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American History: Elevating Black Voices (K-2)

13 Activities

More from this collaborator

Grades K - 2

9 Hours 10 Minutes

Overview

The American History: Elevating Black Voices Collection is a weekly, hands-on playlist that helps young learners explore how stories, creativity, problem-solving, and leadership shape communities and American history. Through engaging texts, Innovator Trading Cards, and theme-based activities in literacy, STEM, the arts, and teamwork, students discover lesser-known Black Americans whose voices and ideas have made a lasting impact. Each week introduces a new theme that strengthens early reading skills, creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking, while giving learners multiple opportunities to apply their understanding through play and exploration. Designed for easy facilitation and joyful learning, this playlist shows that innovation takes many forms—and that every voice matters.

For a consistent learning experience, it is recommended that this collection be completed in the sequence outlined below. This allows learners to apply the weekly themes from the Innovator Playing Cards through supplementary activities.

Week 1: Storytelling and Voice

Designing Innovator Trading Cards (K-2)

New End to the Story

Round Robin Storytelling

Animal Interviews

Week 2: Inventing and Problem Solving

Designing Innovator Trading Cards (K-2)

Balanced Mobile

Sound on a String

Mechanical Engineering Tops

Week 3: Creativity and Expression

Designing Innovator Trading Cards (K-2)

Masquerade Masks

Music and Rhythm (Grades k-2)

Creative Play Design Challenges

Week 4: Leadership and Change

Designing Innovator Trading Cards (K-2)

Playing Innovator Trading Cards (K-2)

People Bingo

What is a Quality

Designing Innovator Trading Cards (K-2)

Literacy, History and Society

Grades K - 2

Designing Innovator Trading Cards (K-2)

K - 2

40 Minutes

Students will engage in a four-week learning experience focused on creating innovator trading cards. This project allows them to explore and highlight the varied contributions of Black Americans to their communities, developing key literacy skills such as listening, drawing, speaking, and foundational categorization.

This is the first of two activities in the Innovator Trading Card Collection: 

  • Activity 1 focuses on the theme of the week, learning about the innovators and their influence, and designing the innovator trading cards. 

  • Activity 2 focuses on facilitating the associated game to reinforce learning.

Discover Activity

Designing Innovator Trading Cards (K-2)

Literacy, History and Society

Grades K - 2

New End to the Story

Arts, Literacy

Grades K - 2

New End to the Story

K - 2

45 Minutes

Young children enjoy interacting with read-aloud stories. In this activity, children are given an opportunity to create an ending to a storybook, such as Good Night Owl by Greg Pizzoli. After they suggest endings, they find out how the author ended the book.

Discover Activity

New End to the Story

Arts, Literacy

Grades K - 2

Round Robin Storytelling

Arts, Literacy

Grades K - 8

Round Robin Storytelling

K - 8

30 Minutes

Students create a group story by adding a few lines at a time.

Discover Activity

Round Robin Storytelling

Arts, Literacy

Grades K - 8

Animal Interviews

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 5

Animal Interviews

K - 5

45 Minutes

In this activity, students transform into an animal of their choice and use their imagination to answer interview questions.

Discover Activity

Animal Interviews

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 5

Balanced Mobile

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades K - 2

Balanced Mobile

K - 2

45 Minutes

Children explore balanced forces as they create a mobile using a hanger and various objects. Then, they test their skills by attaching a second hanger with more objects.

Discover Activity

Balanced Mobile

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades K - 2

Sound on a String

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades K - 2

Sound on a String

K - 2

1 Hour 30 Minutes

Students will rotate through a series of center activities to develop a hypothesis for how sound travels as they experiment with different types of string, sizes of string, types of cups and sizes of cups.

Discover Activity

Sound on a String

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades K - 2

S.INQ Mechanical Engineering Tops

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades K - 5

S.INQ Mechanical Engineering Tops

K - 5

30 Minutes

Students learn and become familiar with mechanical engineering by making and testing their own spinning tops.

Discover Activity

S.INQ Mechanical Engineering Tops

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades K - 5

Masquerade Masks

Arts, Literacy

Grades K - 5

Masquerade Masks

K - 5

35 Minutes

In this activity, students will learn how to make Masquerade Masks using materials collected from their home or outside in their neighborhood. This is a simple but versatile activity to really liven up a story your class is currently reading or celebrate a special day. Get creative with colors or patterns as you see fit!

