Amazing Annabelle-Black History Month and Other Celebrations

By Linda Taylor and Kyle Horne

Amazing Annabelle Celebrates Black History

During the month of February, Mrs. Mitchell’s class celebrates Black History Month, Valentine’s Day, and the 100th day of school. For Black History Month, the class is doing an Interactive Black History Museum, which requires research on famous African Americans.

For Valentine&rs

• Language: English
• Publisher: Touch Point Productions & Publishing
• Release date: May 3, 2018
• ISBN: 9781947829169

Book preview

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BLACK HISTORY PROJECTS

Even though February is the shortest month of the year, much was happening at Melville Elementary School. The celebrations included: Black History month, Valentine’s Day, the 100th day of school, and their winter break!

Annabelle counted only fourteen school days in the whole month! But that didn’t matter because she was going to make every day important by thoroughly enjoying everything.

On the first day of February, Mrs. Mitchell began a social studies unit on Black History by reading an awesome story about the life of Frederick Douglass to the class. She told them how he was born a slave in Maryland but later escaped to New York when he was twenty-one.

One of the things that made Frederick Douglass so important was that he became one of the great abolitionists of his time, which means he fought to end slavery. He spoke out about the hard and unkind conditions of slavery after experiencing those conditions himself.

Mrs. Mitchell then began to explain what slavery was and how it began. The room was as quiet as a mouse. Everyone listened closely, hanging on to each and every word their teacher said. Then she showed them a short video.

Annabelle could remember her dad talking with her about slavery and reading books recording the struggles and experiences slaves had. She remembered her mom reading a story about Harriet Tubman and how she used the Underground Railroad to lead slaves to the North where they could be free.

Clearly Annabelle was familiar with the topic of slavery, but by the look on many faces in the class, she could tell that some were hearing about it for the first time. Annabelle loved having Mrs. Mitchell as her teacher because she covered great topics that all students should know about. She always brought the lessons to life through interactive and entertaining activities.

She also grouped different personalities of the students together and allowed them to get to know each other better through working on a common task. Annabelle had never witnessed these things in her previous classes. Mrs. Mitchell was certainly one of a kind.

Once again, Mrs. Mitchell had an awesome Black History project the whole class was going to work on this month. She announced that they were going to set up an Interactive Black History Museum right in Melville Elementary School! It would take a lot of hard work, but she was very confident that her students could do it.

First, she said that the students would each choose a famous African American person and write a report about them.

Secondly, students would take part of their report and change it into a short narrative to tell the person’s story. Mrs. Mitchell said they needed to memorize it so they could tell the story without reading it, as if they were that person.

Then thirdly, students would transform into their famous African American by dressing like them and copying their mannerisms to make the person come to life. Mrs. Mitchell wanted all the students to do research about them and consider their accomplishments.

They would set up the auditorium like an Interactive Black