Black History Month Ideas and Activities

February is the month that everyone starts to think about Black History.  However, its a year long topic to study and explore! There are plenty of materials to share with students to explore the history of Black Americans.  More and more diverse books are becoming available.  Here are a few activity ideas that could be useful during February and all the following months!

Books to read!

The ABC's of Black History is a fun book that has 26 pages of information about Black History! You could read a page a day in February and learn something new each day!

The Year I Learned to Fly is a new book in 2022 by Jacqueline Woodson, the author of The Day You First Began.  It's a beautifully illustrated story about a child who dives into her history.  A great story to check out!

Sulwe by Lupita Nyong is one of my favorite stories and is not so much a story of Black History, but introducing diverse characters into your classroom.  This book has some of my favorite illustrations.  They are so beautiful and worth lingering on as you read!

Born on the Water is a story of a little girl who learns about her history for a school project.  The tales are told through beautiful poems! Perfect for classes learning about poetry this month or anyone who wants to learn more about the history of Black Americans.

Mae Among the Stars is another book with beautiful illustrations.  It tells the story of Mae Jemison in a way the students can relate to and understand.  There are many books that could go along with this text.  

Here is a free reading comprehension activity about Mae Jemison!

If you are looking for reading comprehension texts that are print and go AND digital here are some passages, comprehension questions and close reads available in my TPT Shop.

Happy Teaching!

Deb Wray