This lesson is geared towards middle school students; the time period covered is Black America
during the 20th century with the design of understanding who these famous African American
people were and what they might have to say about the state of Black Americans in Wisconsin
based on their lived experiences.

According to Wisconsin’s Historical Society,  African Americans have been living and working in Wisconsin since the 18th century. The state's black population continued to grow slowly throughout the 19th century. Job opportunities in the 20th century led to significant African American settlement in Wisconsin, primarily in the southeastern part of the state, especially after World War II. These resources will support Wisconsin teachers in integrating historical accomplishments and experiences of African-American’s into their instruction on Wisconsin’s history.  Source: The Wisconsin Historical Society houses one of the nation's largest research collections on African-American history.

According to Wisconsin’s Historical Society,  African Americans have been living and working in Wisconsin since the 18th century. The state's black population continued to grow slowly throughout the 19th century. Job opportunities in the 20th century led to significant African American settlement in Wisconsin, primarily in the southeastern part of the state, especially after World War II. These resources will support Wisconsin teachers in integrating historical accomplishments and experiences of African-American’s into their instruction on Wisconsin’s history.  Source: The Wisconsin Historical Society houses one of the nation's largest research collections on African-American history.

Educators will find helpful resources to assist them in highlighting and paying tribute to Wisconsin’s African American men and women who have made significant contributions to the state, the nation and the rest of the world in the fields of science, politics, law, sports, the arts, entertainment, and many other fields. 

Children benefit from seeing and talking to individuals from different ethnic and racial backgrounds.  This list of volunteer guest speakers supports an individual teacher or school in their efforts to showcase  African-Americans, young and old,  in WI . The guest speakers list have a variety of different backgrounds and represent a multitude of professions.  School personnel should contact the Education Committee guest speaker liaison, Gerald Sternberg, to obtain information on how best to contact the volunteer guest speaker and topics of interest.< geraldsternberg2@gmail.com> 

Sample curricula across K-12, syllabi, lesson plans and experiential learning activities can assist educators in augmenting their current curriculum content and student learning experiences.  These resources promote and support the teaching of American history through a lens that includes the significant contributions and experiences of African-Americans. Material is organized by grade level to match the conceptual, social-emotional and development needs of students.  In some cases, downloadable materials are available.  A variety of field trips in support of experiential learning  involving historical sites across the state are listed. Contact information for arranging a visit is provided. 

Visual history and visual media can have a profound impact on students’ understanding of our country’s history, events and its people. These resources were carefully selected based on their ability to inform and assist students in understanding historical facts and the intersectionality of race,  culture, economics and more.  The paucity of written resources related to the African-American experience makes the visual medium even more important to integrate into classroom instruction.  A recommended film library with a synopsis of the films is provided in Appendix A.  Teachers can access films on-line through a streaming service.  Specific scenes or an entire movie can be used to underscore key points and/or stimulate analytical activities

The books in this resource list , fiction and non-fiction, are appropriate for students (K-12) and highlight important historical events and experiences of African-Americans in our state and nation. Contributions from the Wisconsin Historical Society’s books featuring African-American protagonists are featured.

Africa before the slave trade was a vibrant continent, the cradle of civilization, and the source of many scientific and cultural developments.  Unfortunately, this history is often overlooked when addressing world history. These resources will assist teachers in highlighting the continent of Africa , the history of black civilizations and their contributions to the United States and the Western Hemisphere.

According to the Library of Congress, “African-Americans were enslaved in what became the United States from early in the 17th century. Even so, by the time of the American Revolution and eventual adoption of the new Constitution in 1787, slavery was actually a dying institution. As part of the compromises that allowed the Constitution to be written and adopted, the founders agreed to end the importation of slaves into the United States by 1808.” These resources provide teachers with critical information on the lives and experiences of African-Americans prior to and during the Civil War.  An emphasis is placed on  the role of slave labor to support the U.S. economy as well as the moral dilemma of holding people in bondage.  

