Black History: Misty Copeland

If you are tired of your students doing the same thing every year for Black History Month, this is just the activity set for them! A completely different approach, this set is focuses on Misty Copeland, a person currently making history. It is important that students see themselves in a positive light. This activity aims to inspire students by highlighting the accomplishments of someone who has defied the odds and opened doors for others.

The Purpose:

The purpose of this activity is to expose students to black people who are currently making history. Students are often inundated with information about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and they can speak about Rosa Parks, but what they may not know is that there are people of their generation, who look like them now, who are currently making history.

The activities can be used for students from 6th – 12th grade.

What’s Included:

➢ 1 Informational Text Passage: The passage informs students about Misty Copeland and her accomplishments.

➢ 2 Discussion Questions and 1 sentence starter: These questions can be answered independently, and THEN used for discussion, OR the class can simply discuss them without student preparation.

➢ 4 Tasks

* Task 1 requires students to use the internet to complete a Google search. In the passage, there are bolded and highlighted terms. Students may choose one of these terms to research, OR the teacher can assign small groups different topics from the text.

Each group can then share what they have learned through discussion.

Another option is to have students illustrate their findings on chart paper for display in a gallery walk.

* Task 2 uses QR codes to expand students’ knowledge about ballet, Misty Copeland, and the effect of her accomplishments.

* Task 3 has students read current news about Misty Copeland. Students choose an article to read and write an objective summary about it.

* Task 4 requires students to reflect on something they have been told they could not do. In a constructed response, students consider how they deal with the rejection.