For Kids & Educators

Explore educational material related to African American history and heritage in your national parks! You can also explore our Teacher's Portal to explore all the educational materials made available online by the National Park Service.
Showing results 1-10 of 45

  • Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument

    Buffalo Soldiers and the Holocaust

    • Type: Distance Learning, Guest Speakers
    • Locations: Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument
    • Grade Levels: Adult Education
    • Subject(s): Social Studies
    African American soliders ride a tank through a war-torn town

    As the Allies Forces pushed into German controlled areas, they encountered and liberated survivors in concentration camps. The Buffalo Soldiers not only liberated concentration camps but connected with the sentiments of the survivors as they shared in the experience of being persecuted and segregated by the state. This connection built on shared experiences culminated in the fight against injustice abroad and at home.

    • Type: Lesson Plan
    • Grade Levels: Lower Elementary: Pre-Kindergarten through Second Grade
    • Subject(s): Social Studies
    An African American boy drinks from a water fountain.

    During the lesson, the teacher and students will read White Water aloud. As they read, students will investigate how one young boy's curiosity leads him to discover that the water from a segregated White drinking fountain tastes the same as the water from the Black drinking fountain.

  • Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park

    Ruth and the Green Book Lesson Plan

    • Type: Lesson Plan
    • Locations: Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park
    • Grade Levels: Lower Elementary: Pre-Kindergarten through Second Grade
    • Subject(s): Literacy and Language Arts,Social Studies
    African American girl and her mother stand next to a green car at a gas station.

    During the lesson, students will follow along as the teacher and students read Ruth and the Green Book to examine how a young child with strong character traits (e.g. brave, thoughtful, resilient) overcame segregation while traveling with her family.

  • Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument

    Breaking into the Army Nurse Corps: How Black Nurses Demanded to Serve

    • Type: Guest Speakers
    • Locations: Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument
    • Grade Levels: Adult Education
    • Subject(s): Social Studies
    Two women in Nurses uniforms and caps. Examine a bottle.

    How did African American women break into the Army Nurse Corps? The nurses of the Army Nurse Corps were an essential part of the war effort. The African American nurses fought to serve their country and to be there for the Black soldiers they treated. Though hurdles were laid in their way, these women succeeded in enlisting in the Army. Many Black nurses went on to serve around the world and perform ground-breaking research.

  • Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument

    Black Valor During the Spanish-American War

    • Type: Guest Speakers
    • Locations: Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument
    • Grade Levels: Adult Education
    • Subject(s): Social Studies
    Three rows of men stand looking at the camera with the American flag raising in the middle.

    The Buffalo Soldiers were called to action during the Spanish-American War. At the start of the five-month war the men of these Buffalo Soldier units were labelled as heroes and praised for their sacrifices. However, at the war's end, the men's reputation had turned with negative press and gross insinuations. What changed? What happened that they were cut out of the picture with the Rough Riders?

  • Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument

    Buffalo Soldiers and the Medal of Honor

    • Type: Guest Speakers
    • Locations: Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument
    • Grade Levels: Adult Education
    • Subject(s): Social Studies
    Color photo of modern Medal of Honor with a blue ribbon and gold pendenant hanging from the middle

    What is a Hero? Join a Park Ranger for a 45-minute PowerPoint presentation on Buffalo Soldiers and the Medal of Honor. During the almost 90 years that the Buffalo Soldiers served in segregated US Army units 30 Buffalo Soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor. They received the medal for actions in the Plains Wars through the Korean War. Discover four of the men who were awarded the nation’s highest honor for bravery. This program can be given in person or virtually.

  • Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument

    Buffalo Soldiers & National Parks

    • Type: Guest Speakers
    • Locations: Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument
    • Grade Levels: Adult Education
    • Subject(s): Social Studies
    Five African American men in military uniform on horseback in a forest

    Before the creation of the National Park Service, the US Army were assigned to manage national parks. This included the Buffalo Soldiers who were assigned to protect parks such as Yosemite, General Grant, and Sequoia National Parks. Discover the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers in our National Parks and how their contribution across the American landscape continues to be captured and preserved for future generations to learn and explore.

    • Type: Lesson Plan
    • Grade Levels: Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
    • Subject(s): Literacy and Language Arts,Social Studies
    Red-roofed houses on Shields-Ethridge Farm

    Today the cotton gin is quiet. The commissary, where sharecroppers could buy supplies, looks as if someone just closed and locked the door. Hoes, oxen yoke, and ploughs rust in the blacksmith's shop. What froze this place in time? What clues tell the history of this place? Let's begin the story.

    • Type: Lesson Plan
    • Grade Levels: Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
    • Subject(s): Literacy and Language Arts,Social Studies

    Before the end of legal slavery in the United States, free African Americans migrated to Canada to find greater security and liberty. After the Civil War, some returned to the U.S. to aid emancipated people and rebuild the South. Mary Ann Shadd Cary was a business woman, abolitionist, and suffragist.

    • Type: Lesson Plan
    • Grade Levels: Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
    • Subject(s): Literacy and Language Arts,Social Studies
    The Pope family outside their home

    Meet Dr. Manassa T. Pope, an African-American doctor and entrepreneur in the early 20th century, and learn about his efforts to gain civil rights well before the modern Civil Rights Movement.

Last updated: September 24, 2018