AAC-friendly Resources for Black History Month

Here in the US, we’ve celebrated Black History Month each February for several decades. It’s a time for learning, reflection, and celebration. If you’re looking for resources that you can incorporate into your AAC teaching or therapy, here are some ideas for you.

1. Learn with BrainPop and BrainPop, Jr which offers videos, writing and drawing activities, graphic organizers, worksheets, jokes, and more.

• • Brown vs Board of Education
    

    From BrainPop

  • Civil Rights  
  • Fannie Lou Hamer  
  • Harriet Tubman  
  • Jackie Robinson  
  • Jim Crow  
  • Malcolm X  
  • Martin Luther King, Jr  
  • Mohammed Ali  
  • Reconstruction  
  • Rosa Parks  
  • Ruby Bridges  
  • Slavery  
  • Tuskegee Airmen

    

    From BrainPop Jr

     

2. Read “The Poet Diaries,” a guest post by inaugural National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman. View a video of her reading her poem, Rise Up as One, California.

Amanda Gorman reciting Rise Up As One, California

3. Explore a virtual exhibition at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

• Download their activity book, A is for Amazing and others from the Joyful ABC Collection.
• Want to know more about Hair Joy, Black Women Artists, Hats and Headwear, or Songs and Music? Check out their Learning Lab and their open-access collection. 

4. Draw like W.H. Johnson and explore his art.

From Art Projects for Kids

5. Take a trip back in time by exploring newspapers from the past in this collection by the Library of Congress.

From the National Park Foundation

6. Learn about US National Parks that honor Black history.

7. Learn about the contributions of Black scientists with these resources.

• Booklist by Feminist Books for Kids 
• 10 Black Scientists That Science Teachers Should Know About    
• 5 Black Chemists Who Changed the World 

8. Celebrate with music by enjoying this concert by the Pine Forge Academy Choir.

From the American Association for the Advancement of Science