Discover Activity

Masquerade Masks

Arts, Literacy

Grades K - 5

Music and Rhythm (Grades K-2)

Arts, Social and Emotional Awareness

Grades K - 2

Music and Rhythm (Grades K-2)

K - 2

45 Minutes

Children use their bodies and pat their hands on the floor in front of them to tap out rhythms. They start with slow two-beat rhythms, then they add a finger snap or a vocal sound and additional beats. They can then tap on other parts of their bodies. The beat gradually becomes more and more complicated, challenging their memories.

Discover Activity

Music and Rhythm (Grades K-2)

Arts, Social and Emotional Awareness

Grades K - 2

Creative Play Design Challenges

STEM, Arts

Grades K - 2

Creative Play Design Challenges

K - 2

45 Minutes

Students work at four different stations to meet design challenges. These quick, fun challenges will get students thinking while also giving them the opportunity to play around with ideas and materials.

Discover Activity

Creative Play Design Challenges

STEM, Arts

Grades K - 2

Playing Innovator Trading Cards (K-2)

Leadership and Teamwork, History and Society

Grades K - 2

Playing Innovator Trading Cards (K-2)

K - 2

50 Minutes

In this culminating project and exploration of lesser-known Black American contributions, students will use their completed Innovator Trading Cards to determine the most suitable type of community helper for various scenarios.

This is the second of two activities in the Innovator Trading Card Collection: 

  • Activity 1 focuses on the theme of the week, learning about the innovators and their influence, and designing the innovator trading cards. 

  • Activity 2 focuses on facilitating the associated game to reinforce learning.

Discover Activity

Playing Innovator Trading Cards (K-2)

Leadership and Teamwork, History and Society

Grades K - 2

People Bingo

Leadership and Teamwork, Social and Emotional Awareness

Grades K - 5

People Bingo

K - 5

30 Minutes

This game is great for building staff and/or student community and gets people up, moving around, and talking to lots of different people.

Discover Activity

People Bingo

Leadership and Teamwork, Social and Emotional Awareness

Grades K - 5

What is a Quality?

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

What is a Quality?

K - 2

20 Minutes

The goal of this activity is to help students understand and identify positive qualities about themselves and others. When children recognize their strengths, they learn to value themselves and understand that they are capable of doing wonderful things. It also helps them appreciate the good qualities in others, which leads to better friendships, cooperation, and kindness. Knowing and focusing on positive qualities helps children become more aware of how to be good friends, solve problems peacefully, and treat others with respect.

Discover Activity

What is a Quality?

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

American History: Elevating Black Voices (K-2)

More from this collaborator

American History: Elevating Black Voices (K-2)

Grades K - 2

9 Hours 10 Minutes

Overview

Designing Innovator Trading Cards (K-2)

Literacy, History and Society

Grades K - 2

Designing Innovator Trading Cards (K-2)

K - 2

40 Minutes

Students will engage in a four-week learning experience focused on creating innovator trading cards. This project allows them to explore and highlight the varied contributions of Black Americans to their communities, developing key literacy skills such as listening, drawing, speaking, and foundational categorization.

This is the first of two activities in the Innovator Trading Card Collection: 

  • Activity 1 focuses on the theme of the week, learning about the innovators and their influence, and designing the innovator trading cards. 

  • Activity 2 focuses on facilitating the associated game to reinforce learning.

Discover Activity

Designing Innovator Trading Cards (K-2)

Literacy, History and Society

Grades K - 2

New End to the Story

Arts, Literacy

Grades K - 2

New End to the Story

K - 2

45 Minutes

Young children enjoy interacting with read-aloud stories. In this activity, children are given an opportunity to create an ending to a storybook, such as Good Night Owl by Greg Pizzoli. After they suggest endings, they find out how the author ended the book.

Discover Activity

New End to the Story

Arts, Literacy

Grades K - 2

Round Robin Storytelling

Arts, Literacy

Grades K - 8

Round Robin Storytelling

K - 8

30 Minutes

Students create a group story by adding a few lines at a time.

Discover Activity

Round Robin Storytelling

Arts, Literacy

Grades K - 8

Animal Interviews

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 5

Animal Interviews

K - 5

45 Minutes

In this activity, students transform into an animal of their choice and use their imagination to answer interview questions.

