Black History Month

Hello Readers!  I'm Marcie from Sunny and Bright in First Grade.  I wanted to pop in today to share a Black History Month freebie and a few quick ideas.

A couple of years ago I started spending a lot of time teaching my students about Veterans Day.  It surprised me how much my students loved this unit and how incredibly rewarding it felt to teach my little students about "Real Life Heroes".  (You can read about our Veterans Day unit HERE.)  This little unit quickly changed into a new yearlong theme and we spent the rest of the year learning about as many different heroes as possible.

In February we focus on Black History Month.  I like to spend the month of February highlighting the accomplishments of a huge variety of African Americans.  We spend a lot of time learning about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ruby Bridges and Rosa Parks.  I love talking with my young students about how one person's bravery can "change the world".  We spend a lot of time reading, writing and discussing these "heroes" and how their contributions touch our lives each day.  We use these stories as inspiration to imagine the ways that we might make a difference in our communities and our world. 

HERE is my Biography of Rosa Parks Freebie.  This is a "no-prep" lesson that includes an informational text written on 3 different levels of text and vocabulary complexity.  The differentiation is done for you!  All of your students will be able to learn the same information presented on their individual reading levels.  Text dependent, close reading questions are also included.  These make great writing prompts or can be used to inspire class conversations.

I hope your students enjoy learning about this "American hero"!

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Martin's Big Words

We are celebrating Black History Month during February!  This year, the theme of our classroom door decorating is black literature.

One of the most popular books in my class is Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport. I get requests everyday to read this book!!!  So I decided to use this book as our focus.

I began by covering the door with some paper.

I copied handprints on brown and tan construction paper, and got the kids busy cutting them out!

Then I glued them all around the orange paper to create a border.

Then we worked on drawing Martin Luther King, Jr.  I found a FREE directed draw lesson from Mrs. Miner's Monkey Business {HERE}.  I followed the directions and the drawings came out fantastic!

Next I added the drawings to the door.  And then I added some of Martin's BIG words.

 I love the finished product!!!

Quilts for Black History Month

Our school just finished up celebrating Black History Month!

We spent the entire month learning about the achievements of important African Americans in history. Each class read books, did research, wrote papers, and drew pictures.

Then each grade level created a quilt to commemorate Black History Month.  They were hung in our school library.  We were able to walk through the library last week and view all of the wonderful creations!

Here they are!

This Kindergarten quilt features important African Americans.

George Washington Carver is highlighted in this Pre-K quilt.

This quilt was created by 1st grade and honors African American heroes.

 3rd grade created this quilt to honor artist Romare Bearden.

This quilt of quotes was made by 4th grade.

This quilt by 2nd grade highlights African American literature.

Scientists and engineers are featured in this quilt from 5th grade.

4th grade created this quilt about African American athlete pioneers.

Upper grade Special Ed. made this quilt highlighting famous African Americans.

Aren't they fabulous?  These quilts are a great way to display all of the learning that was going on for the entire month.  The students enjoyed researching, designing, and bringing their learning to life in these quilts.  They are so proud of their creations!

So next time your students are researching a topic, consider making a quilt!