As you start February and Black History month, keep these lessons in mind. We have lessons for elementary school reading and social studies, and high school history, economics, entrepreneurship, and other social science courses. Explore and celebrate the efforts of African Americans.
- Booker T. Washington: ”Fifty Cents and a Dream” – Grades: K-5
In this children’s literature and economics lesson, students will study Booker T. Washington’s life to learn about resources.
- Peanuts, Pecans, and Peas, Please – Grades: 3-5
George Washington Carver changed the economy of the South with his agricultural knowledge. This lesson will investigate how the lowly peanut kept the cotton farmers from losing everything.
- Uncle Jed’s Barbershop – Grades: 3-5
Students listen to the book Uncle Jed’s Barbershop, about an African American barber who, despite significant setbacks, saves enough money to buy his own barbershop.
- The Economics of Racial Discrimination – Grades: 9-12
In this lesson the students examine Jim Crow segregation laws and discuss the costs of racial segregation using the Guide to Economic Reasoning.
- The Acceleration of the Great Migration – Grades: 9-12
Students identify social and economic factors affecting specific categories of people during the Great Migration: Black migrant workers from the South, southern planters, southern small-farm farmers, northern industrialists, agents, and white immigrant workers in the North.
- The Economics of Jim Crow – Grades: 9-12
After learning how the laws and practices of Jim Crow lead to economic destabilization, students work in groups to create an “Economic Bill of Rights” for African Americans in three eras: 1865, 1895 and 1940.
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