In Woodland Class, we discussed why we have Black History Week and its significance. Then we explored the life of Bessie Coleman – the first Black, female pilot. The children were fascinated by her life story and asked some wonderful questions, which we then investigated further as a class.
In Ocean Class, we watched a video of Floella Benjamin explaining why she feels Black History Month is so important. We then shared her book about how she came to England when she was a little girl, along with her parents and siblings. We all agreed that we should treat each other with kindness and respect regardless of things like the colour of your skin.’
In Mountains Class we thought about ‘What is Black History? Why is it important? Why do we have it?’ The children were able to discuss (using prior knowledge) people such as Rosa Parks, Mary Seacole and Barak Obama and why their stories and achievements were important and inspirational. We then looked at Carter G. Woodson who, in 1926, introduced a week-long event to recognise and celebrate the history and achievements of Black people and how that event inspired movements around the world to challenge racism. Children then researched and completed a knowledge grid of key Black figures from history or the present day. They found out about people such as George Washington Carver, Nelson Mandela, Dr Mae Jemison, Alice Coachman, Bishop Wilfred Wood and Marcus Rashford. The children then shared their research.
