FCPS Career and Technical Education

Black/African-American History Month
CTE Resources

Teacher Recommendations: Select Black Americans from your content area below and develop a set of discussion questions for your lessons during Black History Month. Introduce 1 or 2 Black African Americans a week who have had an impact in your area.

Time Period: Monday January 18th to February 12th

TEACHER FACING- NOT FOR STUDENTS

Discussion Questions can be posted in Schoology or here is an alternative using the Google Sheets Discussion Template (Open and Make a Copy)

Example Video(3:46): Expectations and how to utilize the resources.

Overview of BAAHS.mp4

Agriculture:

Automotive

Biomed

10 African Americans Who Have Shaped Public Health

Business

Child Development

Computer Science

Black History Month

February

Cosmetology

8 Women Who Broke Barriers in Beauty

Culinary

Black Pioneers in the Food Industry

Tech Ed / Engineering

Health

STEM

WBL

Race in the workplace, 10 Diversity & Inclusion Statistics That Will Change How You Do Business
Diversity in the Workplace Assignment

Inventors (Invention & Innovation) or MS Tech Ed

14 Black Inventors You Probably Didn’t Know About
10 African American Inventors Who Changed the World
Charles Drew - Blood Bank Inventor

MICS:

Everfi Resources

Check out 306: Black History. This newly updated digital course explores the lives, stories, and lessons of Black Americans throughout history.
Explore our Black History Month Toolkit
Join us February 5th for our webinar Empowering Classrooms: Celebrating Black History with 306.

Example Discussion Questions:

What happened afterwards as a result of the innovator’s work?
What else was going on in the world at the time of the innovation?
If the innovation still exists, how has the invention changed over time?
What skills or experience did the inventor have to provide them the skills to develop the invention?
What was life like for African Americans during the time when the inventor was alive and working? Think about laws, social norms, economics, and other factors. For example, would the inventor be living in a segregated society or do you think they were evenable to apply for patents at the time?
How would our lives be different without this innovation?
Who were their contemporaries? What other scientists, inventors, or other notable people.
What was occurring technologically in the United States during this time? Example: the Industrial Revolution, the Space Age, etc.le were living at the same time?
If you could meet them, what is one question you would ask them about their struggles with Equity and Equality and how it hampered their work.

NEWLY ADDED RESOURCES 2026

National Museum of African American History & Culture: https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/moments/black-history-month
Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH): https://asalh.org/black-history-themes/
Smithsonian Website: https://www.si.edu/events/black-history-month
Webinars for teachers from Coppin State University: https://www.coppin.edu/event/lift-every-voice-100-years-commemorating-black-history
Visit Maryland: https://www.visitmaryland.org/list/black-history-month
MPT Programs: https://www.mpt.org/culture/blackhistorymonth/

Maryland Council of Economics Education Resources 2026

Black History Month Educator Resources

System Initiative

Promote student achievement and equity through culturally responsive classroom practices and resources that best meet the needs of a diverse student population. (FCPS Cultural Proficiency Initiative)

Alignment of Standards

Explain that economic, political, and culture issues are influenced by the development and use of technology. (ITEA, STL 4-G)
Explain that throughout history, new technologies have results from the demands, values, interests of individuals, businesses, industries, and societies. (ITEA, STL 6-D)
Describe how many inventions and innovations evolved by a slow and methodical process of testing and refinement. (ITEA, STL -7C)
Explain that the use of inventions and innovations has led to changes in society and the creation of needs and wants. (ITEA, STL 7E)
Students use collaborative technologies to work with others, including peers, experts or community members, to examine issues and problems from multiple viewpoints.(ISTE 7B)

Black/African American History Month Student Showcase

The showcase will feature three Frederick County Residents and their contributions to the Frederick community: William O. Lee, Jr. Dr. Ulysses G. Bourne, and Esther E. Grinage. Activities have been established for the following student groups: Pre-K thru grade 2, grades 3-5, middle, and high.

· Artwork: Primary (Pre-K through grade 2): A coloring sheet with a sketch of the honoree in the center of the page with coloring image clues describing the honoree around the image. i.e., stethoscope, hospital, etc. and a writing prompt. Ulysses G. Bourne was a ___________. (doctor) See attachment.

· Essay: Intermediate (Grades 3 -5): Write a one-to-two paragraph essay entitled i.e., Who is Esther E. Grinage and how did she contribute to Frederick County History?

· Essay: Middle school grades 6-8: Will select one featured honoree and write a one-page, essay with the prompt If ________ were alive today, what message would he or she bring to us? Honorees: William O. Lee, Jr., Dr. Ulysses G. Bourne, or Esther E. Grinage.

· Newspaper Front Page: High school: Design a newspaper front page from back in time with the name of their newspaper, photos, and an article about one of the featured honorees: William O. Lee, Jr., Dr. Ulysses G. Bourne, or Esther E. Grinage. See attachment for an example.

High School Instructions:

o Entries must be on 8.5 x 11 paper in portrait orientation

o The newspaper should be dated back to the period of time that the honoree is referenced.

o Creativity is encouraged in designing the newspaper name, header, and graphics.

o Students may use photos and create quotes for their article.

Showcase timeline:

Date

Action Items

Jan 27

Public Affairs promotes the student showcase

Jan 27 – Feb 8

Students submit entries to their school.

Feb 10

(due by noon)

Each school selects (1) entry that best represents their school and submits it to Public Affairs:

· Using the following naming convention:

- - SchoolAcronym_StudentInitials_honoree_grade. i.e., GTJHS_DH_Grinage_Grade10

· Via Google folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Pf0_xMfuuz0oQ5dF5O2gf1Ax7Od6Ub9P?usp=sharing

Feb 16 – 26

Student submissions will be promoted via FCPS website and social media.

Here is a link to the web page with the information: https://www.fcps.org/student-showcase

Feel free to reach out with any questions.

Best,

Tiana M. Haile

Black/African-American History MonthCTE Resources