Black Power and the Civil Rights Movement
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the impact of the Black Power Movement in the USA in the 1960s and 1970s.
Key learning points
- Malcolm X helped develop many ideas which inspired the Black Power Movement.
- The Black Power Movement was radical.
- The Black Panther Party was one of the most well known Black Power groups.
- Membership of the Black Panther Party was relatively small.
- The Black Panthers provided many services to support African American communities.
Keywords
Radical - the belief in the need for big social, political and economic changes
Separatism - the belief that people from different backgrounds should be kept apart from one another
Heritage - characteristics belonging to a particular culture, such as language or music
Common misconception
Black Power groups only focused on the use of violence.
Groups such as the Black Panthers provided many services to support black communities, such as free breakfast programmes.
Teacher tip
Get students to discuss why some athletes recently 'took the knee' before sporting events and how people reacted to this. Then share negative media and public reactions to Tommie Smith and John Carlos giving the black power salute. Ask why the athletes may have decided to act in this way.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of serious crime
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Write the missing word. A is an area of a city where people of a particular race or religion live, especially a poor area.
Q2.Who is often considered the leader of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s?
Q3.What types of protest is the March on Washington an example of?
Q4.In which city did Martin Luther King lead a freedom movement in 1966?
Q5.What did the actions of people during the March on Washington help to demonstrate?
Q6.Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What word refers to the belief that the people from different backgrounds should be kept apart from one another?
Q2.Malcolm X was a spokesman for which radical group?
Q3.Which of the following actions did Tommie Smith and John Carlos carry out at the 1968 Mexico Olympics?
Q4.Write the missing number. Over children were fed by the Free Breakfast for Children Program in the first year after it began.
Q5.Which statement is most accurate?
Q6.Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: Black Power and the Civil Rights Movement, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: Black Power and the Civil Rights Movement, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 history lessons from the America 1920–1973, Opportunity and inequality unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.