Go Deeper into Black History with Vocabulary

Nurture a classroom full of thoughtful, articulate speakers and writers with our Black History Month Word Wall. 

Every February, we recognize and honor history’s most influential Black Americans. They are heroes, artists, scientists, and innovators—people who have shaped our society while facing discrimination and hardship. During Black History Month, we take an in-depth look at prominent Black leaders, landmark events, and remarkable contributions that changed the nation and the world. 

Included in this word wall are 42 vocabulary words many students will immediately recognize, as well as a few meant to stretch your students’ language skills:

We’ve also included a blank sheet to add your own list of words.

How Can You Use Your Black History Month Words?

Word walls are a fantastic way to expose students to the broader world of language with comprehension activities like:

📣  Create a Word Search

📣  Daily Oral Language and spelling word of the week exercises

📣  Identifying phonemes—blends, digraphs, vowel teams, silent final-e

📣  Counting syllables 

📣  Recognizing parts of speech (noun types, verbs, adjectives, compound words)

📣  Creative writing 

📣  Alphabetical ordering

📣  Games (Charades, 20 Questions, Swat, etc.)  

You can use your word wall before, during, and after reading with your whole class, small groups, or individualized instruction. 

Print & Display Your Black History Month Vocabulary

This resource is available as a printable PDF resource file or as an editable Google Slides resource file. Click the download button to select your file preference.

Discover more Black History Month activities and teaching resources: 

teaching resource

Black History Month – Teaching Presentation

Introduce your students to the origins of Black History Month with this 13-slide PowerPoint presentation.

teaching resource

Black History Profile Poster Pack for the Classroom

Print a Black History poster pack for the classroom, to introduce your students to revered Black icons and the impacts their contributions have made to American history.

teaching resource

Biography Timeline Template

Use this multipurpose timeline template for a variety of assignments, projects, and more!