Thinkfinity.org Provides Innovative Educators with Free Resources for Black History Month

Thinkfinity.org, which is the educational website of the Verizon Foundation, has posted Black History Month related free lesson plans, teacher resources and student activities that innovative educators might find useful for their classrooms. The site has lots of free educational resources for standards-based K-12 lesson plans, educational games, music clips and videos – all relating to Black History Month and available for downloading.

Here is some of what you’ll find on the site:

Interact with Information on Black History Month

Listen to black scientists. Take a virtual field trip. Trace the blues. Immerse yourself in 1920s Harlem. Ride The Underground Railroad. And through it all, discover the contributions of African Americans to our nation's history. read more >>

Image: Associated Press

Investigating African American History, Art and Literature

Learn about the tremendous contributions that African Americans have made to the history, art and literature of the United States with this special Black History Month feature from EDSITEment. read more >>

Image: "The Migration of the Negro Panel no. 57, 1940-1941" by Jacob Lawrence.
©2008 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Lawrence

Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

African American Read-In

Make literacy a significant part of Black History Month. Participate in the Twentieth National African American Read-In. It can be as simple as bringing together friends to share a book by an African American author. read more >>

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Remix America – A Great Tool for Black History Month Lessons

When I was working with a committee to develop technology enhanced social studies professional development I was reminded that one of the most important concepts for students to grasp was the idea of history then and now. It is essential that students connect what was to what is. What better time than during Black History month to discover a technology tool that does just that.

Remixamerica.org looks like a great classroom learning tool for students trying to see the relevancy of present and past events throughout America's history giving classes the tools and resources they need to remix America Then with America Now. In honor of black history month, Remix America is showcasing videos that mark milestones in the history of Civil Rights. As the website states, “Who needs this year's Lincoln Memorial Concert when you can hear Marian Anderson singing My Country Tis of Thee on those same steps, seventy years ago?”

The easy editing tools provided on the site makes creating videos a simple, fun, and educational experience. Students can take the various old and new videos on the site and mix them together to create their original takes on history. Remix America is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that uses innovative online editing software to enable students from around the country to make their own videos, PSAs and remixes – entirely online.



Remix America inspires students to draw parallels between the present and the past by featuring seminal speeches and events from American History that enable young people to express themselves and take action on the issues that matter to them. Remix America’s Erika Johansson shares that teachers around America have stumbled upon the software and incorporated into their classroom. One teacher asked her students to take a quote from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and apply it to the 2008 election. Another asked her students to create PSAs on the issues that matter most to them – censorship, war, civil rights.” You can browse through our “Favorite Remixes” section to see some of these great remixes.



Ms. Johansson is eager to work with innovative educators and brainstorm ideas on how you can incorporate Remix America into classrooms. She is also available via email to assist teachers who have any questions or ideas.

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