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February is Black History Month, a time when we celebrate the accomplishments of black Americans. This year, why not try some new classroom activities to help your students learn more about this important topic? In this blog post, I am going to share seven fun, engaging, and meaningful Black History Month classroom activities that you can do with your students.
Black History Month Activities Your Students will LOVE #1: Influential Black American Research Reports
This activity is a huge hit in my classroom every year. I have students each choose an influential Black individual to research. My Black History Month Research Report Pennant resource has 123 different people for students to choose from. Students love having the opportunity to choose someone they are genuinely interested in learning about.
Students use books, the internet, or other resources to learn about their person’s life and accomplishments. Once they have gathered information, they can write a report on a pennant banner.
Students share their reports with the rest of the class to teach them about the person and then the completed pennants are displayed on a bulletin board in the hallway or in our classroom. The pennant shape is perfect for the celebratory spirit of the activity! This bulletin board always gets tons of compliments and is one of my students’ favorite Black History Month classroom activities.
There are so many people in this resource, you can have students research more than one person. You might want to guide them through researching one individual in class and then have them research one independently or at home with their families.
Grab a free sample of this resource with reports for Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges, and Frederick Douglass so you can try them with your class by clicking the link.
Meaningful Black History Month Activities to Try #2: Invite Influential African American People from Your Community to Come to Speak to Your Class
Locate influential African American people living in your community and reach out to them to see if they would like to come to speak to your class during Black History Month. Your students will love hearing first-hand accounts from people who have made a difference in their community. This is also a great opportunity for students to ask questions and learn more about what it means to be Black in America today.
You can also invite someone to speak to your class through Skype or another video chat service if you can’t find anyone local.
Black History Month Classroom Activities Your Students will Enjoy #3: Collect & Display African Folktale Picture Books
Folktales are an important part of African culture. They are often used to teach lessons about morality, wisdom, and other life lessons. During Black History Month, take some time to collect and display African folktale picture books in your classroom. You can read them aloud to your students or have them read them on their own. Either way, your students will love these stories and they’ll be learning about another culture at the same time!
Some great picture books of African folktales are:
- A Story, A Story written and illustrated by Gale E. Hayley
- Anansi the Spider written and illustrated by Gerald McDermott
- Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters : An African Tale by John Steptoe
- Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears by Verna Aardema; illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon
- Why the Sky is Far Away: a Nigerian Folktale by Mary-Joan Gerson; pictures by Carla Golembe
You can find these titles in my Amazon Store by clicking the link. There are so many others to check out as well!
Bonus bulletin board idea: Have each student choose a different folktale to read and then write a brief book report or review. Print out the cover images from each book (or scan and copy the actual covers) and display the covers alongside the reports.
Black History Month Classroom Activities Your Students will Go Crazy For #4: Explore Africa Through Google Earth
Google Earth is a great way to explore the world without ever leaving your classroom! During Black History Month, use Google Earth to take a virtual tour of Africa. You can fly over the continent, zoom in on different countries, and learn about the geography, climate, and culture of this fascinating continent. This is a great activity for students who are visual learners or who are interested in geography.
Black History Month Classroom Activities to Try #5: Explore African Art Online
There are many wonderful examples of African art available online. During Black History Month, spend some time exploring African art with your students. You can look at paintings, sculptures, pottery, and more. Talk about the different styles of art you see and what they might represent. This is a great way to help students understand and appreciate the rich cultural heritage of Africa.
Black History Month Classroom Activities to Try #6: Inventions Bulletin Board
Black Americans have made many important inventions that we use every day. During Black History Month, have students research some of these inventions. Have them write what the invention is and who invented it on an index card. Then, have them draw or print out pictures of the invention and inventor and display the cards and images on a bulletin board. This is a great way to help students understand the importance of black history in our country’s history.
You could also extend this into several different Black History Month classroom activities and create additional displays for Black American art, music, activism, etc.
Meaningful Black History Month Classroom Activities #7: Create a Timeline Bulletin Board of Important Events in Black History
Timelines are a great way to visualize history. They can help students see how events are connected and understand the order in which they occurred. During Black History Month, create a timeline of important events in black history. You can use construction paper, poster board, or even an online tool like Timetoast. This is a great activity for students who are visual learners or who like to work with numbers and dates.
Have Fun with Black History Month Classroom Activities
Celebrate this February in your classroom with these engaging and culturally sensitive Black History Month classroom activities. From collecting African folktale picture books to exploring African art online, your students will love learning about the rich culture and history of Africa.
Learning about influential Black individuals and hearing from people within the community are meaningful Black History Month classroom activities that are sure to make an impact. These activities are also a great way to help students understand the importance of black history in our country’s history.
Do you have another awesome way to celebrate Black History Month? Tell me about it in the comments!
