the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, and theEmancipation Proclamation. Encourage both on-line and off-line researchthrough reference material.

PREREQUISITE:

A short introduction to the Internet with information on access and addresses isrequired before participants go on-line. Ensure that students are familiar with theWorld Wide Web and the browser they will be using.

ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION:

The activities in this unit will be evaluated on the basis of student participationand performance. Team folders will include information gathered in the processof completing the activities. Encourage cooperative learning, group process,problem-solving, competition, and the use of the Internet as these activities arecompleted. Serve as facilitator and guide throughout the activities.

OTHER RELATED ACTIVITIES:

• Even though the deadline for this year has passed (12/13/96), makestudents aware of this program, so they can prepare themselves for thefollowing year's scholarship sponsored by McDonald's titled "Black HistoryMakers of Tomorrow." They are looking for high school juniors andseniors who demonstrate exceptional leadership, character, scholarship,and community service. To learn more about this program, visit the Webpage "Northwest News - School" athttp://www.nwnews.com:80/vvissues/v10n44/school3.html.

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• After reading about the Underground Railroad, you should have a greater understanding of its role and the difficulty researchers now have inretracing the secretive route. Take a map of the United States (orsouthern state maps) and create a safe route for slaves to reach freedom.As the route is planned, mark safe places for them to stay that could bereached on foot within a day. Create a legend or road signs whichcommunicate the path for the slaves without giving away the route toothers and to be deciphered by slaves only.

• Imagine you were a slave in the 1800's. What was your life like? Create aweek long diary which describes and recounts daily life - include where youlive, who your owner is, what kind of work you are expected to do, whatkind of food you eat, etc. Recheck the Internet for additional informationon the life of a slave.

• Now that you understand the role the Emancipation Proclamation played in history, take a closer look at the 13th Amendment. To locate theamendment, return to the Internet and access the Web site "US HistoricalDocuments Archive" at http://w3.one.net/~mweiler/ushda/ushda.htm.

• Create a poster or speech denouncing slavery. Provide reasons in yourcampaign to end slavery. How will the community, state, country, andworld benefit by bringing an end to slavery? Be creative and persuasive asyou develop this project.

• A cupcake chart is probably hanging in your classroom with each classmember's birthday displayed. Create a similar chart which outlines andmarks all the birthdays of important African American leaders.

• Select a topic related to Black History and create a "Big Book" on thesubject. You may decide to create a story about the history behind BlackHistory Month, slavery, the Underground Railroad, Abraham Lincoln andthe Emancipation Proclamation, or myths and legends of Africa. Becreative and make your "Big Book" educational yet fun!

• After completion of Activity #7, as extra credit or for fun, ask students toparticipate in "AFRO-America: Brain Teasers" athttp://www.afroam.org/children/brain/brain.html. Scroll down to the"Countries of Africa" section. See how many countries students canidentify. (Note: This section of the Web page requires the Shockwave forDirector 5 Plug-in.)

• After completion of Activity #9, create a year long calendar (utilize calendarsoftware if available or create your own calendar) for display in yourclassroom. Mark every class member's birthday along with the historicalevents that occurred on that day.

• Using a word processor, create a book outlining the historical eventslocated for each month in Activity #9. Circulate the book among classmembers, asking each member to contribute by citing the historicalevent(s) he/she has located on his/her birth date. File this book in theschool media center for future reference.

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MATERIALS NEEDED BY TEACHER:

• Two-pocket folders• Construction paper• Markers• Colored pencils• Glue• World map displayed in the classroom• Roll of paper for creation of a timeline

TEACHER NOTES:

As you introduce Black History Month, be sure to impress upon students that February is not the only time to celebrate contributions made by African Americans as well as other diverse cultures. Remind students that the United States is the home to almost every race, religion, and nationality. The aim ofBlack History Month is to increase the awareness of African Americans and theroles they have played in shaping and defining the America we know today.

