Disclaimer
I received FREE 14-day access to the BH365 ebook in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations
History education has been a highly politicized, highly controversial issue in the news lately as many Republican-led states have passed legislation prohibiting or severely limiting discussions of race and/or racism within public school classrooms. Some would say this legislation is the efforts of conservatives to ensure that the American history taught in classrooms across the nation remain white-washed—promoting a Eurocentric perspective of American history that glosses over contributions and experiences of people of color. Many conservatives espouse that to provide a more balanced view of American history is to promote a lack of patriotism for America.
As I’ve said in my previous video, “Five Reasons Why Black History Matters”, Black History is one reminder that America belongs to all of us because many have shed blood, sweat, and tears for our country. One of the great things about this country is that as parents, we have the freedom to educate our children in the manner we see fit, and that is why I am so excited about Black History 365 (BH365) high school (grades 9-12) curriculum. Parents have the option of purchasing this curriculum as either a hard cover textbook or an ebook. In this review, I will include features of the ebook that I believe are useful in addition to the features found in the hardcover textbook.
What is Black History 365?
Black History 365 (BH365) comprehensive, highly engaging, highly interactive curriculum that documents the unique stories of Black persons, groups, and cultures in North America. The curriculum begins in Ancient Africa and ends in Canada, where those who followed the North Star to freedom formed communities.
Black History 365 Distinctives
BH365 contains over 4,000 high resolution images throughout the curriculum. The curriculum also contains exclusive access to over 3,000 authentic documents and artifacts from the Freeman Institute Black History Collection.
The maps, images, and illustrations throughout this textbook truly aid in communicating the narrative of the text.
The curriculum also features sidebar materials throughout each chapter that helps to make the content relatable.
Additionally, the ebook is highly intuitive and easy to navigate. Within the ebook, children are able to place sticky notes where they can record their thoughts, they are able to highlight and color-code salient passages for easy reference, and they are able to draw and write within the ebook as well. These visual aids help to engage with the material and commit what they read and learn to memory.
Critical Thinking and Critical Conversations
There are so many great features of this curriculum, but the one that really sticks out for me is that this curriculum sparks deep conversations and critical thinking.
BH365 goes into great depth on many aspects of Black History only receives cursory attention in other history textbooks. One great example of this depth is shown in the study of Ancient Africa. Typically in other textbooks, ancient African cultures, heritage, and languages often receive a paragraph or two, if there is any mention at all. However, BH365 goes into great depth at more than a hundred pages. Students learn for example about the various languages spoken on the continent, they learn about the daily life of various people groups, etc. This discussion is further enhanced by beautiful pictures, videos, tables, and charts.
The Elephant Experience is unique to BH365 in that it is a non-divisive way for students to analyze facts, compassionately listen, and respectfully communicate on difficult topics. The Elephant Experience helps students to think deeper about what they read and this feature is truly what makes this curriculum shine.
Some of the topics put forth for discussion by students are
- What is 3/5ths of a human being?
- Are we in a post-racial society?
- Did Africans sell other Africans into slavery?
- Should we tear down statues?
- How should police and the community engage with each other?
I love this curriculum because it facilitates important conversations that help students make connections between history and modern day issues. It helps students to process current events from a historical context. Historical context is a critical piece missing from much of our understanding of current events and BH365 definitely helps to close this gap.
Highly Interactive Curriculum
Technology is integrated throughout BH365, making for a curriculum that provides differentiated learning for students. Students are not simply reading the text of the chapter, but they are able to use QR codes that link to relevant articles, videos, virtual tours, online assessments, documentaries and additional supplemental material that enrich the topics discussed within the text. I love this because this means that students are accessing additional outside resources that corroborate and enhance what they read in the text.
BH365 is interdisciplinary containing aspects of science, math, and language throughout the material as well. This curriculum does an excellent job demonstrating that the contributions of African-Americans are not limited to just a few areas, but run the gamut. This is critical in changing perceptions of African-Americans, and for African-American students, this is important in building self-esteem.
Supplemental Material
Along with the textbook curriculum, there is a BH365 album comprised of 40 songs (one song for each chapter), produced by multiplatinum, Grammy-nominated artist Kevin “Khao” Cates.
The Solutionist Academy
BH365 has designed an afterschool or Saturday program titled, The Solutionist Academy. This program can be implemented using Title I or Title IV dollars. The Solutionist Academy and the implementation of afterschool or Saturday programs, is a revolutionary concept for educating youth in the community on Black history.
Why I Love BH365
I highly recommend Black History 365 because this curriculum does a deep dive into African-American contributions within the context of American history. BH365 is comprehensive, geared towards students of all ethnicities, engaging, and provides excellent opportunities for deeper conversations.
BH365 provides everything necessary for a high school teen to explore Black History in an innovative, interactive way.
Take a Peek at BH365 ebook!
Purchase Now
Special Thanks to Black History 365 Sales Rep. Tim Fields for providing me with 14-day ebook access! If you are interested in purchasing multiple textbooks and or advocating for this textbook to be adopted in your school district, please contact Tim Fields at Tfields@blackhistory365education.com!
