Primary Activities for Black History
February is Black History Month and it celebrates the unique contributions of black Americans throughout the country's history. To appreciate Black History Month, primary school students must understand society and its politics at the time of each contribution. Students in primary school may range from kindergarten through grade six, depending on the structure of their school district. As such, using games, quizzes and tours are age-appropriate means of teaching your students about black history.
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History Quiz
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Students can learn the facts about significant events in history, like the Million Man March or the Emancipation Proclamation, by taking a black history quiz. Present clues and ask questions that students will have to identify and elaborate on. Award points to the players who correctly answer the questions.
As a bonus, have the two highest-scoring players go up against one another in a sudden-death round in which they can bet all or some of their points.
Family Feud
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Divide your class into two teams and present each team with a category like "Famous Black Doctors," "Black Politicians," "Black Oscar Winners," or "Black Executives." Each team must name five people who fit into that category. Each correct name will be worth five points. If a team is unable to name five people, then the opposing team will have the opportunity to name an additional person and steal the points. The team with the most points at the end will play a bonus round where they must name as many people or events in a category as possible to add to their points.
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Taboo
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Taboo is a game that requires players to guess a word based on clues provided to them by their teammates. Create 30 cards for each team that contain an event or person that is significant to black history. On each card you must also add words or phrases that cannot be used to describe that person or event. For example, a card may have "Barack Obama" with the words "Michelle" or "United States President" listed as banned words. Each team has one minute to guess the word being described by their teammate. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.
Area Tours
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Cities and towns have areas that are of cultural significance to black Americans. Whether it is the Alvin Ailey Dance Company in New York, or Leimert Park in Los Angeles, students can learn about contemporary black-American contributions by visiting such locations. Research whether places relevant to the social, cultural and political contributions of black Americans exist in your area. If so, arrange to spend a day visiting various sites with your class. You may even ask for tours or a brief lecture on the significance of the places you visit. If such places are too far for a visit, a virtual tour of places that are significant in black history can suffice as well.
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References
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