Researching real people helps students to gain a more concrete and compassionate understanding of the culture, lives and diverse perspectives of people who were enslaved in America and people who worked to end slavery. Giving students the perspective of those who lived during a time period helps them go beyond simply memorizing dates and names to acquire a more substantial, empathetic and realistic view of the period. In this activity, students will create a biography poster about a notable enslaved person or someone who worked to end slavery.
Teachers can assign students specific people or give students a choice. Teachers may wish to provide resources such as books or the online encyclopedia Britannica for students to read about their person. These posters can be printed out, laminated, and hung around the room as a visual reminder of notable people from the time of American Slavery. Students can also present their posters to their classmates, sharing their knowledge about their person. Thus combining research, writing and public speaking skills into one powerful assignment.
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Due Date:
Objective: Research a famous or notable person that relates to the period of Slavery in America such as an enslaved person or an abolitionist. Create a biography poster that highlights important events in their life and accomplishments.
Student Instructions:
Requirements: Person’s image, name, dates of birth/death, 3-5 important events and/or accomplishments.
Enhance your students' research skills and promote critical thinking by guiding them to use primary sources—like letters, photographs, or historical documents—when creating their biography posters. This approach helps students analyze authentic materials and connect more personally with the people they're studying.
Show students how to locate reliable, grade-level primary sources on trusted websites such as the Library of Congress, National Archives, or museum digital collections. Demonstrate simple search strategies, and discuss how to evaluate the credibility and relevance of sources.
Encourage students to choose sources that illustrate key moments or achievements in their subject’s life. Discuss why these sources are meaningful and how they add depth to the biography poster.
Work together to break down the information in each primary source. Prompt students to answer questions like: Who created this? What does it tell us? Why is it important? Then, help them write a brief summary or caption in their own words for the poster.
Facilitate a gallery walk or class presentation where students explain how their chosen primary sources deepen understanding of their historical figure. Celebrate their research skills and thoughtful connections!
A slavery in America biography poster activity is a classroom project where students research a notable enslaved person or abolitionist, then create a poster that highlights their life, achievements, and impact. This helps students build empathy and a deeper understanding of history.
Encourage students to use trusted resources like books or online encyclopedias (e.g., Britannica) to gather facts about their chosen person. Provide a list of suggested individuals and help students identify key life events and accomplishments to include on their posters.
Each poster should feature the person's name, image, birth/death dates, and 3-5 key events or accomplishments. Adding descriptive words and images can make the poster more engaging and informative.
Researching real people helps students gain a more empathetic and realistic understanding of history. It moves learning beyond memorization to exploring diverse perspectives and the lived experiences of individuals.
Yes, students can present their posters to classmates, which reinforces research, writing, and public speaking skills while sharing knowledge about important historical figures.