Black History Month

So many resources, so little time. The web provides audios from Rosa Parks on sites like History.com, and there are endless lesson plans on a variety of sites. But, since our specialty is books, I am going to take the time here to list a few of my favorites.

Making History Mine, Grades 5-9(http://www.alranbooks.com/Details.cfmProdID=8355&category=10). This book challenges students to take ownership of their history as an individual as well as a citizen of this country. This book is not specific to Black History, but could serve as a great launching pad to lead students to understand their past and embrace it.

Some of the books listed below can be found as part of Nancy Boyles Literacy Collection on our website, www.alranbooks.com, or can be ordered by mail or phone as our trade book collection is always changing.

This is the Dream, by Shore and Alexander is a book appropriate for younger grades addressing the civil rights movement. This book is now available in paperback !

Toni Morrison's book, Remember: The Story of School Integration, is a powerful book. The photos and words strongly compliment each other. This book could easily be used with secondary students even though the target audience is probably grades 2-6.

We Are The One: The Story of Bayrad Rustin.  Rustin hales from the quaker area of West Chester, PA, and this hardcover book is the story of one man and his lifelong pursuit of civil rights for all.

Doreen Rappaport has three books that can be used across the grade levels. No More! Stories and Songs of the Slave Resistance, Free At Last: Stories and Songs of Emancipation, and Nobody Gonna Turn Me Around: Stories and Songs of the Civil Rights Movement.

My final choice is an old favorite of many, myself included. Jacqueline Woodson's The Other Side is a beautiful story of a developing friendship during the days of segregation.

I could go on with pages of books, but these are a few of my favorites. There are countless sources of music, poetry, letters, and speeches that can bring this month's curriculum alive for all students.