Over the weekend I saw a photo of the Lakeland Public Library’s bulletin board display for Black History Month. It features various famous African American’s initials, names, birth dates, and death dates. The librarian chose a different color of paper to represent the various professions each group of people worked it. The display was set up like the periodic table. I contacted the library and asked if they could send me a copy of their period table pages. They let me know that they didn’t have a copy I could have. “You can make your own set if you like,” I was told.

The picture they displayed was very blurry and I couldn’t tell who some of the people were. As I came to a blurry name, I searched various databases and lists for a new person in that field to use instead.  You will notice that most of the authors in the author’s section are children’s authors. Since I will be displaying this in an elementary school, I thought it would be great to list authors the students would be familiar with. They may even have read one of their books.

Famous African Americans in other categories were substituted for people I thought the students would recognize. It will be fun to see their faces light up when they find a name they recognize. We will talk about the people they don’t know. I think it will be fun for the students to learn about them during Black History  Month.

I thought you would like access to the Black History Month Periodic table set I made. You will find the links you need to access the set below.

Getting Your Copy of the Black History Month Bulletin Board

There are a large number of pages in this periodic table set.

Periodic Table of Famous African Americans for Black History Month

You will find the category color key for the bulletin board in the part one set. You could outline each element with the color on the key or print it out on that color of paper.

Setting Up the Display

You can look at the Lakeland Libary display to get an idea of how to set it up. I have also created a key of where each square fits in the table.

Periodic Table of Famous African Americans Display Key

Great Books to Share During Black History Month

I love to tie children’s books to the themes I am exploring with children. Below are some great books you can share with your children during Black History Month.