Black History Month Research UNIT PLAN

This unit plan includes 7 lessons. First, students are hooked on the idea of historical research by participating in an “anticipatory set” where they form observations and hypotheses about history based on historical images. Then, students select one of the Black Historical Figures to complete research on. Finally, students share what they learned about their Figure and learn about the other Figures through a fun, engaging “speed dating” exhibition. This plan includes links to presentations with images used for the lessons, multiple graphic organizers to guide students’ hypotheses and research, and a rubric that can be used to assess students’ performance. This unit is perfect for the month of February for Black History Month, but can be adjusted to be used at any time to teach social studies and researching strategies. I have used this unit with 4th and 5th grade students, but it can be modified for additional grades as well.