Picture of Book Report and brief description

This kid Greg (Slam) can dominate on the basketball court.  He's got all the skills in the bag.  One thing he needs to improve his skills on are his grades.  What makes it worse is that the teachers are shoving all his troubles in his face.

Cass and Jemmie are the main characters of this story. Cass be-friends African American Jemmie. As the two strengthen their friendship they fight the opposition of raciest parents as well as other challenges. The book is a great read for students grade 5-8.


Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

Cassie's family faces a real challenge: to hold on to land in the South during the Depression. Her father works away from home and her mother works and runs the family farm. This is an excellent story of a black family's struggles to remain independent and proud against all obstacles.

Description of Learners from African American culture

Pieces of Art

Tuskegee Airmen were dedicated, young men who enlisted to become America's first black military airmen, at a time when there were many people who thought that black men lacked intelligence, skill, courage, and patriotism. Each one possessed a strong desire to serve the United States of America to the best of his ability.

Picture Books-fiction/non-fiction

"Amazing Grace" by Mary Hoffman

Teaching Strategies

It is very important to use a variety of teaching methods.  One method for teaching African Americans or students of a different ethnicity could be to keep them actively involved in the classroom.  Set up activities for them to do in groups.  However, avoid segregating students by cultural groups and letting students wander into their own groups.  Try to mix up the groups so that there is a mixture of different ethnicities.  Also, try to make sure everyone in the group is participating in one way so that no one feels left out.     

Major Historical Events

The Lewis and Clark expedition was a very interesting trip for the two men.  On their journey they faced quite a few challenges and even made a new friend named Sacajawea who they had to say goodbye to after she led them further on their expedition.  Lewis and Clark also made friends with a few Indian tribes that they ran into on their journey.  Conditions weren't always in their favor but they managed to stay sheltered and survive during the toughest of times.

Jackie Robinson broke through the racial barrier of baseball in 1947. By breaking the color barrier in baseball, the nation's preeminent sport, he courageously challenged the deeply rooted custom of racial segregation in both the North and the South.

Rosa Parks is another African American hero. During the time when segregation was a way of life in America and people with dark colored skin were not given the rights which white individuals enjoyed, she made a stand. Buses were segregated, whites in the front and blacks in the back. When there were not enough seats, a black person had to give up their seat to a white person. Rosa Parks decided that she did not want to sit in the back of the bus or give up her seat to a white person and she ended up going to jail for it. This was a break through for African Americans in that they realized they could peacefully stand up to their oppressors.

Martin Luther King Junior was another influential African American. He spoke out on the issues of segregation and discrimination. He led many marches and gave many speeches that supported a peaceful end to segregation. He was a martyr for the African American cause after he was shot and killed outside his motel room. 

Other important people and events which influenced African American life are as follows:

• Brown vs. Board of Education - end to segregation in education
• Harriet Tubman - led many slaves to freedom using the underground railroad
• Emancipation Proclamation - given by Abraham Lincoln which freed the slaves
• The Civil War - put a final end to slavery
• Nat Turner's Rebellion -  Slave rebellion
• Barack Obama - first black president of the United States
• Thurgood Marshall - first Supreme Court Justice of the United States
• William Lloyd Garrison - published the Liborator which advocated an end to all slavery
• Thirteenth Amendment to the constitution is ratified - prohibits slavery
• Fifteenth Amendment to the constitution is ratified - gives blacks the right to vote
• NAACP - committee which presses for end to segregation and more rights for blacks

African American songs

Akon-Beautiful


African American music has evolved completely. Its roots come from the slavery era when slaves would sing songs to pass the time in the fields. This music included titles such as Sing Low Sweet Chariot. These types of songs gave rise to negro spirituals. The next form of music which has its roots in African American culture was blues and Jazz. Some famous African American blues and jazz artists were Charlie Patton, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and Nat King Cole. African American music has since evolved in many different Directions. Hip Hop, R&B, and Rap are rooted in African American culture. Some of the more famous African American artists of today include 50 cent, Snoop Dog, Jay-Z, Beyonce, T-Pain, Lil Wayne, Rhianna, Chris Brown, Lil John, Lupe Fiasco, Wiz Khalifa, Kanye West, Xzibit, and Kid Cudi. The African American musical community has many negative connotations behind it which have been reinforced by song lyrics and more explicitly, the murder of black rappers Notorious B.I.G and Tupac. Gang violence, derogatory lyrics dealing with women, sex, drugs, and alcohol have given some of these rappers poor reputations but the talent they display in there rhythm and poetic lyrics is undeniably amazing. (other famous African American singers who did not fit into the Hip Hop category include Michael Jackson, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Prince, and the list goes on and on)






Some of the lyrics in these songs are explicit but the song shows what modern day African American music is like. They give good examples of negative lyrics but also show the talent of these musicians. None of the actions,words, or expressions used in these songs are condoned by the individuals who created this blog.

Pursuit of Happiness - Kid Kudi ft. MGMT

All of the Lights - Kanye West ft. Rhianna, Kid Cudi

Young, Wild, and Free - Wiz Khalifa ft. Snoop Dog

The Show Goes On - Lupe Fiasco

African American Poems

The Teacher

Lord, who am I to teach the way
To little children day by day,
So prone myself to go astray?

I teach them KNOWLEDGE, but I know
How faint they flicker and how low
The candles of my knowledge glow.

I teach them POWER to will and do,
But only now to learn anew
My own great weakness through and through.
I teach them LOVE for all mankind
And all God's creatures, but I find
My love comes lagging far behind.

Lord, if their guide I still must be,
Oh let the little children see
The teacher leaning hard on Thee.

Written by Leslie Pinckney Hill (1880-1960)