It's about Time, Teachers, for Black History!

 

Try combining Black History Month with poetry. These are some of the things I love about poetry:

• Poetry uses an economy of words. Thus, it looks different. When I was teaching Title I, my students really brightened up when I presented a poem rather than prose. I have no empirical data to support this, but I believe it was because that economy of words and the extended white spaces made the reading less intimidating.
• The structure of poetry makes it ever so much easier to teach concepts and skills. If, for example, you wanted to teach compound words, finding them in a poem is much easier than searching through a page of prose.
• Whether it’s because of the condensed message, or the engaging lilt of a poem, or both, I believe comprehension is easier, especially for struggling readers.
• Poetry is fun. It’s fun to listen to and fun to read. Poetry with rhythm and rhyme is simply engaging for children.

I 💜 combining disciplines. It saves so much TIME! These poems about notable African Americans and the history of Blacks in America incorporate myriad lessons in ELA, history, and writing.

Bring something new to your teaching with Black History Month Poetry Possibilities.

Your learners will also love Square Puzzlers. This set for Black History is differentiated, allowing even primary students to engage in the challenge. The goal is to reassemble the puzzle pieces into a square array in which the interior images match.

IT'S ABOUT TIME, TEACHERS, for BLACK HISTORY MONTHH

 

Now that Groundhog Day, the 100th Day, and Valentine's Day have come and gone, you can give more time to BLACK HISTORY MONTH. A unique way to study this topic is with and through poetry. (I love combining different disciplines for more efficient teaching!) POETRY POSSIBILITIES for BLACK HISTORY MONTH provides 12 original, copy-ready poems. Each poem has a teaching point about poetic elements and forms. Also supplied are custom made skill lessons, activities, and poetry writing prompts; the poetry possibilities.

Another distinctive product for BLACK HISTORY MONTH is BLACK HISTORY SQUARE PUZZLERS. These fun brain teasers exercise critical thinking and problem solving, build perseverance and stamina, and stimulate the brain while disguising it as fun. Similar to Scrambled Squares, these differentiated puzzles must be reconstructed so that the images match on every interior side.

Black History Month

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: