February marks the beginning of Black History Month in the United States and Canada, a time for recognizing the challenges, contributions, and achievements of individuals who worked for a more just and fair society. In schools, it’s an opportunity to reflect on pivotal events, learn about prominent leaders, and inspire students to envision a more inclusive future. To support educators and meaningful learning experiences for students, Microsoft offers tools to design engaging activities for Black History Month.
Dive into Minecraft Education to explore Lessons in Good Trouble, discover the Coretta Scott King Rose Gallery virtual museum experience, and create custom Black History Month learning activities with Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat. Join us in celebrating Black history and its profound impact on society.
Create good trouble with Minecraft Education
With Lessons in Good Trouble from Minecraft Education, your students can step into history and join global civil rights activists as they march, ride, sit, and stand for equality and positive change. With an updated Minecraft world and lesson plan designed for students ages 8-14, Lessons in Good Trouble lets students discover their own power to create change.
Centered on the life of former US Congressional Representative and civil rights leader John Lewis, students explore pivotal moments in the fight for equality throughout history and meet changemakers like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malala Yousafzai, Mahatma Gandhi, and more. Through immersive challenges, students experience the struggles of different time periods while learning how activism can inspire meaningful change.
Just like other Minecraft experiences, students dive into history by completing building-based challenges and reflective writing activities such as:
- Reflecting on segregation during the Civil Rights Movement
- Constructing a stage for a suffragette rally
- Helping to rebuild a school in Pakistan
- Creating a monument to an anti-Apartheid leader
By the end of their journey, your students will have insight into how activists create change by challenging systems of inequality and make meaningful choices that positively impact others. Explore the accompanying Good Trouble lesson plan for additional activities that reinforce what students experience in Minecraft.
New to Minecraft? Any educator can learn to integrate Minecraft into their teaching practice with Minecraft Teacher Academy. Discover free, on-demand content, a lively online community of educators, and training cohorts. Learn how to use Minecraft Education’s features and explore curriculum alongside your peers. Continue your adventure by joining the Minecraft Teachers’ Lounge, a moderated Facebook community with more than 10,000 members. Get inspired by the amazing ways educators are using Minecraft across their curriculum!
Explore Coretta Scott King’s enduring legacy
Mrs. Coretta Scott King was a powerful advocate for non-violent resistance and racial equality. As the founder of The King Center, she established a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing Dr. King’s teachings through education and community programs.
Introduce your students to Coretta Scott King‘s inspiring legacy. Together with The King Center, we’ve created an immersive gallery experience that chronicles her enduring legacy. Discover the story of a woman who devoted her life to advocating for social justice and peace with unwavering faith, courage, and dignity.
Join us to experience an immersive gallery that captures and celebrates her lasting impact.
Create resources and activities for Black History Month with Copilot Chat
Copilot Chat can help you create custom materials, resources, or activities tailored to your students’ needs and interests. Focus on any historical figure, event, or theme, and Copilot Chat will assist you in creating flexible and creative ways to enrich your classroom.
Try these ready-to-use prompts in Copilot Chat to create engaging activities:
- Describe what happened during the student sit-in at a Woolworth’s lunch counter on February 1, 1960, from the perspective of the Greensboro Four. Include information about why they chose to sit-in, what happened, and why this was an important event during the Civil Rights Movement. Then, create a podcast assignment for [grade level] students that requires them to conduct additional research and develop an engaging broadcast about the event.
- Generate a list of black civil rights activists who made contributions to fair labor and working conditions. Organize the list by decades and include the name of the activists along with a paragraph that describes their lasting impact on labor and work practices. Then, suggest an engaging activity for my [grade level] students to explore this information, incorporating interactive or creative elements.
- Create an activity that helps [grade level] students form connections between Coretta Scott King’s accomplishments and today’s social justice issues. The activity should reference The Coretta Scott King Rose Gallery (https://unlocked.microsoft.com/dear-coretta-king-center/) and include opportunities for students to reflect and engage in hands-on learning.
These prompts are just a starting point. You can refine them to focus on other perspectives, historical eras, or themes. For example, ask Copilot Chat to describe events from a different viewpoint, focus on the period from 1850-1950, or create an activity that fits within your class period.
To further enrich your students’ understanding of Dr. King’s historical contributions, check out our Martin Luther King Jr. Day blog post for additional ideas and Copilot Chat prompts.
If you’re new to Copilot Chat, make sure to explore our blog “Meet your AI assistant for education” to learn how it can help you personalize learning, brainstorm, provide feedback, and more. You can also explore using Copilot Chat in education with our training course for educators.
We hope these resources inspire your students to explore the lives and contributions of historic social justice leaders, fostering a future rooted in inclusion and empathy. Celebrate Black History Month with us and empower the next generation of mindful, informed global citizens.
