Most Marcus Garvey lesson plans on Teachers Pay Teachers ask
students to memorize a name, recall a date, and move on. That is the lowest
level of Bloom’s taxonomy. Remembering without understanding. Facts without
meaning.
I spent twenty years studying
Garvey and six years teaching middle school English before I understood what
was missing. Garvey was a thinker. His writings contain arguments, strategies,
and frameworks that twelve-year-olds can analyze, debate, and apply. The lesson
plans I found treated him as a monument. I needed materials that treated him as
a mind.
So I built them.
The Garvey Classroom on Teachers Pay Teachers
now has 37 resources spanning Pre-K through 12th grade. Every lesson begins
with either a story or an informational text grounded in primary sources.
Students read, then they think. They write, then they revise. Social-emotional
learning is embedded in the academic work itself. Here is what teachers find
when they visit the store.
For middle school (grades 5 through 8), the
collection includes individual lessons on Marcus Garvey, Frederick Douglass,
Ella Baker, Harriet Tubman, Fannie Lou Hamer, Miriam Makeba, Ida B. Wells,
Shirley Chisholm, Septima Clark, Sojourner Truth, Mia Mottley, and Claudia
Jones. Each lesson integrates reading comprehension, vocabulary, text-based
questions, reflective writing, and SEL. The Marcus Garvey Speech Analysis
lesson uses his 1925 speech “A Word Before My Incarceration” as the anchor
text. Students analyze Garvey’s rhetorical choices in real time. They hear a
man speaking with authority and study how he constructs his argument. The
Marcus Garvey Middle School Bundle collects
five resources, forty-two bell ringers, and thirty wisdom cards into a complete
Black History Month toolkit for $14.99.
For Black History Month, the 42 Pan-African Heroes
Bell Ringers give teachers six weeks of daily openers. Each page features a
verified quote, three historical facts, and a reflective SEL prompt. Forty-two
figures from across the African diaspora: Jamaica, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya,
Trinidad, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, and the United States.
For Women’s History Month, the 8-lesson bundle covers
Ella Baker, Harriet Tubman, Fannie Lou Hamer, Miriam Makeba, Sojourner Truth,
Ida B. Wells, Shirley Chisholm, and Septima Clark. Students study women who
built movements through organizing, investigation, and collective action. The Women’s History Month Bundle is $35.99.
For high school (grades 9 through 12), the collection
includes Marcus Garvey and Pan-Africanism, Marcus Garvey and Rastafari, Marcus
Garvey and the Harlem Renaissance, Marcus Garvey and the Black Star Line, Haile
Selassie’s “Until” speech, Rosa Parks, and Mapping Marcus Garvey’s Hero’s Journey
using Joseph Campbell’s twelve-stage structure. The Marcus Garvey High School Bundle brings all
seven lessons together for $19.99. This bundle has been the top seller this
year, with teachers purchasing it for Black History Month instruction and
year-round Pan-African studies.
For Pre-K through 2nd grade, The Marcus Garvey
Coloring Book comes with 78 fully scripted lesson plans. Three lesson options
per letter, A through Z. Identity and observation. Character and habit
formation. Early literacy and vocabulary. Every word is written for the
teacher. Print, read the script, teach.
For elementary (K through 5), the Marcus Garvey Elementary Bundle includes
Marcus Believes, Stand Firm, Claudia Brings Us Together, Young Marcus Garvey
and His Big Dream, and The Power of Trying. Five lessons blending literacy,
SEL, and culturally grounded instruction for $9.99.
For the full K-12 arc, the Marcus Garvey Complete
Collection brings together all 20 core resources into a single curriculum
sequence for $39.99. Students begin with identity and confidence in the early
grades, develop structure and discipline in middle school, and engage primary
sources and critical historical analysis in high school.
A free lesson is available. Marcus Garvey and the
Power of the Mind teaches a growth mindset through Garvey’s philosophy for
grades 5-8. No purchase required. Download it from The Garvey Classroom store and see how the
approach works.
Every quote in every lesson is
verified against primary sources. No paraphrased attributions. No invented
dialogue. The standard is Garvey’s own words, drawn from The Philosophy and
Opinions of Marcus Garvey and Message to the People. The scholarship
draws on the work of Robert Hill, Rupert Lewis, Tony Martin, Carter G. Woodson,
and Angela Duckworth.
Dr. Julius W. Garvey endorsed this
work. Professor Rupert Lewis supported this work. That validation matters
because the standard is Garvey’s own.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find Marcus Garvey lesson plans on Teachers Pay Teachers?
