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This is a page of teacher resources to help you with lesson planning. Each heritage or theme month is in order of the school year. Scroll down to get to the month you are looking for! (Please note this page is a work in progress!)
September 15-October 15: Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month
November: National American Indian Heritage Month
February: Black History Month
March: National Women's History Month
April: Arab American Heritage Month
May: Asian American Pacific Islander Month
May: Jewish American Heritage Month
June: Pride Month
*Something missing? Email me to have resources added for additional months!
September 15-October 15: Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month: Here are some resources to help you celebrate and recognize accomplishments of Hispanic and/or Latino Americans in our culture and history!
" National Hispanic Heritage Month traditionally honors the cultures and contributions of both Hispanic and Latino Americans as we celebrate heritage rooted in all Latin American countries."
A great list of resources from the Connecticut State Department of Education
A curated collection of resources with links to lessons, music, videos, etc.
NEA: Hispanic Heritage Month : From the National Education Association: "San Miguel de Gualdape was the first European settlement in North America. It was founded in Georgia in 1526, 81 years before Jamestown. St. Augustine, Florida, was founded in 1565 and is the oldest city in the United States. Hispanic Americans have been making contributions to life in the U.S. ever since. To help celebrate and educate about these contributions, we offer the following list of resources."
From Common Sense : Though backgrounds, cultures, and histories are a part of our classrooms every day, September 15-October 15 is officially National Hispanic American Heritage Month. Teachers can use this opportunity to shine a light on the critical contributions, rich culture, and long history of Hispanic and Latino Americans. With these resources, students can read, listen, watch, and go off-screen for activities that will give them a window into the enormous impact that Hispanic and Latino people have had on our world.
Below, we've broken our list down into grade bands, and by activity type, so you can check out the resources most relevant to your classes first. But be sure to check out all of the resources, since there's plenty of overlap between grade levels!
November is National American Indian Heritage Month.
From the National Conference of American Indians: "November is Native American Heritage Month, or as it is commonly referred to, American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month.The month is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people."
Common Sense Media compiled a massive list of resources for lessons and activities for Native American Heritage Month: "...teaching and learning resources that primarily focus on Native Americans and First Nations people in North America. These resources were predominantly developed by or in partnership with Native people and/or tribal organizations and nations. Many are culturally responsive and meant to include ways of being and knowing rooted in Native and Indigenous traditions and histories. With these tools and resources, students can explore the rich culture and history, values and beliefs, and innovations and contributions of specific nations and tribes.
We've organized resources by approximate grade band, though there's some overlap, so they're all worth a look. Resources touch on every school subject, and many offer novel cross-curricular approaches. There are activities that engage each of the senses and cover topics from math to poetry to gain a deeper understanding of Native people's impact on the world and our future. "
Keeping it local: This is a resource run by the Mohegan tribe of Connecticut. If you hover on "About" you will see some great resources under "Our Tribal History" from historical figures to learn about, oral traditions, and more.
February is Black History Month! Here are some outstanding Black History Month Resources.
PBS Newshour Classroom "Commemorate Black History Month in your classroom with lesson plans and resources that cover topics ranging from civil rights events to discussions about race in current events. These lessons are appropriate for history, ELA and social studies classrooms, and include resources for students in middle or high school." Lessons also include music and art connections.
Brainpop: Brainpop has a variety of videos and lessons on topics relating to Black History and important figures in Black History/American History. BMS has an account for Brainpop.
National Education Association Black History Month Resources: "All people, regardless of race or place, deserve the same rights and freedoms. For too long, Black and brown people in America have been denied equality because of the color of their skin. To help students understand the reality of Black people's experiences in American history, their impact on American culture, and to celebrate their achievements, we've compiled a selection of lesson plans that cover a variety subjects and that can be adapted to fit multiple grade levels."
The Library of Congress: Black History Month lessons "Put the power of primary sources to work in the classroom. Browse ready-to-use lesson plans, student activities, collection guides and research aids." An outstanding resource compiled from our nation's best museums: The Library of Congress, National Archives, National Galley of Art, National Parks Service...this resource really does have something for every subject.
