It's about time, teachers, for Black History Month. Are you looking for some curricula? Have you tried teaching through poetry?
Black History Month Poetry Possibilities offers 14 poems (copy ready for their anthologies) about these notable African Americans:
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Harriet Tubman
- Garret Morgan
- Granville T. Woods
- George Washington Carver
- Matthew Henson
- Jackie Robinson
- Leontyne Price
- Muhammed Ali
- Guion Stewart Bluford, Jr.
- Rosa Parks
While each poem provides important information about each of these people, the teaching possibilities extend the learning in myriad ways. For example, this poem about the astronaut, Guion Stewart Bluford, Jr., provides lots of information about the man and his accomplishments. But the poem provides many more opportunities for learning. Note the unusual form of the poem.
That form is quite effective in presenting information. So, why not have your students apply it to another subject? It could focus on another notable African American, or it could be applied to something closer to home - mom.
This teaching possibility is described in #2 below.
As you can see above, the Poetry Possibilities provide suggestions for other subject matter, as well.
Each poem has a teaching point that applies to poetry. After all, students should learn to appreciate poetry as a literary form.
That teaching point leads to another teaching possibility:
A quick review of basic grammar is always a good idea.
The teaching possibilities need not be limited to language arts and history. The 3rd possibility for this poem invites students to employ a Venn Diagram in comparing the astronaut to another man of science, George Washington Carver. A template is provided:
By using some or all of the Poetry Possibilities provided for this collection of poems, you will have plenty of curricula for this special month.
Life teaches us to make good use of TIME, while TIME teaches us the value of life.
You may also be interested in these poetry units:
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