The Garvey Classroom store on Teachers Pay Teachers
has 37 resources covering Pre-K through 12th grade. Individual lessons cover
Marcus Garvey, Frederick Douglass, Ella Baker, Harriet Tubman, Fannie Lou
Hamer, Miriam Makeba, Ida B. Wells, Shirley Chisholm, Septima Clark, Sojourner
Truth, Mia Mottley, Claudia Jones, Rosa Parks, and Haile Selassie. Every lesson
integrates ELA, SEL, and culturally responsive instruction.
Are there free Marcus Garvey lesson plans available?
Yes. Marcus Garvey and the Power of the Mind is a free growth-mindset
lesson for grades 5-8. It teaches self-awareness and perseverance through
Garvey’s philosophy. No purchase required. Download it from The Garvey Classroom store.
What grade levels do these lesson plans cover?
The Marcus Garvey Coloring Book with 78 scripted lesson
plans covers Pre-K through 2nd grade. The elementary bundle covers K through 5.
The core collection of SEL and ELA lessons covers grades 5 through 8. The high
school bundle covers grades 9 through 12 with primary source analysis, the
Black Star Line, Pan-Africanism, Rastafari, and the Harlem Renaissance. The
Complete Collection spans K-12.
Do these lesson plans align with Common Core standards?
Every lesson aligns with the Common Core State Standards for
English Language Arts, including the Reading Informational Text, Writing, and
Speaking and Listening strands. Lessons also align with CASEL SEL competencies.
International alignment includes UK Key Stage frameworks and Caribbean national
curriculum standards.
Can I use these for Black History Month?
Yes. The 42 Pan-African Heroes Bell Ringers provide six
weeks of daily openers. Individual lessons on Marcus Garvey, Frederick
Douglass, Ida B. Wells, and other figures work as standalone Black History
Month resources. Bundles are available for elementary, middle school, and high
school. The full curriculum is designed for year-round use beyond February.
Are there Women’s History Month lesson plans?
The Women’s History Month Bundle includes eight lessons on
Ella Baker, Harriet Tubman, Fannie Lou Hamer, Miriam Makeba, Sojourner Truth,
Ida B. Wells, Shirley Chisholm, and Septima Clark. A standalone Mia Mottley
lesson on climate justice and Caribbean leadership is also available. All
lessons integrate SEL with rigorous ELA standards for grades 6 through 8.
Are these lesson plans culturally responsive?
Every lesson is grounded in Pan-African history and primary
sources. Students study figures from Jamaica, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya,
Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, and the United States.
The curriculum addresses the systematic exclusion of African, Caribbean, and
African American intellectual history from mainstream education.
Who created the Garvey Classroom lesson plans?
Geoffrey Philp is a Jamaican-born author, poet, and educator
with 27 years of college teaching, six years as a middle school English
teacher, and two decades of published Garvey scholarship. He is a Silver
Musgrave Medal recipient and winner of the 2022 Marcus Garvey Award for
Excellence in Education. He gathered more than 11,000 signatures supporting
Marcus Garvey’s posthumous pardon. President Biden granted the pardon in
January 2025. Dr. Julius W. Garvey and Professor Rupert Lewis endorse the
curriculum.
Are primary sources used in these lessons?
Every quote is verified against sources, including The
Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey and Message to the People.
No paraphrased or unverified attributions appear in any Garvey Classroom
material. The scholarly foundation draws on the work of Robert Hill, Rupert
Lewis, Tony Martin, and Carter G. Woodson.
Is there a full-year Marcus Garvey curriculum available?
Yes. The Garvey Classroom offers a complete 39-week ELA and
SEL curriculum for grades 6 through 8 called The Garvey Blueprint. It is
organized around four quarterly themes: Clarity of Mind, Purpose and
Obligation, Strength Through Discipline, and Legacy and Inheritance. Schools
and districts can visit thegarveyclassroom.com or contact
info@thegarveyclassroom.com for licensing and implementation details.
Do these lesson plans work for homeschool families?
Yes. Every lesson is designed for immediate use with minimal
preparation. The scripted Pre-K through 2nd-grade plans require no planning.
The classes for grades 5 through 8 include all reading passages, vocabulary,
discussion prompts, and writing activities. Homeschool parents and co-ops use
these resources for Black history instruction, culturally responsive ELA, and
character development.
Visit The Garvey Classroom on Teachers Pay Teachers.
For the complete guide to year-round lesson plans: Marcus Garvey Lesson Plans for Teachers: Grades 6–8
For schools exploring curriculum adoption: Culturally Responsive ELA Curriculum for Middle School
For parents: The Garvey Classroom: What Parents Need to Know
Confidence is our birthright. Education is the medium.
Posts about Marcus Garvey: Geoffrey Philp: Search results for Marcus Garvey
