Black History Month Vignettes — Celebrating Black Achievement

The teaching of Black History expands far beyond one month at WSP. Still, our teachers are intentional in their lesson planning to highlight the importance of this month. Each week this month, we have shared vignettes of classwork throughout the school related to Black History.

This week, as part of a culmination of hearing and discussing many amazing biographies, the fifth grade students selected someone from around the world who represents Black agency and joy to study.

After reading and taking notes, they discussed what they learned, challenges the people they studied faced, and the importance of Black History. One student actually studied Carter G. Woodson, the father of Black History, but that report is still in progress!

Below are reports about King Shaka Zulu, Bessie Smith, and King Tut.

Sixth graders celebrated Black perseverance and achievement through group presentations about Louis Armstrong, Wilma Rudolph, Harriet Tubman, Langston Hughes, and Mae Jemison. Students presented oral reports with their own creative twists. One group wrote and spoke this poem as part of their presentation about Langston Hughes.

Langston Hughes

based his poems on jazz and blues He was born in Missouri in February His parents were divorced

He lived with his grandmother of course He went to Mexico to be with his Dad

He didn't like him and was sorry he had He went to college to get more knowledge

He went around the world and saw all its foliage He moves to Harlem to write more poems He was a poet, That showed it, That Black people are equal!