African Americans in U.S. History Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. 42 nd U.S. President – Barack Obama

Classroom Description Eleventh Grade – Contemporary Studies Average Sized Classroom, Traditional Student Rows and Columns Seating, Teacher at Front of Classroom Rural Community, Low – Middle Class 3 Classes per Day, Block Scheduling, 95% Caucasian Students & 5% African Americans Gender Population in the Classroom is Even African American is the selected underrepresented group.

Link to Standards WV Next Generation State Standards SS.11.H.CL6.3 – debate the role of activist for and against the Civil Rights Movement (e.g., KKK, Black Panthers, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., SCLC, Student Non- violent Coordinating Committee, AIM, Chicano Movement and UFWOC). National Content Standards VI. Power, Authority, & Governance - Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of how people create and change structures of power, authority, and governance, so that the learner can: h. recognize and give examples of the tensions between the wants and needs of individuals and groups, and concepts such as fairness, equity, and justice.

RELATION TO STUDENTS This lesson will help to relate moments and individuals in U.S. History in an underrepresented group and how they have impacted American History. This gives the minority students in the classroom a sense of self and a role model that they can relate to. These individuals are members of their racial class. A bulletin board will also be displayed in February during Black History Month displaying Dr. King and President Obama. Information will be created and displayed on the bulletin board from what the class feels is most impactful in U.S. History involving these two historical people. This will allow all students to work together and uncover new content about different racial groups, times in history and cultures.

Culturally Competent Teacher Studying these two individuals in depth and their impact on American Culture can motivate students to strive to fulfill their dreams. These images give the African American students in the classroom someone to look up to and shows them that no matter your racial class you can achieve anything. These images will help the students be able to view someone of their racial class in positive light and can make them feel prideful of their ethnicity. These images show that African Americans have a prominent place in History. This will assure that these students feel just as welcome in the history classroom. Inspiring students should be the main objective of teachers. That is what these images represent, inspiration.

Image Resource List Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - e.html e.html President Barack Obama - quotes-alinsky-in-speech-to-young-israelis/ quotes-alinsky-in-speech-to-young-israelis/ American Flag /american-flag-background html /american-flag-background html