Schools celebrate Black History Month

West Hempstead

Throughout the month of February, Black History Month, the West Hempstead school district will incorporate the black history theme into the curriculum, classroom lessons and homework.

Students in the West Hempstead elementary schools — Chestnut Street, George Washington and Cornwell Avenue — will explore prominent black Americans, including President Barack Obama, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., George Washington Carver, Maya Angelous and Harriet Tubman.

Second graders will do a special presentation that follows their exploration of these famous and prominent individuals, according to Superintendent John Hogan. Students and will also participate in create wall murals.

Students in the third, fourth and fifth grades will examine the difficulties faced historically by black Americans, with an emphasis on the improved present and future, Hogan said.

At the secondary level, teachers and students will explore and develop an appreciate for the ways in which African Americans have helped develop and change the fabric of American society, according to Hogan. They will transform classrooms into interactive black history museums showcasing the students’ creativity.

Students will be assigned a person or event related to black history that they will research in order to create a museum display of their choice, ranging from posters filled with pictures to primary documents to student-made documentaries.

Students at all grade levels are invited to the museums, appropriately called “Treasures of Black History,” to walk around and analyze each display by answering questions related to various topics presented. They will also have the opportunity to listen to music influenced by black culture and history, including Motown and Jazz, and to hear a number of key speeches, including the famous “I have a dream” speech delivered by Dr. King in 1963.

Malverne

Throughout the month of February, Black History Month, the Malverne school district will incorporate the black history theme into the curriculum, classroom lessons and homework.

Maurice W. Downing Primary School
Kindergarten students will read books about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and make an MLK mini book. They will learn about Dr. King’s peacemaking ideology and then apply it to their “peacemaker rules,” and study the authors of African-American children’s books and the stories of renowned historical figures, including Ruby Bridges and Harriet Tubman.

According to Deputy Superintendent Richard Banyon, students will apply the concepts of respect and compassion to class discussion and then write about how they treat each other now.

First-grade students will participate in read-aloud lessons that incorporate the black history theme, learn about significant figures and, for homework, write composition pieces on those individuals. Second graders will read biographies of African Americans and write book reports on their chosen individual. Three second-grade teachers will also put together an assembly on the subject of black history and heritage.

Special education students in kindergarten through second grade will borrow biographies of African Americans from the school library and complete book reports on them.

Davison Avenue Intermediate School
Some third and fourth graders in the district will learn and recite a poem by Maya Angelou at the Davison Avenue school’s Peacemakers Assembly program, while others will write reports and biographies on well-known African Americans, and other still will prepare hall displays outside their classrooms.

Banyon said some classes will research famous quotes, proclamations and people, and make “museums” out of shoeboxes or  produce posters and reports for hall displays and to share with other students throughout the school building.

One class will learn about Jackie Robinson and his story of “Breaking the Color Barrier in Baseball,” while another class will study an interactive unit, “The Underground Railroad,” on the computer.

Additionally, Banyon said, Black History Month posters and banners celebrating black scientists, politicians, entertainers, sports figures and others are displayed throughout the building

Howard T. Herber Middle School
Fifth and sixth graders will participate in a poetry café on Feb. 11 in which they will share their favorite poems written by African-American poets. On Feb. 18 at 2 p.m., students in the fifth through eighth grades will participate in an assembly called “Carnivale” that focuses on contributions of black musicians to music and features traditional drumming and dancing.

The school’s music staffers will play music written and performed by black musicians over the public announcement system for two weeks. A brief historical lesson on each composer will accompany his or her piece.

Some students will be doing mini research projects on African Americans of their choosing, while others will create posters that feature noted African Americans in the fields of science, math, arts and literature. The posters will be posted throughout the middle school building.

Malverne High School
The English Department will host a Black History Month author celebration for the district’s high school students at the Malverne High School Library, while the Social Studies Department will have students conduct a study of African-American figures as part of their course work.

Like the middle school, the high school building will be decorated in posters displaying prominent African-American figures in the fields of science, math, arts and literature.

All high school teachers are invited to bring their classes to the library to participate in an “African-American Read-in Chain,” according to Deputy Superintendent Richard Banyon.

The Physical Education Department will begin each of its lessons with a sports history trivia question that incorporate black history and historical figures. Question subjects include the NBA, the olympics, baseball home-run records, golf, the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the superbowl.