Introduction
Today is the first day of February which means it is also the first day of Black History Month. During the entire month students will be focusing on learning all of the great contributions African American's have made to this country. It's one thing to read about all of these wonderful people in books but have you ever thought of what it would be like to talk to these individuals yourself? Well now is your chance! Students will be able to "timetravel" and choose a significant African American historical figure to research and interview. By now many of us have learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks and so we will take this opportunity to learn about a few people who may not be as well known but still played a significant role in American History.
Task
Alright students, this is the task at hand. You are to select a historical African American figure who played a prominent role in American history in pairs. After doing this your group will throughly research your person.
Make sure to include the following:
- Why did you select this person?
- What time period did they live in?
- What has this person contributed to American history?
- What hardships did this person face?
- What are three interesting facts?
You may want to designate who will be answering which questions. Once you have collected all of your information you will create interview questions and responses. THe interviewer will be playing the role of themselves and the person being interviewed will be the historical figure. Make sure to embody the person and that your responses reflect who the person really was/is.
You will then present your interview to the class as a final presentation.
Process
During this web quest students will be selecting a prominent African-American figure, researching their time in history, and then creating an interview to present to the class.
Step 1:
Students will select a person from below to research.
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Step 2.
After students have selected who they are researching they will make sure they can answer these questions in their research:
- Why did you select this person?
- What time period did they live in?
- What has this person contributed to American history?
- What hardships did this person face?
- What are three interesting facts?
Step 3.
Students will create an interview, using the using their research questions as a guide, to present to the class. One person will be the interviewer while the other person is the historical figure being interviewed. If you are the person being the historical figure remember to embody the person and to answer in a way that most resembles them.
Evaluation
| Exemplary (5) | Qualified (3) | Developing (1) | Total | |
| Research Quality | Research is exemplary and answers all questions that have been provided with additional information | Research is evident and answers most of the questions provided with little to no addtional information provided | Research is still in developing stages, most questions are unanswer, with no additonal information | |
|
Character Analysis |
Group demonstrates deep understanding of character throughout project | Group demonstrates adequate understanding of character throughout project | Group demonstrates little understanding of character throughout project | |
| Class Presentation | Interview is engaging, factual, and accurate | Interview is mostly engaging, factual, and accurate | Interview lacks factual information and details | |
| Participation | Group worked well together with equal input from both members | Group worked okay together and almost equal input from all members | Group did not work well together and input was not equal |
Conclusion
Well done on completing your group presentations! Research is a great way to learn more about a topic you are interested in. The contributions African-Americans have made to American history are very significant and it is important we acknowledge their hardwork. Even though Black History Month is only one month out of the year there is nothing stopping you from learning more about these people as well as others at any point in time.
Here are a few website you can check out to learn more about other significant African-American leaders in our country's history.
Black History Month Activities, History, Timeline, Ideas, Events, Facts & Quizzes
Black History Month: Everything You Need
Credits
The information for this webquest came from biography.com, greatblackheros.com, and questgarden. The images used were from clipart and biography.com.
Author Biography:
My name is Allayah Cherry and I am a senior at Meredith College. I am studying Child Development and pursuing a K-6 teaching license.
Teacher Page
Working in pairs students will research prominent African-American figures and how their lives impacted American history. Students will then present their research to the class in the form of a presentation.
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.4
Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
Social Studies
5.H.2: Understand the role of prominent figures in shaping the United States.