These resources highlight the ways in which slavery did not end with the Civil War.  Although the term “slave” was no longer used, blacks were subjugated to sharecropping roles, limited educational opportunities and unfair judicial practices.  Teachers can address behavioral science, economic  geographic and social science education standards through the integration of this important period of American history.  The relationship between the restrictions placed on the African-American population that  persisted well into the 20th century and the current economic, health, social  and judicial challenges that continue to impact Black Americans today is made clear.

These resources support classroom learning experiences that raise consciousness about the role of race in our society and implicit biases that may exist. The aim of heightened awareness is to help students identify ways in which our history can inform today’s society and how to use that knowledge to support continued growth for our country’s future.

District administrators are responsible for a variety of tasks including hiring, explaining the rationale for curricular decisions and more.  Resources in this section provide administrators with important sources to assist them in cultivating a positive, culturally sensitive and successful learning community.

Film can be a very powerful, positive teaching medium when used in an intentional manner. For many of our students in Wisconsin, it is their introduction to African-Americans given the demographics of our state.  The films highlighted in this resource list cover a broad range of topics and include both documentaries as well as historical fiction. After a teacher has identified when he/she would like to use a film to underscore particular teaching standards and objectives, it is recommended that teachers watch the films in their entirety so they have full knowledge of the plot and character depictions. Segments of a film or the entire movie can be used for teaching.   The subcategories within the film list will assist teachers in narrowing down the particular films they may want to peruse. The American Film Associations’ ratings of the selected films are provided to assist teachers in making age-appropriate selections.

Reframing American History is a resource guide for kindergarten through twelfth grade teachers, curriculum specialists and administrators.  The resources listed support the development of an accurate, integrative, and comprehensive social studies and history curriculum model that focuses on the critical role African Americans played in our country’s development. An emphasis is placed on three primary goals: Reframing American History is a resource guide for kindergarten through twelfth grade teachers, curriculum specialists and administrators.  The resources listed support the development of an accurate, integrative, and comprehensive social studies and history curriculum model that focuses on the critical role African Americans played in our country’s development. An emphasis is placed on three primary goals:Goal 1 focuses on easy access to a diverse group of vetted resources in support of a social studies curriculum for grades K through 12 that is inclusive and developmentally appropriate.  These resources highlight the experiences and contributions of African Americans since they are integral to the origins and development of the United States as well as Wisconsin. Goal 2 ensures that Wisconsin teachers (those in training as well as those currently teaching in the classroom) will have essential historical knowledge of African Americans, their history, and experiences as they relate to our country’s development. Evidenced-based instructional methods and materials will be made available to teachers to support their ability to foster their students’ learning in a positive and nurturing manner.  Goal 3 focuses on ensuring that all Wisconsin public school students graduate with the essential knowledge and skills that will prepare them to work and live in our racially and culturally diverse world. Fortified with this knowledge, they will be able to create an equitable and just society. To learn more about the African-American/Jewish Friendship Group, Inc., Education Committee, see the AAJFG multimedia slideshow. 

Bundling is the practice of creating groups (or “bundles”) of standards that are arranged together as a focus for an instructional lesson. Teachers are able to weave together several standards within a single lesson or unit while integrating each lesson into a larger curriculum sequence.  History instruction offers teachers many opportunities to bundle during query based or topic specific instruction.  Examples of bundling are presented in these resources.  Essential knowledge related to our multicultural society as it relates to the development of our country are also bundled into these sample resources.  To learn more about bundling, watch the video below. Bundled Instruction 

This resource is a list of audio books, videos and lesson plans that use music, photographs and video to bring to life African-American culture and experiences.  All children will enjoy these multimedia resources.  

This resource features suggested books for Kindergarten.  Books are beautifully illustrated featuring African-Americans.  All children will enjoy building their early concepts about print and reading experiences through these wonderful stories.  

This resource features developmentally appropriate interactive learning experiences that support students’ development of a sense of self and how we are all different but also the same.  An emphasis is placed on hands-on, fun learning.

This resource features articles, books and discussions that support educators in building their understanding of race, racism and positive racial identities. After exploring these resources, educators will be more equipped to support students’ development of an accurate, integrative, and comprehensive knowledge of our nation’s history with a focus on the critical role African Americans played and continue to play in our country’s development.