Celebrating Black History Month

What we now call Black History Month was originated in 1926 by Carter Godwin Woodson as Negro History Week. February was selected for the celebration because both Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, champions of the struggle for African American equality, were born in that month.

This important annual observance of the struggle for civil and human rights of African Americans provides an excellent opportunity for teachers to integrate mini-research and in-depth study of topics that may not be covered, or not covered effectively by many Social Studies textbooks.

African Americans, of all ethnic groups, were the only ones that had a unique and disabling experience of slavery in America. And, despite all the advances made since the Civil Rights Act of 1964, they still do not enjoy the status, income, and many other benefits of citizenship that most latter-day ethnic immigrant groups have achieved. The struggle continues today, and Black History Month helps each American to understand and help support this struggle.

Activity: Textbooks are seldom current, but ProQuest learning resources always are. ProQuest's collection of more than 650 model BookCarts includes a variety of topics that focus on African-Americans and Black History Month. These BookCarts make it easy for teachers and their students to save time and ensure the focus and relevancy necessary for quality reports and presentations.

1. Access eLibrary, then enter your eLibrary Teacher Edition by clicking here.
   
   
2. Select the BookCart Admin link at the top-right corner of the page.
   
   
3. Click the ProQuest Carts tab.
   
   
4. Select the folder entitled: Ethnic Culture and Interests.
   
   
5. Click the Copy icon to the right of one of the titles of interest:

   African American Authors and Literature
   African American History--Events and People
   Black Business & Entrepreneurship
   Harlem Renaissance--Langston Hughes
   Martin Luther King, Jr. and Civil Rights

6. Select the Return to My Local Carts link.
   
   
7. Each BookCart you copied should be edited for best use. In turn, click each new BookCart title you just copied to open the BookCart Editor.
   
   
8. Delete "Copy of" from the BookCart title. Make any other changes you wish.
   
   
9. Add your name in the Author boxes, then add any other content you wish to the Cart.
   
   
10. Click Save button at bottom.

Each of these model BookCarts provides several examples of Essential Questions for Critical Thinking. Teachers may want to add their own when they copy ProQuest models and adapt them for their students. The essential questions examples provide guidance for students to use critical thinking and original thought, rather than just hunt for and present facts in their reports.

Educators can also add student directions, correlated print resources, and a QuizCart to make each of these BookCarts a complete lesson plan.

Students can address these and other questions that teachers assign with ProQuest's new models for reports and presentations. (See Curriculum Builders and Learning with PowerPoint.)