Ted-Ed: wonderful resources for Black History Month. Short videos and lessons about different topics and people connected to Black History Month. Search using the term "Black History" as a starting point.
For PE especially- The Black Fives: Welcome to the Black Fives Online Museum, an ongoing series of exhibitions showcasing artifacts about the pre-NBA history of African Americans in basketball, from the collections of the Black Fives Foundation Archives. Join us for a journey through the Black Fives Era, which lasted from the early 1900s through 1950, the year the National Basketball Association signed its first African American players. Start with the intro video, then visit the sections and keep coming back to explore further as we add more!
55 Black History Month Videos- lots of great videos to use in conjunction with your lessons! (compiled by We are Teachers)
March is Women’s History Month!
“Remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors.” Abigail Adams, March 31, 1776
Here are some great resources for you to use in your plans!*Many of these sites have lessons for different levels of students. If so, just double check the level you choose.
National Women's History Museum: Women's History Lesson Plans- can be sorted by grade and topic
Explore all of the resources the National Women’s History Museum has created. There are lesson plans, biographies, posters, primary sources, and more. You can search by topic, theme, or resource type.
Womens History Month website: lots of resources for many different subject areas
This site is hosted by The Library of Congress. With awesome resources from many different government sites- National Park Service, National Museum of Art….
Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame
"Discover Connecticut’s remarkable women and the power of their stories! Our Inductees’ histories form the foundation of all of our educational resources. Each inductee page has biographical information along with relevant links and additional audio/video materials." You can browse the inductees alphabetically, by category (area of achievement) or by time period.
From The National Archives:
National Archives: lots of great lesson ideas using primary sources Teaching Resources for Women’s History and Women’s Rights:
"March is Women’s History Month! We have teaching resources for teaching about women’s rights and changing roles in American history during this or any month."
Additionally, here is a great link for primary source photo analysis: More from the National Archives: Photo Analysis for Women's History Month
April is Arab American Heritage Month! Here are some links to help you recognize this month in your lessons.
The Arab American National Museum sees itself as a resource for enhancing the understanding of Arab American history, arts, culture and contributions.
Use this page and choose from the various options on the right hand side under "Additional Resources".
This list is made up of a large amount of resources from the Department of State for teaching about Arab American Month.
"April is Arab American Heritage Month! During this time, we celebrate Arab Americans throughout the past and present, and recognize their invaluable contributions to our country."
Here is the link to resources provided by the NYC Department of Education for Arab American month.
AAPI Month is in May! Here are some teaching resources for your lessons.
AAPI Month is in May! Here are some teaching resources for your lessons.
This resource from the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center is amazing. It includes resources from all the Smithsonian Museums. All subjects are represented, and there are many great primary sources to be had as well.
From the National Education Association: "Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have contributed to politics, military, medicine, aviation, entertainment, and sports in the United States. Celebrate their heritage and contributions with these lessons and activities." This website contains links for lesson plans for all of our middle school grades- from creating Japanese Carp kites to learning about Hawaiian heritage.
Lastly for AAPI Month, we have some wonderful lesson plans from Scholastic. Lesson plans connected to sports, math, and STEM are among some of the great offerings.
"From the editors of Scholastic Classroom Magazines
Honor Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month this May with seven inspiring and captivating articles from Scholastic Classroom Magazines for grades 3-12. Each story features amazing AAPI trailblazers, young kids, and role models that you can share with your students for AAPI Heritage Month and beyond!"
May is also Jewish American Heritage Month! Below are some resources to help you with your lesson planning.
Put the power of primary sources to work in the classroom. Browse ready-to-use lesson plans, student activities, collection guides and research aids.
The National Museum of American Jewish History has a variety of resources that might benefit your planning- topics include extraordinary individuals and fighting hate and anti Semitism
From the Anti-Defamation League: By Congressional resolution and Presidential proclamation in 2006, Jewish American Heritage Month is commemorated in May and is a national month of recognition of the history of Jewish contributions to American culture, acknowledging the diverse achievement of the Jewish community in the U.S.
Linked to the left is a list of K-12 educational and family resources to bring Jewish American Heritage Month to schools, communities and homes.
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