Celebrating Black History Month

Is it just me or did January seem to fly by so quickly this year?! I feel like I am always waiting for January to end so I can get to February but this year, I could not believe it when I looked at my calendar and it was already February.

February is one of my favorite months in the classroom. Groundhog’s Day….100th day of school… Valentine’s Day….hopefully a long weekend off 🙂

But, I hope it doesn’t go on unnoticed that February is also Black History Month. What an exciting opportunity to enhance our curriculum and teach our students some of the most valuable history lessons. From Rosa Parks, MLK Jr., Ruby Bridges… the list can go on. The trials and tribulations of so many African American heroes can provide rich content and beneficial learning experiences for our students.

Some teachers may find it hard with mid-year slumps, test-preps and everything in-between to try to fit “another thing in.” But I don’t want Black History Month to be something that you squeeze in “if you can” or “if there’s time.” This needs to be a priority in your classroom and there are so many ways you can tie it in!

Here are some ways to celebrate Black History Month in the classroom:

Compare and Contrast

This is a great way to tie MLK lessons throughout the month of January and February. You can have students compare the successes of two influential African Americans. What a great way to practice using a Venn diagram! Another great comparison would be Rosa Parks and Harriet Tubman.

President’s Day

Kill two birds with one stone… so to speak? What an ideal time to integrate Abraham Lincoln and his contributions to African American History! Check out some of my President’s Day worksheets in my TpT store!

Timelines

In my TpT store, I have a FREEBIE for Black History Month Timelines. These would be perfect to display in the hallway to show the other students all the different African American heroes you have been studying in the classroom. From my timelines, you will get cut and paste worksheets on Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges, Jackie Robinson, Jesse Owens and Harriet Tubman.

Read Alouds

If you saw my latest post, I shared some of my favorite February read alouds. I included a few books for Black History month, but here are a few more of my favorites that will be great additions to your classroom library for read alouds, display, or independent reading. I love watching how stories can spark great conversations in my classroom.

Here are some of my favorites for this month:

So there you have it! I hope you are able to incorporate some of these ideas into your classroom so your students can learn the importance of Black History! Please let me know what ways you celebrate Black History month with your students!