Activity Overview
After listening to the brief descriptions of African American changemakers throughout history in the award winning books 28 Days and The Undefeated, students will choose one African American changemaker to research and then create a biography poster of important facts and visual attributes to represent that person.
These posters can be printed out, laminated and hung around the room as a powerful reminder of these notable people and their accomplishments.
Students can also present their posters to their classmates, sharing their knowledge about their person.
The posters could also be combined into a book or “dictionary” and that students could read to younger grades for a school-wide, community building activity!
Find more biography poster templates to add to this assignment if desired!
African American Changemakers Mentioned in Undefeated
- Jesse Owens (1913-1980)
- Jack Johnson (1878-1946)
- Romare Bearden (1911-1988)
- Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960)
- Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000)
- Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937)
- Augusta Savage (1892-1962)
- Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784)
- Langston Hughes (1902-1967)
- Aaron Douglas (1899-1979)
- John Lewis (1940-2020)
- Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)
- Wilma Rudolph (1940-1994)
- Michael Jordan (1963-)
- Althea Gibson (1927-2003)
- Muhammad Ali (1942-2016)
- Sheryl Swoopes (1971-)
- Serena Williams (1981-)
- Reece Whitley (2000-)
- Lebron James (1984-)
- Thelonious Monk (1917-1982)
- Louis Armstrong (1901-1971)
- Billie Holiday (1915-1959)
- Miles Davis (1926-1991)
- Duke Ellington (1899-1974)
- Sarah Vaughn (1924-1990)
- Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996)
- Emmet Till (1941-1955)
- Trayvon Martin (1995-2012)
- Michael Brown (1996-2014)
- Tamir Rice (2002-2014)
- Sandra Bland (1987-2015)
- 233,000 Black soldiers during the Civil War
- Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Roberson, Carol Denise McNair (victims of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, 9/15/1963)
Additional African American Changemakers in 28 Days
- Crispus Attucks (1723–1770)
- Dred Scott (1799-1858)
- Robert Smalls (1839-1915)
- Daniel Hale Williams (1858-1931)
- Matthew Henson (1866-1955)
- Harriet Tubman (1820?-1913)
- Henry Johnson (1897-1929)
- Madam C.J. Walker (1867-1919)
- Bessie Coleman (1892-1926)
- Marian Anderson (1897-1993)
- Jackie Robinson (1919-1972)
- Rosa Parks (1913-2005)
- Althea Gibson (1927-2003)
- Arthur Ashe (1943-1993)
- Little Rock Nine
- Malcolm X (1925-1965)
- Thurgood Marshall (1908-1993)
- Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005)
- Hank Aaron (1934-)
- Guy Bluford (1942-)
- Mae Jemison (1956-)
- Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)
- Oprah Winfrey (1954-)
Template and Class Instructions
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Due Date:
Objective: Research an important person highlighted in 28 days or Undefeated. Create a poster that includes their important accomplishments.
Student Instructions:
- Choose a famous person.
- Using 28 Days, Undefeated and other school resources, conduct research on a famous person or event and take notes using a graphic organizer.
- On the poster, include your person’s name and dates of birth, death and major accomplishments in sequence.
- Add appropriate scenes, characters, and items to illustrate your poster.
Requirements: Person’s image, name, dates of birth/death, 1-3 major accomplishments, 1-6 illustrations
Lesson Plan Reference
- [ELA-Literacy/W/9-10/2] Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content
- [ELA-Literacy/W/9-10/6] Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically
- [ELA-Literacy/W/9-10/7] Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation
Rubric
(You can also create your own on Quick Rubric.)
| Proficient | Emerging | Needs Improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Description | The description includes at least five important facts about the famous or historic figure. | The description includes less than five important facts or it includes information that is not pertinent to the famous or historic figure. | The description is incomplete and does not contain important information about the famous or historic figure. |
| Artistic Depictions | The art chosen to depict the scenes, characters and items that are appropriate to the famous or historic figure. They enhance the poster by symbolizing or illustrating important facts about the figure. Time and care is taken to ensure that the scenes are neat, eye-catching, and creative. | The art chosen to depict the scenes, characters and items are mostly accurate, but there may be some liberties taken that distract from the assignment. Scene constructions are neat, and meet basic expectations. | The art chosen to depict the scenes, characters and items is too limited or incomplete. |
| English Conventions | Ideas are organized. There are few or no grammatical, mechanical, or spelling errors. | Ideas are mostly organized. There are some grammatical, mechanical, or spelling errors. | Storyboard text is difficult to understand. |
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Black History 6-8
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