Poptential™, a family of free, award-winning social studies course packages that infuse lessons with digital storytelling, offers an array of engaging content about the Civil Rights Movement for instruction during Black History Month. Click to tweet.
Observed in the United States since 1976, Black History Month is celebrated yearly in February to honor the contributions and legacy of African Americans across U.S. history and society. Poptential’s American History Volume II curriculum, Bell Ringers, and digital media clips feature the accomplishments of African American leaders and civil rights activists as they fought for racial equality.
Poptential’s Unit 6: The Fracturing of America includes content and multimedia to help teachers lead discussions on the Civil Rights movement, including:
● Defining Moments in the Civil Rights Movement: Several pivotal moments in the Civil Rights Movement are brought to life with videos, including Dave Chappelle discussing the murder of Emmett Till, a portrayal of Rosa Parks' nonviolent refusal to give up her bus seat and subsequent arrest, and the famous civil rights sit-in protesting segregation at the Greensboro, North Carolina Woolworth lunch counter.
● Civil Rights Legislation: The Civil Rights Act of 1964, one of the landmark civil rights laws passed to eliminate segregation, is discussed in a moving video of Lyndon Johnson’s speech announcing the Act.
● The non-violent approach of Dr. Martin Luther King: Video footage of Martin Luther King’s march in Selma, Alabama on March 7, 1965, highlights the fearlessness of the marchers and their sacrifices that directly led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Additional content on all three marches from Selma to Montgomery is highlighted in a March 7 Bell Ringer (free registration required).
● Taking a Different Path: The radical side of the Civil Rights Movement is discussed in a February 21 Bell Ringer that includes a video on the murder of Malcolm X, who was shot and killed by three members of the Nation of Islam.
Poptential uses a variety of pop culture media to illustrate concepts, including those taken from sitcoms, movies, animations, cartoons, late-night shows, news programs, and other sources.
Poptential course packages are standards-based and developed by teachers. They include everything instructors need to teach a subject, including lessons, e-books, bell ringers, quizzes, and tests. All content is available via a digital platform that allows students to access lessons even in poor bandwidth environments.
Poptential course packages in American History, World History, U.S. Government/Civics, and Economics are available free at www.poptential.org.
About Certell, Inc.
Certell is a 501(c)3 nonprofit whose mission is to foster a generation of independent thinkers. More than 30,000 teachers from throughout the United States have signed up to use Certell’s Poptential™ family of free social studies courses, and thousands more students are reached through Certell’s college-level courses in law and economics, and SensibleSchool™ instruction for home-schoolers, employees, and inmates. Certell course packages have won a number of awards, including EdTech Digest Awards for Curriculum and Instruction Solution, Tech&Learning Best Tool for Back to School, Tech Edvocate Awards, Bronze Award of Excellence from the National Association of Economics Educators, and Civvys Awards. More information is available at certell.org or on Twitter @CertellOrg.
