Teach students about Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, and ask them if they think any of his dreams have come true. As a class, discuss how things have changed since King gave the speech. Ask children what they would report to King if they could. Have students write a letter to King that tells him how things have changed for African Americans since he wrote his speech. Ask the children if they feel that people are being judged by the "content of their character" or the "color of their skin."
Teach students about chronological timelines by having them make one that shows major events in black history. After dividing students into groups, give each group a large sheet of white paper. Have them draw a horizontal line, and from left to right, write down important events in black history. You can instruct them to include a minimum number of events, such as 10. Next to each event, have students draw a picture that details the event.
If your third-grade students have access to multimedia tools, you can incorporate a black history theme to teach them how to use a presentation program, such as PowerPoint. Allow students to choose a black history leader. After they have researched the person, they can create a presentation. Require a certain number of slides. Ask students to put three new facts---in chronological order, if possible---on each slide. Have them share their presentations with the class when they are finished. To make the activity more successful, pair computer savvy students with those are who still emerging in their technology skills.
Many African Americans have contributed popular inventions to our society. Ask children to explain some of these inventions and tell a little about the inventor. On a poster board, each student can draw or paste a picture of the invention and the inventor. On the left-hand side of the poster, students should write what the invention is and how it works. On the right-hand side of the page, ask students to explain if the invention is still common today.