A starting off activity for this lesson could be to create a K-W-L chart on BlackHistory. In a whole group setting, ask students "what they KNOW" about BlackHistory. (This is the "K" of the chart.) Ask them "What they WANT to know"about Black History. (This is the "W" of the chart.) Record their answers on thechalk board or on a flip chart in the front of the room. These few simple stepshelp students gain a clear picture of what they already know and where they areheaded as they begin to explore Black History.

After they have completed the activities, bring the group together and completethe K-W-L chart by filling in the "What they LEARNED" column. (This is the "L"of the chart.)

In Activity #4, students are asked to select an era in Black History to explore.You may choose to assign an era or even assign multiple eras to each group inan attempt to cover all the historical periods outlined at the Web site "Stamp onBlack History - Black History Tour" athttp://tqd.advanced.org:80/2667/Tourmenu.htm.

Students are asked to create a timeline covering significant events whichoccurred during the period of time on which they are concentrating. Uponcompletion of the unit, you may want to put all the timelines together to create aclass timeline. Display it in your classroom, hallway, or school cafeteria for all tosee and from which to learn.

In Activity #5, students are asked to design a U.S. Postage stamp honoring anAfrican American who has not yet been honored. Gather all creations andproudly display them in a bulletin board or better yet the schools display case forall students to enjoy.

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Black History Month - Past to PresentStudent Activities

ACTIVITY #1: THE ROOTS OF BLACK HISTORY

As you celebrate Black History Month, it is important that you have anappreciation of why it is celebrated. How and why did such a celebration everbegin and what is the significance to the celebration being held in February? Tolearn more about the birth of Black History Month and the events and peoplebehind it, visit the Web site "Black History Month: How it all Began" athttp://www.sfu.ca/~wwwasad/bbmhib.html.

For additional information on the history behind Black History Month, visit theWeb site "Americans Prepare to Observe Black History Month for 1996" athttp://www.usia.gov:80/usa/blackhis/history.htm.

• Who was the driving force behind the initiation of a celebration for BlackHistory?

• What was his background and up-bringing?• How and when did it start?• Why did it start?• Whose birthdays were of significance to the beginning of this historical

celebration?

ACTIVITY #2: THE PATH TO FREEDOM

As we celebrate a month dedicated to people who have made majorcontributions to our nation, we cannot overlook their painful introduction to thiscountry. As the people of Africa were brought to America and traded intoslavery, their history was already in the making. It is difficult for us today to imagine what life must have been like for those early slaves. When life becameunbearable, some turned to what is known as the "Underground Railroad." Let'sfurther explore this part of history by visiting "History of the UndergroundRailroad - Slavery" at http://www.history.rochester.edu/class/ugrr/hor1.html and"History and Geography of the Underground Railroad" athttp://www.nps.gov/undergroundrr/history.htm

• What was the "Underground Railroad?"

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• What was the "The Fugitive Slave Act" and what impact did it have on theUnderground Railroad?

• How did slave owners feel about the Underground Railroad?• When did a slave become part of the Underground Railroad?• What were the stopping places along the Underground Railroad called?• What did they call people who aided these fugitives?• What was the average distance covered by an escaped slave?• What was a slave given when they reached each stop along the way?

ACTIVITY #3: ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND THE EMANCIPATIONPROCLAMATION

During this turbulent time in history, Abraham Lincoln was the President of theUnited States. His term in office was overshadowed by the bloodiest war inhistory, the Civil War. To learn more about this period in history, Lincoln's role,and ultimately the final chapter in slavery in the United States, explore the Websites "Abraham Lincoln Sixteenth President 1861-1865" athttp://www2.whitehouse.gov/WH/glimpse/presidents/html/al16.html and "Abraham Lincoln" at http://libertyonline.hypermall.com/Lincoln/index.html

• What contributions did Abraham Lincoln make to history? Create a briefbiography of Abraham Lincoln's life.

• What role did Abraham Lincoln play during the Civil War?• What were his beliefs about the Civil War?• What was the Emancipation Proclamation?• When was it issued?• What political document actually ended slavery?

