Black History from a Decolonized Perspective Group Class

3rd to 7th Grade Black History  

This African American studies course is designed to develop an understanding of the causes, character, and consequences of the African American experience and its influence on the world, the United States, and the African American community. Beginning with a historical, geographical, social, political, economic, and cultural understanding of the African continent, the course will provide a descriptive and corrective overview which will introduce the student to the study of the African and African American experiences.  Why start here? Most Eurocentric curricula begin African American history with their enslavement, completely leaving out the rich cultural history many Africans had in their own societies.  

Here is the week class topic  

1 Ancient Africa, Geography, Ancient Egypt, West Africa, Kingdoms  

2 African Explorations of the World  

3 Great Zimbabwe, Axum and Weakening of Africa 

4 Slavery in the Americas 

5 Neo-slavery; abolition, Civil Rights and constitutional rights 

6 The soul of African Americans 

7 Contributions of African Americans to the US and to the world 

8 Current state of African Americans (The Black Revolution)  

The sources used in class need to come from widely respected scholars/professionals in the field including Darlene Clark Hine, William Hine, and Lisbeth Grant-Britton (All African American Educators and well respected authors, writers, and leaders in their fields.  2 very important titles we will be using to create this class are  

1. Holt African American History 

2. The  African-American Odyssey Both books are written by highly respected black authors and leaders in their fields and are widely regarded as the best options when it comes to teaching history from a decolonized perspective.  

 Resources used that deal with racism and discrimination will be handled in a gentle yet inquisitive way to promote the openness and learning of others. Students will be taught how disagree in a positive manner.   

This class is structured to promote engagement, curiosity, and creative thinking among learners. We will use slides, videos, discussions, and games to interact with our learners.   My teaching style is very laid back, but I also like to encourage learners to participate. I like to be sure all of our students have a chance to speak.   

Here is the typical class structure 15 minutes reviewing homework 25 minute lesson with discussions (may include a video on the topic not to exceed 5 minutes) We do a lot of discussion in this class. Oral discussion is a research backed way to help students build comprehension skills as well as develop and helping to retain information. I ask a lot of questions and may call on students to help build rapport and confidence. I encourage participation but am sure to be positive and kind when giving feedback.    

Students do not need any previous experience to take this class.