education at the lewis Museum

Teacher Resources

The Museum offers recertification credits to Maryland educators through course work exploring the curriculum, An African American Journey. These courses will utilize curriculum lessons and strategies for teaching African American history in the classroom. Maryland educators will earn one credit towards teacher recertification upon completing the course. Course offerings comply with State Curriculum Standards. 

Freedom Bound Exhibit Teaching Resources

View our virtual Freedom Bound Exhibit and use our educational resources to help tell the story of slavery in Maryland. Click HERE to view our exhibit resources.

RFLM Online Collection Portal and  An African American Journeys Curriculum Lessons Connections

Check out our sample educational resource lessons connecting museum artifacts from our online collection portal.  These sample lesson activities can be modified for homeschoolers and families. 

Click HERE for more information.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Workshop Series: Changing The Narrative On Black Education: Uncovering the Past To Better Serve Students

This 3 part professional learning series will explore the history of the African American educational experience in the United States. K-12 educators will also explore the Black History Consciousness Framework as a tool to help teach history from a more in depth perspective.  Each session will be an opportunity to grow, reflect and connect with other educators while applying what is learned in the K-12 classroom setting.  Topics and themes that will be addressed will include:

• Anti-Racism Through Historical Black Educational Resistance 
• The 1619 Project and Lessons To Be Learned
• What Is The Importance of Black History Knowledge?
• Using the Black Historical Consciousness Framework as a teaching model
• and much more…

Cost: Free

To register for this webinar series, contact terry.taylor@lewismuseum.org.

Webinar Session #1: Slavery from a Different Point of View and Its Relevance in Education

Saturday, Oct 16, 2021

10 am to Noon EDT 

The  first session will serve to help educators reimagine the African American historical experience while looking at forms of resistance and acts of resilience. This session will also cover the pursuit of literacy and educational systems during plantation slavery leading up to the civil war. Participants will undergo a critical examination of the past while applying effective pedagogical strategies that still hold value and relevance in the field of education during contemporary times. This session will also address the following areas of focus:

• Impact of slave literacy on slave populations 
• Self Emancipation and uprisings linked to Slave Literacy
• Learning in secrecy on the plantation
• Education as a means of healing on the plantation
• The 1619 Project and Lessons To Be Learned

Webinar Session #2- Educating For Justice: Black Lives Matter, Black History Month and Social Activism

Saturday, January 15, 2022

10 am to Noon EDT

Stay tune for more details for this MLK event. This session will address the following areas:

• How should Black History be taught in 2021?
• How does the era of Black Lives Matter shape how we teach the past?

Hybrid Session #3–Where Do We Go From Here?: Radical Self Care For Educators and Healing Through The Lessons of History

Saturday, April 23, 2022

10 am to Noon EDT

Stay tune for more details for this spring session.

These sessions will be facilitated by Marcus Sankofa Nicks, M.A., of the Howard County Public School System. Marcus “Sankofa” Nicks holds a Masters Degree in African American Studies from Morgan State University of Baltimore, MD. He has worked in Maryland’s Howard County Public School System for over 12 years focusing his efforts on eliminating the achievement gap for Black/African American students as a liaison for the Black Student Achievement Program. He teaches high school African American Studies Seminar and serves as an educational consultant for staff in his school district on how to effectively teach students of color through a culturally relevant trauma-informed approach. His research primarily focuses on African American educational history during the Civil War era through the Jim Crow time period. His work also includes facilitating the socio-emotional development of Black educators who navigate educational settings. His community work extends from Howard County, Baltimore City and beyond where he has also served as a lead facilitator on many occasions for Black affinity groups and healing spaces for Black/African American individuals and families from a culturally based standpoint.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RECORDINGS

Lesson Resources

An African American Journey: A Resource for Learning the History of African Americans in Maryland and the United States

A teacher’s resource guide developed by the Museum and the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). This resource guide for grades 4-8 offers 43 lessons on social studies, language arts and the fine arts that highlight the contributions of African Americans in Maryland and the nation.

Click below to view and download sample lessons for Elementary and Middle School students, including a lesson on the Baltimore Uprising of 2015. To obtain a full copy, please contact the education department at (443) 263-1829 or click here to email a request for a full copy of the curriculum.

You may view and download sample lessons for High School students by clicking below.