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3 Ways to Engage Students in Meaningful Conversations and Learning during Black History Month
Can you believe that it is almost February already? There are so many special holidays and celebrations in February that you can include in your middle school curriculum, but the most important one that I celebrate with students is Black History Month. It is an essential time for students to learn about the incredible contributions of Black leaders, thinkers, and trailblazers throughout history as well as current African Americans who are making a difference and leaving their mark. I have always enjoyed being able to introduce my students to amazing individuals that they have never learned about.
Now I know what you may be thinking already. As teachers, we strive to create meaningful learning experiences each and every day to help students learn essential skills and help them grow academically AND want to celebrate Black History Month and other heritage months, but with a packed curriculum and pacing guide, it can be challenging to find an easy way to incorporate Black History Month lessons and hit your standards.
That’s why I’m excited to share 3 ways that I am able to easily fit purposeful Black History Month material into my ELA classroom every day in February without sacrificing the standards and skills that I need to teach. These Black History Month activities are designed to spark curiosity, encourage critical thinking, and create meaningful collaboration with your students.
Whether you’re looking for a Black History Month bulletin board, daily bell ringers, or research projects that encourage independent learning, these resources will help you create a powerful and enriching Black History Month experience for your students.
8 Black History Month Bulletin Board Ideas for Middle School
A Black History Month bulletin board is one of the easiest ways to bring meaningful learning into your classroom without giving up instructional time. Here are eight ideas that work especially well with middle school students:
- Quote Wall with Critical Thinking Questions. Display powerful quotes from Black leaders, writers, and activists like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Fannie Lou Hamer, and John Lewis, and pair each one with a question that gets students thinking and talking.
- Then & Now. Pair leaders from the Civil Rights Movement, like Rosa Parks and John Lewis, with today’s changemakers, like President Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, and Simone Biles, to show students how history connects to the present.
- Author & Poet Spotlight. Feature Black authors and poets, like Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Amanda Gorman, and Jason Reynolds, with a short biography and an excerpt or line from their work. It’s a natural fit for the ELA classroom.
- Student-Created Biography Banners. Let students research an influential African American, like Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Thurgood Marshall, or Katherine Johnson, and create a banner to display. Your bulletin board becomes a showcase of student learning.
- Interactive Question Board. Post a new question each week and let students respond on sticky notes. For example: “Ruby Bridges was only six years old when she helped integrate her school. What does courage look like at your age?” It’s an easy way to keep the board active all month long.
- “Did You Know?” Inventors & Innovators. Highlight Black inventors, scientists, and innovators like Garrett Morgan (the three-position traffic signal), George Washington Carver, Madam C.J. Walker, Mae Jemison (the first Black woman in space), and Lonnie Johnson (the Super Soaker), whose work students may never have learned about.
- Classroom Door Display. Short on wall space? Turn your door into a display that introduces a new person or quote each week, like aviator Bessie Coleman, Olympian Jesse Owens, or baseball legend Jackie Robinson.
- Hallway Gallery Walk. Line the hallway with posters and questions about leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Fannie Lou Hamer, and John Lewis so students (and the whole school!) can walk, read, and reflect.
Create a Black History Month Bulletin Board
The easiest way to introduce your students to influential African Americans without sacrificing instructional time is to create a Black History Month bulletin board. The bulletin board could focus on a wide range of individuals or you could narrow it down to African American authors, poets, and writers.
It could include photographs, biographies, quotes, or even be an interactive experience with questions for students to discuss or answer individually. This could be used as part of a gallery walk experience or an early finishers enrichment activity. If you don’t have a lot of bulletin board space, you could showcase a person or quote a day.
Do you want a visually engaging Black History Month bulletin board in your classroom, but don’t have the time to create it from scratch? No worries! I’ve spent hours researching and creating the perfect Black History Month bulletin board kit for you.
Students will have the opportunity to read the words of Civil Rights Movement leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, and Fannie Lou Hamer to current African American individuals like President Barack Obama, Simone Biles, and Kamala Harris.
📌 What’s Included?
This MADE FOR YOU bulletin board kit includes 2 bulletin board sets that contain 66 posters.
- Bulletin Board Set #1
- 30 Color Posters
- 30 H.O.T. Questions
- Bulletin Board Letters
- Bulletin Board Set #2
- 36 Color Posters
- 36 Color Posters w/ Black Text
- 36 Black and White Posters
- 36 Editable Biographies
- 36 Editable H.O.T. Questions
- Bulletin Board Letters
💡 How can you use these Black History Month Posters?
- Traditional Bulletin Board
- Hallway or Door Display
- Gallery Walk Experience
- Learning Stations
- Conversation Starters
🔗 Grab the Black History Month Bulletin Board Kit Here!
