Black History Month Project

This is the project I spoke in my article, it was a Black History Month Project, which was meant to challenge the students to get to the core of this delicate issue.  We agreed that the theme of the project should deal with the cultural and historical significance of this month. At first, students brainstormed issues that might figure in their project. Through discussion and negotiation, they decided to dwell upon the controversy of the month, historical background and three most significant representatives in Black History.

We viewed the final outcome in the form of a poster where the most significant search results should be exhibited. The project was thought in black and white which was supposed to represent the present-day harmonious coexistence of the Black and White races.

While structuring the project it was decided what kind of information was needed and where to find it. Then the students devised the tasks among them.

As February was chosen to honor Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln I assigned another task for them which would involve both creativity and concrete historic data. Thus, the students were asked to take an imaginary interview from Abraham Lincoln. They should think of two questions they would like to ask the 16th president of the USA. The third question took into consideration the modern context and said: “Mr. Lincoln, what do you think of the 2008 presidential elections and of the 44th president of the USA?” Then the students were supposed to think of possible answers. In this way several important events were mentioned, i.e. The Gettysburg Address, The Emancipation Proclamation as well as some information concerning the president’s political career and personal life. This was a proof that the students had done some research before answering the questions.

After the information was gathered, it was thoroughly analyzed. The students decided upon what to preserve in group. After a fruitful discussion we agreed that we should place in the center of the poster Langston Hugh’s poem Dreams. Students made a parallel between the poem and Martin Luther King Jr’s famous speech I Have A Dream. Thus, we came to the conclusion that Black History is a history paved with dreams. We decided that if the Cherokee had a “Trail of Tears” then the Black people in the USA followed the Trail of Dreams.

At the end, the students were asked to “have their say” and express their opinion whether there is still the need to have such a month. Afterwards I asked them to evaluate themselves.

I enjoyed working on this project together with my students as it enabled me to see how they perceive the Black History Month. Besides, it appears to be the best way of combining creativity with specific information in the acquisition of English as a second language.

The project work described in this article was well-received by the students who thought it engaging and meaningful. They found the process rewarding, intrinsically motivating, and educationally useful.

P.S. In case you would like to see the project we worked on this year (It took a while till we finalized it) go to: https://vickycondrat.wordpress.com/2012/04/12/sweet-november-this-is-the-book-of-youth/