ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – The S.C. Department of Education recently awarded a $10,000 grant to Winthrop University’s Richard W. Riley College of Education to develop instructional materials for fifth-grade teachers to teach African-American history.
Richard Cox Jr., an assistant professor of elementary education, said the instructional materials will focus on African-American healthcare professionals, inventors and scientists who have made significant contributions to the fields of science. The units will extend beyond the common narratives taught about the Great Migration of African Americans from the South to western and northern cities during the 1900s in search of improved economic opportunities and social conditions.
The materials seek to highlight successes and contributions to society by African Americans during the Reconstruction and Progressive eras, said Cox, one of three faculty members working on the project. The materials will weave in topics about history, economics, culture and social justice.
Also working on the project are Joy Stapleton, associate professor of elementary education, and Margaret Gillikin, assistant professor of social studies education.
“This project furthers Winthrop’s mission to prepare our students and other educators to be professionals and citizens who make positive impacts on communities and schools,” Cox said.
To develop the materials, nine fifth-grade teachers will be accepted through an application process to work together in groups of three to design three inquiry units covering themes of economic advancements and social and cultural development.
A stipend will be given to these teachers for their work on the units.
The goal is for the instructional materials to be completed by the beginning of May and then shared with teachers across the state and nation by the end of the summer via the S.C. Social Studies Support Documents and Resources webpage.
This latest project with Stapleton, Gillikin and Cox builds on work Stapleton and Gillikin conducted as part of a 2019-20 African-American History Instructional Material Grant Award. With that award, they developed three first- and second-grade units highlighting the important contributions of African Americans from South Carolina and the nation.
For more information, contact Judy Longshaw, news and media services manager, at longshawj@winthrop.edu or at 803/323-2404.