ACTIVITY #4: TAKE A HISTORICAL TOUR

To get a recap on the significant historical events which recount African American history, visit the Black History tour on the Web site "Stamp on BlackHistory - Black History Tour" at http://tqd.advanced.org:80/2667/Tourmenu.htm.Select an era in Black History to explore.

• Develop a creative way to communicate what you've learned to yourclassmates.

• Consider acting out a skit or play which dramatizes significant historicalevents.

• Roleplay an event which depicts the period in time you are exploring.• Create a diary of a participant in this period describing his/her life.• Create a newspaper which offers headlines and stories of events occurring

during this time period.• Create a timeline covering the period in history that you are studying.• Place the dates of major or significant events which occurred.• Write a brief description of the event.

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• Include names and brief biographies of people important to this period oftime.

ACTIVITY #5: WHAT'S IN A STAMP?

You've probably never thought of a postage stamp this way before and you probably never will again, but the U.S. Postal Service has tried to preserve America's rich history and culture through its collection of stamps. To learn moreabout famous African Americans who have been honored with his/her ownstamp, visit the Black History Month page sponsored by the U.S. Post Officetitled "Stamp on Black History" at http://tqd.advanced.org:80/2667/Stamps.htmwhere you will find an alphabetical listing of stamps honoring African Americans.

• How many stamps currently exist honoring African Americans?• Who was the first African American honored with a stamp? In what year

did this occur?• From the list of other African Americans honored, select 3 to explore in

detail.About whom did you explore?What was his/her significance or accomplishments?

• As a group, select an African American who has not yet been honored witha stamp and design a stamp to celebrate this person's life andaccomplishments.

ACTIVITY #6: AFRICAN MYTHS AND FABLES

Myths and fables come to us from around the world. Since we've been focusing on Black History, let's take a look at myths and fables that originated in Africa.Visit "AFRO-America: Myths and Fables" at http://www.afroam.org/children/myths/myths.html for a list of African myths andfables. Read the fable "Anansi and Firefly."

• What was the point or moral of this story?• Did the story reveal anything about the country or culture in which this

story originated?• Check out the new myth or fable posted for this month.

In what country did it originate?Did the story reveal anything about the country or culture?

ACTIVITY #7: OUT OF AFRICA

Now that you are familiar with the history and some of the people making history, let's take a closer look at the country from which most African Americansconsider themselves descendants - Africa. Explore the Web site called"AFRO-America: Discover Africa" athttp://www.afroam.org/children/discover/discover.html.

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• Locate Africa on a map in your classroom. Using the Web site, determinehow many countries comprise Africa. Scroll down to "Interesting Factsabout Africa's Geography."

• List 3 facts about its geography.• Continue to explore and list 3 facts about the people.• Featured countries will appear highlighted. Select one to explore in more

detail. Be sure to mark it on the class map. Complete the following tableas you learn more about this country:

Population

Languages

Capital

Terrain

Coastline

Size

Location

Country

ACTIVITY #8: THE FACES OF SCIENCE

Most often when we think of Black History Month the people that instantly cometo mind are the political figures of the past. But what about the contributors tothe field of science? Visit the Web site named "The Faces of Science: AfricanAmericans in the Sciences" athttp://www.lib.lsu.edu:80/lib/chem/display/faces.html to gather information on theAfrican American men and women who have contributed to the advancement ofscience and engineering. Read the passage on "The Past." From the careertable, select two African Americans (one man and one woman) to explore indetail. Create a resume for each person, being sure to highlight the followingpoints:

• Locate an African American who was first to receive his/her PhD in one ofthe scientific fields listed in the table.

• List his/her name, field, date of degree, and any significant or majorcontributions made in the field of science.

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ACTIVITY #9: ON THE DATE YOU WERE BORN

Although Black History Month is celebrated in February, the people of African American heritage have played a vital part in history every day of the year! Tolearn more about the breadth and depth of their contributions, visit the Web page"The Nubian Message On-line - Black History" at http://www2.ncsu.edu:80/ncsu/studpubs/nubian_message/History/.

• Select the month of your birthday.• Select your birthday on the calendar.• Using your own words, describe:ü Any historical eventsü Any people involvedü In which year the event occurred

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