The North Carolina Freedom Park also provides teachers with a flexible instructional unit, called The African American Experience in North Carolina, focusing on the people and places in North Carolina of African ancestry, and their experiences and contributions to North Carolina and United States history, society, and culture. As described by the Department of Public Instruction, the particular purpose of the eighth grade social studies curriculum is to provide students with the opportunity to examine the role of people, events, and issues in North Carolina history that have contributed to the unique character of the state today. The intersection of the goals of the North Carolina Freedom Park and the social studies curriculum makes the classroom a perfect forum to explore the issues of the African American experience in North Carolina and may be easily adapted for use by other grade levels.

These materials can be used selectively for individual lesson plans, as a complete unit, or as supplemental materials for units on slavery, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights Movement, and African American culture. They have also been written to integrate eighth grade Social Studies with other curricula, particularly Language Arts, Fine Arts, Information Skills, and Character Education. We encourage the free adaptation of these materials for lower and upper grades as well.

Learn more about the African American Experience in North Carolina curriculum goals or explore the NCDPI website for more goals.

Learn more about our curriculum project consultants.