Discover Activity

Animal Interviews

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 5

Balanced Mobile

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades K - 2

Balanced Mobile

K - 2

45 Minutes

Children explore balanced forces as they create a mobile using a hanger and various objects. Then, they test their skills by attaching a second hanger with more objects.

Discover Activity

Balanced Mobile

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades K - 2

Sound on a String

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades K - 2

Sound on a String

K - 2

1 Hour 30 Minutes

Students will rotate through a series of center activities to develop a hypothesis for how sound travels as they experiment with different types of string, sizes of string, types of cups and sizes of cups.

Discover Activity

Sound on a String

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades K - 2

S.INQ Mechanical Engineering Tops

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades K - 5

S.INQ Mechanical Engineering Tops

K - 5

30 Minutes

Students learn and become familiar with mechanical engineering by making and testing their own spinning tops.

Discover Activity

S.INQ Mechanical Engineering Tops

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades K - 5

Masquerade Masks

Arts, Literacy

Grades K - 5

Masquerade Masks

K - 5

35 Minutes

In this activity, students will learn how to make Masquerade Masks using materials collected from their home or outside in their neighborhood. This is a simple but versatile activity to really liven up a story your class is currently reading or celebrate a special day. Get creative with colors or patterns as you see fit!

Discover Activity

Masquerade Masks

Arts, Literacy

Grades K - 5

Music and Rhythm (Grades K-2)

Arts, Social and Emotional Awareness

Grades K - 2

Music and Rhythm (Grades K-2)

K - 2

45 Minutes

Children use their bodies and pat their hands on the floor in front of them to tap out rhythms. They start with slow two-beat rhythms, then they add a finger snap or a vocal sound and additional beats. They can then tap on other parts of their bodies. The beat gradually becomes more and more complicated, challenging their memories.

Discover Activity

Music and Rhythm (Grades K-2)

Arts, Social and Emotional Awareness

Grades K - 2

Creative Play Design Challenges

STEM, Arts

Grades K - 2

Creative Play Design Challenges

K - 2

45 Minutes

Students work at four different stations to meet design challenges. These quick, fun challenges will get students thinking while also giving them the opportunity to play around with ideas and materials.

Discover Activity

Creative Play Design Challenges

STEM, Arts

Grades K - 2

Playing Innovator Trading Cards (K-2)

Leadership and Teamwork, History and Society

Grades K - 2

Playing Innovator Trading Cards (K-2)

K - 2

50 Minutes

In this culminating project and exploration of lesser-known Black American contributions, students will use their completed Innovator Trading Cards to determine the most suitable type of community helper for various scenarios.

This is the second of two activities in the Innovator Trading Card Collection: 

  • Activity 1 focuses on the theme of the week, learning about the innovators and their influence, and designing the innovator trading cards. 

  • Activity 2 focuses on facilitating the associated game to reinforce learning.

Discover Activity

Playing Innovator Trading Cards (K-2)

Leadership and Teamwork, History and Society

Grades K - 2

People Bingo

Leadership and Teamwork, Social and Emotional Awareness

Grades K - 5

People Bingo

K - 5

30 Minutes

This game is great for building staff and/or student community and gets people up, moving around, and talking to lots of different people.

Discover Activity

People Bingo

Leadership and Teamwork, Social and Emotional Awareness

Grades K - 5

What is a Quality?

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

What is a Quality?

K - 2

20 Minutes

The goal of this activity is to help students understand and identify positive qualities about themselves and others. When children recognize their strengths, they learn to value themselves and understand that they are capable of doing wonderful things. It also helps them appreciate the good qualities in others, which leads to better friendships, cooperation, and kindness. Knowing and focusing on positive qualities helps children become more aware of how to be good friends, solve problems peacefully, and treat others with respect.

Discover Activity

What is a Quality?

Social and Emotional Awareness, Literacy

Grades K - 2

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Community

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Copyright © 2026, Mizzen Education, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to empower, uplift and support out-of-school time educators.

Library

CategoriesCollaboratorsExploreAll ActivitiesAll Collections

Community

Our StoryTeam MizzenEventsThe Mizzen Minute

Engage

NewsroomContact Us

Account

Sign InCreate an AccountMizzen for TeamsPrivacy PolicyTerms of Use

Copyright © 2026, Mizzen Education, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to empower, uplift and support out-of-school time educators.