How to Run a Black History Month Gallery Walk
A gallery walk turns your bulletin board posters into an interactive lesson. Here’s how I set one up:
- Hang the posters around the room (or in the hallway) with a question or discussion prompt next to each one.
- Put students in small groups and give each group a starting poster.
- Set a timer for 3–5 minutes per poster. Students read, discuss, and record their responses on a graphic organizer or sticky notes.
- Rotate until every group has visited each poster, or choose a set number of stations to fit your class time.
- Close with a whole-class discussion. Ask students which person surprised them most, or which quote stuck with them, and why.
Gallery walks also make a great early finisher activity or learning station throughout the month.
Start Class with Black History Month Daily Bell Ringers
If you’re looking for an effortless way to incorporate reading and responding practice into your daily routine, Black History Month bell ringers are the perfect solution!
Each day I introduce students to either an important African American individual or a short piece of text. In addition, I also include a mini biography or background information on the text. This not only gives students a bit more context, but helps them work on their reading comprehension skills.
Students are typically given between 5-10 minutes to read and answer their bell ringer question, depending on the length of the text. We then spend a few minutes discussing the person or text and sharing out thoughts. These conversations are always my favorite part of these bell ringers.
The best part about using bell ringer time to incorporate Black History Month learning is that you can easily fit this into your beginning of class routine and then move onto your ELA content and standards without missing a beat.
If you’d like to implement this with your students, but don’t have the time or desire to create a month of bell ringers, I’m here to help. I’ve created a set of 30 print and digital bell ringers for you that comes with everything you need to implement in your class. In addition, this resource makes it easy to highlight influential figures or texts while strengthening students’ reading, writing, and critical thinking skills.
📌 What’s Included?
- 30 print and Google Slides bell ringers
- Daily Bell ringers Display PPT Slides
- Bell ringer Video Links
- Editable templates to modify for all students
- Printer-friendly student materials
🎯 Skills students will develop:
- Close reading & comprehension
- Analyzing nonfiction texts
- Responding to critical thinking questions
- Writing & reflection skills
💡 How to use these bell ringers:
- Kickstart each class with a new historical figure or event.
- Use them as discussion starters for small groups or whole-class conversations.
- Assign digital versions for homework or independent study.
🔗 Get the Black History Month Bell Ringers Here!
Scaffolded Black History Month Research Projects
Want to take student learning to the next level during Black History Month? Give your students the chance to not only learn about influential African Americans, but to also become the educators.
I absolutely love creating mini research projects for my students to create this month. These projects allow me to review important research and writing skills with my students in a fun and engaging way. Students actually want to do the research and work when they are able to present it in a creative way instead of a boring writing composition.
Increased student engagement and learning + being able to teach and assess students’ skills=a HUGE win in my book!
Another benefit to these research projects is that you can introduce or reinforce skills like quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing while discussing how these tools help students avoid plagiarism and how to strengthen their text evidence skills.
Over the years, I have created tons of different project formats for students, but there are four project types that are consistently most requested by students: biography banners, social media templates, trading cards, and a stamp design.
I have created no-prep and editable versions of each project type to help save you time and make it easier to implement these projects for all students in your classroom. These Black History Month print and digital research projects encourage students to dive deep into the lives and legacies of influential Black leaders, inventors, writers, and activists.
📚 Research Project Options:
- Biography Banners – Students research and create visual banners showcasing biographical information and key accomplishments.
- Social Media Templates – A fun way to reimagine history through modern-day platforms!
- Trading Card Templates – Students design informational trading cards featuring historical figures.
- Stamp Design + Biography Project – Students design a commemorative stamp and write a biography explaining the honoree’s impact.
📌 What’s Included?
- Scaffolded research activities with guiding questions
- Suggested research websites to ensure credible sources
- Suggested list of African Americans to research
- Mini-lesson on paraphrasing, quoting, and summarizing (to prevent plagiarism)
- Strong & weak student samples to set clear expectations
- Teacher guides for easy implementation
💡 How to use these projects:
- Introduction to Research Pre-Assessment
- Independent Assignments
- Group Projects
- Sub Plans
- Early Finisher Activities
🎨 Bonus! Completed projects can be used to create a classroom bulletin board, door display, or hallway exhibit, showcasing student learning and creativity.
🔗 Get All Four Black History Month Research Projects Here!
Make Black History Month Meaningful & Stress-Free
Teaching about Black history shouldn’t feel overwhelming. With these engaging, ready-to-use Black History Month activities, you’ll have everything you need to spark discussions, deepen understanding, and celebrate the rich contributions of Black leaders throughout history.
💡 Recap of what’s available:
✔️ Black History Month bulletin board – 66 posters + critical thinking questions
✔️ Black History Month bell ringers – 30 engaging daily activities
✔️ Black History Month research projects – Interactive, student-driven learning
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Black History Month Resources
Bulletin boards, daily bell ringers, and research projects for February.
