Are you ready for teaching teach Black History Month? I love using quotes to help students learn about Black History & Present. Keep reading for my top three tips for incorporating quotes into your lesson plans to help students reflect on Black History Month Leaders.
Warm Up Activity
Virtually or in-person I often start my classes with a black history quote. If not a black history quote, then I will use a quote from a woman, person of color, or other relevant voice. I purposefully amplify the voices of those my students may not hear from without this opportunity.
First, I start with displaying the quote and a prompt. Then, I ask students to work independently to reflect on the quote. I may also ask them to cite evidence from the quote to support their reflections or to respond to several prompts.
Also, I like to use the same quote for the several days. This allows us to go dive deeply into the quote and reflect on it from several angles.In addition to reflection the quotes are designed to help students build social emotional skills. For example, the quotes chosen focus on overcoming challenges, seeking help, and asking questions.
Lastly, I like to have students talk about their reflections after the warm up reflection.
If this is a routine you would like to incorporate into your classroom you can purchase the quote slides for reflection on TeachersPayTeachers right here.
Black History Quotes as Discussion Pre Work
I also like to use these Black History quotes as a way for students to prepare to have a discussion about a Black History Figures.
I use a quote from the Black history figure to help students activate their scheme and reflect on the person’s words before we start to discuss. This allows students time to reflect and consider any connects they have to the person and their story.
Also, using quotes is a digestible amount of text to access. A small/short text allows all kids access to the text and focus on the reflection.
If you would like to purchase the quote posters to display for a lesson or on the walls of your classroom you can buy them here.
Introduce a Longer Black History Text
I use Black History quotes to help me introduce a longer text. The quote is a way for students to start to get to know the Black history leader. I will use the Black History quote as a warm up the day we plan to read a biography about that person.
I like to use biographies with all grade levels. For primary I use these mini foldable books that are just 3 pages of text, the perfect amount for 1st-3rd graders. We also use the graphic organizer (included) to reflect on each mathematician we learn about. It allows us to compare and contrast their experiences & perspectives.
I have a set of mini books along with a graphic organizer on TeachersPayTeachers.com. These are ready to use today with your class! Male Mathematician Pack or Female Mathematician Pack
For my 4th -8th grades I like to use these 1 page biographies. These biographies help students learn about the Black History leaders in mathematics. Each one covers the perspectives, life experience and accomplishments of the mathematician. My upper elementary and middle school students often use the close reading protocol questions to reflect on their learning. They also use the graphic organizer included to summarize the information they learned and create their own book of Black History Leaders in mathematics.
These are available in: a male mathematicians pack or the female mathematician pack!
View all of my Black History Month classroom resources here!
Check out my other blog posts of how I use discussion in my classroom! And before you host any conversation about Black History, or really any conversation, in your classroom be sure to establish clear norms with your students. Find out more about Norms in my classroom right here.
More Ways to Celebrate Black History Month
Follow the link above to check out what my friend, Jocelyn suggests for celebrating Black History Month!
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