Black History Month activities for students to learn about African-American Inventors.
Black History Month Introduction
Show students a tub of ice cream and an ice cream scooper. Ask students what they have in common? Write their answers on the board. Students will give a variety of answers but most likely none will know that both of them were invented by African-American inventors in the 19th century. Tell students they should be thankful to Augustus Jackson who invented ice cream in 1832 and Alfred L. Cralle who introduced the ice cream scooper in 1897.
African American Inventors
Teacher tapes pictures of different inventions created by African-American Inventors that students can relate to such as the doorknob, supersoaker, toilet, and clothes dryer on the blackboard. Teacher has an open discussion on the purpose of the invention and how it impacts our lives. Students may brainstorm in small groups about a specific invention and then share their ideas and opinions about the invention with the class.
Purpose of the lesson is to highlight African-Americans who quietly made a difference in the past and continue to in the present. Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King are household names, but Otis Boykin, inventor of the pacemaker which has saved lives of every race, is not. Students are to choose an African-American inventor, research their invention and conclude if the invention is a success. No duplicates on African-American inventors as there are a multitude to choose from. As well, this can project can be done independently or in a group.
African American Inventors Project Outline
- Choose an African-American inventor
- Brief biography on the Inventor (include picture if available)
- Purpose of the invention
- Picture, sketch, or drawing of the invention
- Cost of the invention today
- Impact of the invention on people in the past and present
- Significance if the invention was not created
- Model of the invention
Black History Month Presentations
Each student will do a five minute presentation on his or her African-American inventor. Students focus is on the African-American inventor and illustrating the purpose of the invention and its usefulness in the world. As well, students make a prediction about how the absence of the invention would affect the world.
Completed projects, with the models, can be displayed in the library or at the front of the school for other students to view. Students will stop to read if the information relates to them. A models of inventions make a great display to get kids interested in learning about black history.
