Most teachers share content related to Black History Month in social studies and reading classes, however, I think Black History Month should be a focus in all content areas. That’s why I developed these Black History Month math activities for my students.
Celebration Contributions of Black Mathematicians during Black History Month
There are so many Black, Indigenous, and People of Color that have significantly changed the field of mathematics. Share their stories and contributions with your students as a cross-curricular way to celebrate Black History Month. Black History Month Math starts with these amazing Black Mathematicians!
Katherine Johnson
You and your students may be familiar with the name Katherine Johnson after the popularity of the movie Hidden Figures. Johnson along with Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson used her knowledge of math and science to send John Glenn on his orbital space mission. Not only was Johnson one of the first major female and African American contributors to NASA, her legacy paved the way for science and math technology in the space program for years to come. Johnson died at 101 in February 2020.
Benjamin Banneker
You and your students have Benjamin Banneker to thank for keeping the time in your classroom. Yes, Banneker invented the first clock in America. In addition, he was an astronomer that predicted solar eclipses and understood the patterns of the sun, moon, and stars. Black History Month Math is not complete without a study of telling time, something possible because of Black mathematicians like Benjamin Banneker!
Gladys West
Even if your students have not heard the name Gladys West, they are familiar with this African American mathematician’s contributions to modern America! West, age 91, is credited with developing satellite models that eventually became Global Positioning Systems or GPS. Study Black History Month Math by celebrating Gladys West’s contributions!
Black History Month Math
When it is time for math review, don’t forget to keep celebrating with Black History Month Math. The Black History Month Math resource gives facts about African American heroes while reviewing important multiplication math skills!
- Thurgood Marshall
- Sojourner Truth
- Booker T Washington
- Sarah E Goode
- Ruby Bridges
- Marcus Garvey
- Fredrick Douglass
- George Washington Carver
- Jackie Robinson
- Jessie Owens
- Bessie Coleman
- Coretta Scott King
- Marian Anderson
- Horace Pipen
- Harriet Powers
- Ella Fitzgerald
- Effa Manley
As an added bonus, use the bookmarks with multiplication facts to review times tables all year long! Black History Month Math is here! Study the contributions of Black mathematicians and heroes throughout American history.
You can always “COUNT ON ME” for engaging, differentiated math resources to help every student shine!
