Black History: Stories From the Scope Collection

 

We have pulled together some of our most beloved stories from Scope about about Black history, from a powerful play about a teen who led a series of sit-down strikes to a gripping nonfiction article about the co-discoverer of the North Pole. We hope you enjoy sharing these stories with your students.

 

Did You Use the GPS on Your Phone Today?

You can thank Dr. Gladys B. West. She helped invent it! 

Read the Story
Lesson Plan
A step-by-step guide to teaching this article.
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Choice Board
This activity gives students prompts to answer.
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Preparing to Write
This activity prepares students to respond to the writing prompt.
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Go!

The amazing true story of Wilma Rudolph

Read the Play
Lesson Plan
A step-by-step guide to teaching this play
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Preparing to Write
This activity prepares students to respond to the writing prompt.
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Close Reading and Critical Thinking
Students answer close-reading and critical-thinking questions.
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Becoming Darth Vader

How a boy who stuttered grew up to be one of the most famous actors in the world

Read the Paired Texts
Lesson Plan
A step-by-step guide to teaching this story
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Slide Deck
Learning Journey Slide Deck
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Preparing to Write
This activity prepares students to respond to the writing prompt.
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Into the Storm

A boy becomes a hero in this delightful tale with a supernatural twist. We’ve paired the story with an informational text about the historical figure on whom one of the story’s characters is based.

Read the Story
Lesson Plan
A step-by-step guide to teaching this story
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Comparing Characters
This activity prepares students to respond to the writing prompt.
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Close Reading and Critical Thinking
Students answer close-reading and critical-thinking questions.
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Frozen Dreams

This gripping article tells the incredible story of Matthew Henson, a co-discoverer of the North Pole who has largely been ignored by history.

Read the Story
Lesson Plan
A step-by-step guide to teaching this article
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Writing Planner
This activity prepares students to respond to the writing prompt.
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Close Reading and Critical Thinking
Students answer close-reading and critical-thinking questions.
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Time Machine Video: The Harlem Renaissance

Immerse your students in the sights and sounds of the Harlem Renaissance. This video also provides important historical context for the Scope play about the life of Langston Hughes, Hold Fast to Dreams.

Video Discussion Questions
Students answer questions about the video.
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Lesson Plan
A step-by-step guide to teaching the play
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Into the Poison Cloud

In the early 1900s, Garrett Morgan invented a gas mask that had the potential to change the way Americans fought fires. But how would he convince the world to try it? We’ve paired Morgan’s incredible story with an informational text about the characteristics of successful inventors.

Read the Story
Lesson Plan
A step-by-step guide to teaching this article
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Writing Planner
Students synthesize ideas from both texts.
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Close Reading and Critical Thinking
Students answer close-reading and critical-thinking questions.
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Heart Saver

Vivien Thomas never went to college. Yet his pioneering research would make him one of the great heroes of medicine

Read the Story
Lesson Plan
A step-by-step guide to teaching this article
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Key Ideas and Details
Students synthesize ideas from both texts.
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Close Reading and Critical Thinking
Students answer close-reading and critical-thinking questions.
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The Man Who Saved a Thousand Babies: PHOTO COLLAGE: CHRISTOPHER B. SHORT. BABIES: CORBIS , GETTY IMAGES Time Machine Video: Harlem Renaissance: Rue des Archives/The Granger Collection (harlem); The Fire-Breather: Shutterstock (Background); Cleveland State University, Michael Schwartz Library; Escape from Slavery: Jake Murray; This Is What Courage Looks Like: Hulton Archive/Getty Images (Top Left); Bettmann/Getty Images (Top Middle, Top Right, Bottom Right); Bruce Davidson/Magnum Photos (Middle Left, Bottom Left); Robert W. Kelley/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images (Middle); Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images (Middle Right); Frozen Dreams: Illustration: Randy Pollak; Marcel Jancovic/Shutterstock.com; The Girl Who Dared: AP Images; Go!: Artwork by Greg Ruhl from The Superkids Reading Program: Wilma Rudolph © Zaner-Bloser, Inc. Used with permission from Zaner-Bloser, Inc. All rights reserved.; Making Our Voices Heard: Kristine Potter/The New York Times/Redux; Into the Storm: Art by Shane Rebenschied; Hold Fast to Dreams: The Granger Collection; Into the Poison Cloud: Illustration by Kingsley Nebechi