Every February since 1976, Black History Month has been celebrated nationwide to honor the accomplishments and milestones of African-Americans throughout U.S. history. What are you planning for your history class?
Two teachers of awesome have told us about the activities they’ve come up with – a lot of inspiring ideas here!
Celebrating role models and discovering personal connections
Linda Sees, history teacher from Roselle Catholic High School, NJ
“I teach in a school with a significant African-American population, and Black History Month is a very important time for us. I plan my classes to allocate a lot of time to different events and figures in black history. To introduce the topic in my classroom and initiate a discussion, I will definitely play some kahoots.
I’ll spend a few class periods focusing on various African-American figures that align with our current curriculum. I know that many of my colleagues in the history department are planning to do something similar. As I am teaching about World War II at the moment, I’m going to show some movie clips from Red Tails or Race. Red Tails is a film about the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) servicemen during World War II. Race depicts the story of an African-American athlete Jesse Owens, who won a record-breaking four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. Both films tie in nicely with the lessons about Black History Month.
After making that connection and showing the impact African Americans had on that period of time, I’ll move on to the Civil Rights era. I plan on having a free discussion with the students who do feel a personal connection to these individuals as I know it’s something that is appreciated by my students.”
Kick off a student discussion around African-American history with a kahoot
Jim Shields, history teacher from Alamogordo High School, NM
“I’m thinking of reconnecting with history students from Monterrey, Mexico during Black History Month and using a Kahoot! discussion quiz to encourage students to talk about crucially important topics such as civil rights and racial climate.
One of the prominent 20th century figures I’d like to highlight in class is Bayard Rustin, one of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assistants and a leader in social movements for civil rights and nonviolence. During the Civil Rights Era, he was in the epicenter of significant events, helping to create outcomes that he felt would move the American people. His work within Dr. King’s staff is not as well known as others, but it provides a greater understanding of the inner functioning of the Civil Rights movement. I plan to use a Kahoot! discussion game to create debate about Rustin’s role, his controversial membership in the communist party, and a snapshot of an America in transition during this period.”
Ready-to-play kahoot for Black History Month
We too prepared something special to celebrate Black History Month. Our very own Kahoot! Studio just launched this ready-to-play kahoot to complement your history classes. Check it out!
