📱 History's Calling! Part 2 - Research Activity

📄 Main Activity: "Add Your Contact" Worksheet

The Challenge: After exploring the 28 figures in the interactive experience, students become historians! They'll research a NEW Black American figure and create a complete "contact card" using our printable worksheet. This could be a famous historical figure, a contemporary leader, someone from their local community, or even a family member who has made a difference.

What you'll do: Choose someone new to add to the address book! This could be:

🌟 A famous person from history
🏙️ Someone making a difference in your community today
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A family member who's done something special
🎓 A teacher, coach, or local leader you admire

Your worksheet includes:

📱 Space to write their name and draw their picture
💬 Write something important they said or did
📖 Tell their story in 2-3 sentences
📅 Write 3 important things from their life

For Educators: Emphasize the value of local heroes! Provide options like: community leaders (pastors, organizers, business owners), family members (grandparents, parents who served in military or started businesses), or contemporary figures children know (Amanda Gorman, Simone Biles). Consider inviting a local community member to class!

For Families: This is a perfect opportunity to celebrate YOUR family's history! Research a grandparent, great-grandparent, or family friend. If choosing a family member, interview them about their life and achievements. Help your child understand that heroes are all around us—not just in history books!

The Research Process:

Choose Your Figure (10 min)

Select someone not featured in the original 28. Consider:

🏠 Local Connection: Someone from your state, city, or community? A business owner, community organizer, or local official?
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family History: A grandparent, great-grandparent, or family friend who overcame challenges or served their community?
🎯 Personal Interest: Sports? Science? Music? Art? Teaching? Activism?
⏰ Time Period: Historical or contemporary? Someone making change right now?
🌟 Underrepresented: Lesser-known pioneers, women, LGBTQ+ leaders

Research & Complete (30-40 min)

Your worksheet includes:

📱 Contact Info: Name, what they're famous for, birth-death years, portrait drawing
💬 Famous Quote: Find a real quote from their speeches or writings (or for family members, interview them for their words of wisdom!)
📖 Biography: Write 1 paragraph (5-7 sentences) about their life and achievements
📅 Timeline: List 5 important events from their life with dates

💡 Research Sources: For historical figures: Biography.com, Britannica Kids, library books, PBS Learning Media, National Museum of African American History & Culture website. For community members: Local newspapers, city websites, community organization websites, or direct interviews!

🏙️ Celebrating Community Heroes: Don't overlook the amazing Black leaders in YOUR community! Consider researching: local pastors or faith leaders, business owners, teachers or principals, city council members, community organizers, coaches, artists, or family members who've served in the military, started businesses, or made a difference in your neighborhood.

Advanced Research Project: This multi-day activity develops research, writing, and critical thinking skills while expanding representation in Black history and honoring local community contributions.

Strategic Figure Selection (10 min)

Choose a figure using these criteria:

Expand Representation: Consider women (Ida B. Wells, Pauli Murray), LGBTQ+ pioneers (Bayard Rustin, Audre Lorde), or contemporary leaders (Ta-Nehisi Coates, Stacey Abrams, Patrisse Cullors)
Local History: Research your state or city's Black history—many significant figures never receive national attention. Check local historical societies, city archives, or community museums.
Community Leaders: Interview and profile a current community member: local business owners, nonprofit leaders, educators, elected officials, faith leaders, or activists making change today
Family Legacy: Document your own family's history—grandparents, great-grandparents, or extended family who served in the military, participated in civil rights movements, started businesses, or contributed to their communities
Field Connection: Choose from an area of personal interest (STEM, literature, activism, arts, entrepreneurship, education)
Research Viability: Ensure sufficient sources are available (academic databases, biographies, primary sources, or ability to conduct interviews)

Comprehensive Research (45-60 min)

Complete all worksheet sections:

📱 Contact Information: Full name, field of achievement, lifespan, realistic portrait
💬 Authentic Quote: Find actual quote with proper citation (source, date, context). For living community members: conduct interview and document their wisdom!
📖 Biography: 2 paragraphs covering background, major accomplishments, obstacles overcome, and lasting legacy or current impact
📅 Comprehensive Timeline: 7 significant events including birth, education, key achievements, and death/current work
📚 Works Cited: Proper citations for all sources (MLA or APA format). For interviews, cite: Name. Personal interview. Date.

For Educators: This assignment develops historical thinking skills (chronological reasoning, contextualization, sourcing) and honors local Black history. Consider: organizing a "Community Leaders Day" where students present their research to family and invited community members, creating a class book of local Black history, or partnering with local historical societies to archive student work documenting under-recognized community figures.

🏙️ The Power of Local History: Every community has unsung heroes whose stories deserve to be told. By researching local Black leaders—past and present—students learn that history isn't just made by famous people far away. It's made by people in our neighborhoods, our families, our schools. This activity transforms students from passive consumers of history to active documenters of their community's legacy.

Consider profiling: The first Black teacher at your school, a local business that's been family-owned for generations, a community organizer who fought for civil rights in your city, a local artist whose work celebrates Black culture, or a family member whose story represents resilience and achievement.

📱 History's Calling! - Part 2

📄 Main Activity: "Add Your Contact" Worksheet

📥 Download Your Grade-Level Worksheet

🖍️ Grades K-1

✏️ Grades 2-3

📝 Grades 4-5