me arts ed

Teaching Resources

I’m happy to see that there are so many teaching resources available on Juneteenth. I realize that with many schools across the country that the most meaningful teaching on the important topic needs to take place during other times in the school year or perhaps in communities. Educators know that ‘teachable moments’ happen anytime and in many places.

Finally our country, in 2021, made June 19th a federal holiday known as Juneteenth, Juneteenth Independence Day, Emancipation Day, Jubilee Day or Freedom Day. It commemorates the day in 1865 when over 250,000 enslaved Black people in Texas were informed that the Civil War was won months earlier and they were finally free.

Below are some of the plethora of teaching resources available. I took them from two resources, both have put them together from a variety of sources. Of course, I suggest that you take a close look at them to be sure they fit your needs as a teacher and the students you serve.

Americans Who Tell the Truth

• Reflections on Juneteenth Inspired by a recent interview with King: A Life author Jonathon Eig, Kathleen Caldwell put this together for the holiday.
• 5 UC Berkeley Experts Pick Library Materials to Help us Reflect on Juneteenth

National Education Association

BACKGROUND READING AND INFORMATION

• Juneteenth: How and Why It Should Be Taught in K-12 Schools
  Sonya Douglass, a professor of education leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University, spoke to Education Week on how and why educators teach about Juneteenth and the broader value for all students in expanding how Black history is taught.
• Teaching Juneteenth (Learning for Justice)
  The history of Juneteenth acknowledges hard history while also empowering students to be advocates for change.
• Juneteenth: Black History for White People
  Black History for White People’s podcast series dedicates an episode to the history of Juneteenth, sharing some stories from the past, and tying the throughline to why and how people celebrate Juneteenth.
• When and How to Talk to Children About Enslavement: Discussion Questions for Educators
  This Teaching for Change article suggests questions to “help the early childhood community, families, and social justice activists to get started on this essential discussion.”
• Celebrating Juneteenth (for young students)
  National Geographic for Kids presents an overview of the history of Juneteenth

VIDEOS

• Juneteenth
  BrainPOP presents a short video on the history of Juneteenth, along with classroom activities and discussion questions for elementary students.
• Juneteenth Explained
  Video-creation software company Vyond created this short, animated video for younger audiences that concisely presents the history of Juneteeth. 
• Why Juneteenth is Important for America
  The Root released this video about the importance of Juneteenth in 2018. It includes information on the violent backlashBlack Americans faced from white Americans opposing their freedom.
• Meet the Grandmother of Juneteenth 
  Opal Lee fought for decades to have Juneteenth recognized as a national holiday. Watch her interview on Good Morning America in 2021, after attending the ceremony where President Biden made June 19 a federal holiday.

LESSONS AND ACTIVITIES

• NMAAHC Kids: Understanding & Celebrating Juneteenth
  The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture offers a PDF guide to understanding and celebrating Juneteenth for children.
• History of Juneteenth and Why it’s Now a National Holiday (grades 6-12)
  In this this lesson from PBS, students will explore and discuss the history and context around the Juneteenth holiday in the United States. Topics explored include the history of racial injustice in the U.S., the Civil War and the limitations of the Emancipation Proclamation. Additionally, students are encouraged to explore the modern significance of Juneteenth and its long-term impact. 
• Teaching Hard Hard History: American Slavery
  No discussion or lesson on Juneteenth is complete without an understanding of slavery in the United States. Learning for Justice offers a framework and the ability to build a learning plan around the history of slavery in the United States.
• Celebrate Juneteenth!
  The National Council of Teachers of English’s Read, Write, Think website offers a classroom activity designed around having students compare Juneteenth and the 4th of July using Venn diagramming.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS

• Books for Students About Juneteenth
  Honor the day that Black Americans gained their freedom with these Read Across America recommended titles to help students learn more about the history and traditions of Juneteenth.
• Kids Books Read Aloud: Juneteenth for Mazie
  Storytime with Little Book Book reads Floyd Cooper’s picture book.

ISTE – International Society for Technology in Education

• The National Museum of African American History and Culture The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth is an article with photographs from the Smithsonian that provides context for Juneteenth. It covers the Emancipation Proclamation, the Thirteenth Amendment and Reconstruction.
• PBS Learning Media Juneteenth: All About the Holidays is a short video that offers an introduction for younger students. This PDF offers grades 3-5 vocabulary words and photographs.
• Juneteenth.com This World Wide Celebration website offers historical information and archives of Juneteenth celebrations in the news and connects those celebrating the holiday. 
• The Morningside Center “Juneteenth. Why is it Important to America?” is an article that includes a lesson plan with a short video and discussion questions about the holiday.
• The Library of Congress Collections The Library is full of original sources. Check out The Birth of Juneteenth, Voices of the Enslaved, and Juneteenth Celebration: A Local Legacy. Harriet Smith, a slave in Hays County, Texas, tells interviewer John Henry Faulk about the day she and the other plantation slaves were freed.
• Read Write Think. This classroom activity asks students to make a Venn diagram comparing Juneteenth and July 4. Several resources are linked here, including the Emancipation Proclamation housed at the National Archives and Records Administration’s site.
• The New York Times So You Want to Learn About Juneteenth? is an article that puts the celebration in the context of the 2020 protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police.
• Learning for Justice Teaching Juneteenth. This article from Learning for Justice, formerly Teaching Tolerance, uses the holiday to empower students to advocate for societal change.
• The History Channel What is Juneteenth? This overview of the holiday offers facts and a short video with links to many other related topics.
• TED-Ed What is Juneteenth, and Why is it Important? Karlos K. Hill and Soraya Field Fiorio tells the story of a young slave in Texas who learns the slavery has ended and her enslaver is keeping it a secret.
• Teach for America Celebrate Juneteenth offers articles, lesson plans, and ideas for books and movies to celebrate Juneteenth.
• Democracy Now! James Earl Jones reads Frederick Douglass’s historic speech, “What to the Slave is 4th of July?”