Teaching Resources for Black History Month

February is Black History Month. While the stories and experiences of Black Americans should be part of teaching Social Studies all year long, we are pleased to offer these resources to ensure educators have access to high-quality resources for teaching during Black History Month and year round.

Have a great resource to share? Leave it in the comments below!

  • AfricanAmericanHistoryMonth.gov — Put the power of primary sources to work in the classroom with these resources from the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and more! Browse ready-to-use lesson plans, student activities, collection guides, and research aids.
  • Black Lives Matter at School Resources for Educators — Black Lives Matter (BLM) at School has curated a variety of classroom resources for every age group, all free of charge.
  • Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture — The Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture’s resources are designed to “interpret African American history through multiple lenses, highlight collection objects and primary source documents related to African American history and culture, and facilitate conversation around the nuanced history of African Americans.”
  • Teaching Tolerance resources for Black History Month — Teaching Tolerance “provide[s] free resources to educators — teachers, administrators, counselors and other practitioners — who work with children from kindergarten through high school. Educators use our materials to supplement the curriculum, to inform their practices, and to create inclusive school communities where children and youth are respected, valued and welcome participants.”
  • Teaching Black History in Culturally Responsive Ways—Writing for Edutopia, Rann Miller shares some tips on how educators can “infuse Black history into [their] daily lessons in a way that is prophetic and purposeful.”
  • PBSTeaching Black History Beyond Slavery and Black History Month — “Black History Month is OUR History month as an entire people of American citizens,” writes 4th Grade English Language Arts teacher Glen Mourning. “ And only through unity as a country will we ever see the strength in numbers. America, Forever.”
  • Facing History — “Alongside the lessons of Black history, it’s also critical to honor the resilience, creativity, and vitality of Black people in the face of inequity and violence, past and present. That’s why, this year, Facing History is celebrating Black History Month by honoring the themes of Black Agency & Black Joy.”
  • Black Past Resources — “This 6,000 page reference center is dedicated to providing information to the general public on African American history and the history of more than one billion people of African ancestry around the world.”