, I hope you are ready for a new set of resources for your Black History Month lessons. Every day this month we are sharing ideas you can use to help students explore these important stories. Today we are looking at the Smithsonian archives. These tools help students look at history through the eyes of people who actually lived it.
Curating Curiosity With Primary Sources
, you can help your students connect with history by providing oral histories and digital scrapbooks alongside your current materials. The Smithsonian Learning Lab is a great place to find these. This approach lets students analyze and synthesize information on their own. It puts their curiosity at the center of the lesson. Here are a few specific sources to check out.
- Lena Richard: America’s Unknown Celebrity Chef podcast.
- The Mohamed family digital scrapbook documenting an immigration story.
- Collected podcast series on the roots of Black Feminism.
- Oral histories from the Honoring our Heritage collection.
Subject And Grade Level Strategies
, here are some supportive ways to integrate these resources into your specific subject area.
Elementary teachers can use the My Beautiful Skin collection. It has age-appropriate activities to help young kids talk about identity. This is a wonderful way to build empathy in your classroom.
Middle school history teachers can look at the Negro Motorist Green Book exhibition. Students can map out trips and talk about the creative ways Black travelers solved problems. This is a great way to highlight the resilience of the Black community.
High school civics teachers can utilize the articles about Black Wall Street in Durham. Students can analyze how these businesses impacted the economy and the challenges they faced. This helps build strong critical thinking skills.
Music and art teachers can explore the Hip Hop Origins or Black Musicians in Country Music sections. Students can work together to create digital books about how these artists changed global culture.
Spy, Think, Ponder
, the Spy, Think, Ponder art cards are a helpful tool for your younger students. They help kids use visual thinking strategies to make observations. Students can look at art like Heroes of the Colored Race and talk about what they see. This lets them explore and wonder before you move into a formal lesson.