Black History Month: Recognizing History With Reading

One of my favorite things to do as a literacy tutor is to incorporate holidays, history, and current events into my lesson plans. Since this month is Black History Month, I'll give you a few options for using this to create lessons that teach reading and so much more.

As a member of the National Council for Teachers of English, I strongly recommend using their "Read In" strategy. Though this can be an elaborate activity, you can explain to your learner that it is as simple as reading books together written by African American authors. Discuss with your learner why it may be important to ensure that reading is a part of Black History Month. Ask questions like: Why should we read books about what happened in the past? Why is this important now? Use this strategy to help your learner understand the role of literacy and why it is important.

For writing, have your learner read Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's Letter from Birmingham's Jail. Have your learners write their own letters. You can have them write another letter as Dr. King, or you can allow them to imagine themselves in the time period. For another activity, write poetry. There are so many amazing African American poets to use as models that this activity can be a way to reinforce what you've learned while learning more about literature. Remember, it's important to create something in every lesson.

There are some great books you can read for this theme. I love Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman for younger learners and The Watsons Go to Birmingham for learners grades 5 and up. For older learners, you can use poetry by popular writers like Maya Angelou and Gwendolyn Brooks. Just make sure it's age-appropriate! You can look for books about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges, and many other influential African Americans. Also, go for topics like the Civil Rights Movement, The Underground Railroad and other topics like this. Anything you can tie to history or current events will go a long way in making your lesson useful and relevant.


If you're feeling adventurous, there are some fantastic online resources. The National Geographic Channel offers an online game that allows students to experience some of the Underground Railroad online. Students travel through the interactive website to learn more about history while "playing a game". I really like that site! If you're looking for lesson plans, the Library of Congress online has great resources. My favorite is this lesson about the roles of children in the Civil Rights Movement. For more options, just look around. A quick Google search gives so many options, you'll be learning about Black History all month long!