Grades 3–4

This lesson can be taught in about 5–9 days.

Lesson Introduction:
The focus for grades 3–4 in Black History in America is on the biography of individuals who contributed to American history, specifically through inventions. Students will focus on top ten African-American inventors and write about their contributions.

Day 1: On an overhead or with printouts of the Ten Inventors index page, ask students: "Are any of the people in the photographs familiar? Who are they? What do you know about them? Do any words or names seem familiar?" Give students an opportunity to react to the questions. Write responses on the chalkboard. Have students contribute to lists of accomplishments or identifying factors for each. Let students know that they will be reading the biographies of ten African-American inventors to see how they contributed to the history and accomplishments of African Americans and United States history.

Day 2: The Top Ten African-American Inventors
Introduce Inventors: Hand out the Honor Roll Nomination Worksheet. Then have them read through each inventor's page individually or in groups, depending on the number of computers available. As they read through the different biographies and conduct additional research on people they find particularly interesting, remind students to fill out the worksheet so they have information when it comes to their writing project.

Days 3–4: Spotlight on an Inventor
Have students choose one of the inventors featured in Top Ten African-American Inventors or have them pick a new inventor. Explain that they will do further online research by researching the sites listed in Background Knowledge section of this teacher's guide. Instruct students to create a profile on the inventor, similar to the one online that also includes a list of ten new facts about the inventor. Students should complete a Honor Roll Nomination Worksheet on one inventor they choose.

Day 5–7: How Would You Feel?
Ask students to imagine what life was like for African Americans at the time their chosen inventor lived. Allow students to respond in a whole-class discussion. Then challenge students to write a journal entry about one of the following questions:

• Do you think it was hard for some of these African-American inventors to prove themselves and their inventions because of their skin color?
• Why do you think that some of these inventors are not so well known today?
• What kind of obstacles did these inventors face?
• How might it feel to be the first African American to break into a scientific field?

Meet with students to go over their response. Then have them revise and publish their final drafts online.

Day 8–9: Nominate a Trailblazer
Once students have completed their Honor Roll Nomination Worksheet, students will submit their nomination to the Trailblazer Honor Roll. Inform students that they will be joining with classes nationwide to develop an Honor Roll of African Americans who were pioneers in fields that were previously open only to whites. Invite students to write about their inventor. The nomination should include the individual's name, his or her contribution as a pioneer, and why the student believes that this person deserves to be included in the Honor Roll. When your students have edited their work, they can submit their nomination at the Nominate a Trailblazer page.

Visit the assessment rubric for use with this activity.

Extend the Lesson

Time Line (2–3 Days)
Encourage individuals or small groups of students to take turns using the interactive time line. After students have gotten used to the technology, have them read through the biographies. Have small groups of students do further research on two important contributors from the timeline that lived in different eras. Then have students compare and contrast the changes that had taken place for black Americans using the lives of the two figures as models.

Instruct students to follow the directions about how to fill in, preview, and submit the nomination form. Encourage students to proofread, edit, and polish their writing before submission. Inform students that all nominations will be reviewed before being published, and that their nomination will appear in the Honor Roll in a few days. Students can read already-posted Honor Roll nominations from schools around the country.

History of Jazz (1–2 Days)
Encourage individuals or small groups of students to take turns reading through the history of jazz and listening to the sound files. Have small groups of students do further research on one area of the history (The blues, New Orleans jazz, Louis Armstrong, improvisation, swing, Duke Ellington, bebop, Dizzy Gillespie, Latin and Afro-Cuban jazz). Then have students compare and contrast the areas and the impact that black Americans have made on the music.

Cross-Curricular Extensions:

Art (Grades 3–4)
Invite students to draw or cut out pictures of their own inventions. Encourage them to be creative. Remind students how the top ten African-American inventors felt being the first to do something very, very hard. Assess students on their expression of these feelings.

Poetry (Grades 3–5)
Compile a collection of poetry on the subject of personal freedom. Selections might include "I Am Freedom's Child" by Bill Martin, Jr. or "Dreams" by Langston Hughes. Read the poems aloud together, discuss the poet's point of view in each one, and have students draw illustrations to accompany the poetry. Then encourage students to write their own "freedom" poetry, using a variety of simple poetic forms such as haiku and couplets. Create an illustrated anthology of your class's favorites.

Drama (Grades 3–5)
Encourage students to transform the top ten African-American inventors into a play or video script. Suggest that they dramatize the account by creating additional dialogue for the characters. Students may also create a narrator role to help tell the story. After students have had sufficient time rehearsing their play, they can perform it for the class.

Discussion starters:

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