Black history month is when we honor the sacrifices, achievements, and overall acknowledgments of different black men and women worldwide. It is a time to celebrate black culture and the various contributions black people have made for many years. This subject is often taught in school reading, writing, and social studies classes. Teachers will ask the students to pick a famous black person in history and write a biography of their life. Our teachers will ask students to look up some important facts about the historical figure and create some collage, poster, or digital presentation about that person’s accomplishments. While this is perfectly fine, black history month is not often embedded into the math curriculum. That is why I will share my top 3 ways to implement Black History into your Upper Elementary Classroom.
- Create a timeline
While this may seem like a skill typically done in social studies or ELA classrooms, this can also be used in math! Having your students create a timeline of a historical figure’s life allows you an opportunity to implement math problems within the timeline. For example:
- How many years ago did ______ accomplish ______?
- What is the difference in time from when he/she _______ to when he/she ______?
- If _____ were still alive today, how old would he/she be?
- Now multiply that year by 8.
There are so many ways you can use a timeline in math while simultaneously teaching your students about the historical life of different black figures worldwide.
- Have students fill out a Math About __.
Typically at the beginning of the year, we have our students complete a “Math About Me” Activity as a get to know you activity. Well, this same concept can be used in your classroom for Black History Month! Choose a historical black figure that you want your students to learn. Then, research a few dates, years, and accomplishments of this person, and BOOM, you can create questions and math problems. It is that easy! The students love researching different facts about these figures and answering the questions that go along! This activity can be used as a warm-up, small group, centers, and even homework. The possibilities are endless.
3. Fill in the Blank math passage.
This activity is honestly one of my favorite activities to give to my students during Black History Month and even outside of Black History Month! I start by giving my students a passage about a different historical figure. I try to mix in other people they may not have yet learned about, so they can know more than just your typical few that are always featured and remembered. Don’t get me wrong, I love Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, and I appreciate all they have done to advance black people through the Civil Rights Movement. My goal is to teach my students about other black people in history who have also set records, become the first in their field, and contributed to this world through their research, work, and overall expertise.
How this works:
I give my students a typed one-page biography about different historical figures. The only problem is, there are blanks throughout the entire passage! On another page, there are 12 math problems for students to solve. The math problems typically include addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and some rounding. The students have to answer the math problems to decipher what goes in the blanks of the passage. They love this! Not only does it keep them engaged, but they can spiral review different math skills while learning about Black History. It is a win-win for my classroom! Here are a few things my students have said when doing this activity for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
“This is so cool!”
“Can we do this again?”
“Wow! I didn’t know this much about Martin Luther King Jr.”
“I like how you included math with reading!”
You don’t know how happy I was to hear my students share these comments with me. Now, if all of this sounds wonderful to you, but you don’t have the time, energy, or brainpower to organize and create this yourself, then do not worry! I have put together a bundle of Black History figures where everything I mentioned in this post is included PLUS MORE! Click HERE to access this resource in my store.
The different historical figures included in the bundle are the following:
- Arthur Ashe
- Misty Copeland
- Martin Luther King Jr.
- Jackie Robinson
- Barack Obama
- Daniel Hale Williams
- Bessie Coleman
- Hattie McDaniel
I hope you enjoy it!
