Section 8: Modern Leaders & Cultural Icons

**Subject:** History | **Grade:** 5

## Overview
Visual timeline-based biography collection of Black leaders, legends, and cultural figures from ancient Africa to present day

## Source Text Excerpt
87

Hiatus Stormzy criticizes the BRIT Award panel—who give awards for achievements in the British music industry—for not recognizing the grime music genre. After releasing a song titled “Scary,” Stormzy goes on a year-long hiatus from social media in order to concentrate working on his debut full-length album. #Merky Books Stormzy launches his publishing company, #Merky Books, with the aim of focusing on new and exciting authors and poets. His memoir, Rise Up, is the first book published, and is a big success. He later performs a freestyle rap at the BRIT Awards, criticizing Prime Minister Theresa May for her inaction in response to the Grenfell Tower fire—a tragedy that claimed the lives of more than 70 people in 2017. Helping others In the aftermath of the Black Lives Matter protests, Stormzy pledges to donate £10 million ($13 million) over the coming decade to UK charitable organizations working to tackle racial inequality, reform the legal system, and encourage Black empowerment in the UK. Debut album Gang Signs and Prayer, Stormzy’s debut full-length album, is released through his own record label, #Merky Records. It becomes the first grime album to reach No.1 in
the UK album chart. He wins numerous awards, including
Artist of the Year at the BBC
Music Awards. Shut Up Stormzy performs an improvised freestyle rap, “Shut Up,” over an instrumental track by Ruff Sqwad, an English grime group. The song enters the UK singles chart at No.18, his first success in the charts. Huge success
“Vossi Bop,” the first track to be released from Stormzy’s second album, Heavy Is the Head, reaches No.1 in the UK singles chart. Later, Stormzy becomes the first grime artist to headline the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury Festival— the biggest stage of the largest music festival in the UK. His performance is widely praised. Dreamers Disease Stormzy quits his apprenticeship to focus fully on music. He releases Dreamers Dis

## Learning Objectives
- Master the concepts in this section
- Apply skills through hands-on activities
- Demonstrate understanding through projects

## Activities


---

*Source: Leaders, Legends, Legacies: Timelines from Black History*

👩‍🏫 Teacher’s Guide — Section 8: Modern Leaders & Cultural Icons

Lesson Plan at a Glance

• Topic: Section 8: Modern Leaders & Cultural Icons
• Grade: 5 | Subject: History | State: OK
• Reading: Textbook: Leaders, Legends, Legacies: Timelines from Black History, Section 8
• Suggested Pacing: 4 sessions × 45 min (Read → Narrate → Activity → Notebook)

Teaching Sequence

1. Read Aloud the assigned text; have student narrate back in their own words.
2. Big Idea to Land: Core concept of this lesson.
3. Cover These Sections: (see student content for section headings)
4. Do a Hands-On Activity from the list — concrete experience before abstract.
5. Notebook: Student completes journal entry recording observations.
6. Review: Ask discussion questions orally; finish with review questions.

Discussion Questions (with what to listen for)

• Q: Whose perspective is missing from this account? (Listen for awareness of multiple perspectives.)
• Q: What caused this event? What were the effects? (Listen for cause-and-effect chains.)
• Q: How is this similar to/different from today? (Listen for historical connections.)

Vocabulary to Define Together

Materials to Gather

• Notebook/journal
• Writing utensils
• Textbook: Leaders, Legends, Legacies: Timelines from Black History
• Map/globe (for history/geography)
• Basic lab supplies (for science)

Standards Covered

Watch For (Common Misconceptions)

• Confusing mass with weight — use the Moon example consistently.
• Skipping narration — oral retelling is where retention happens; don’t skip it.
• Activity without notebook — the journal entry IS the assessment; don’t separate them.
• Lecturing instead of questioning — aim for 80% student talk, 20% teacher talk.

Differentiation

• Struggling: Provide sentence frames for narration; allow oral responses.
• Advanced: Add extension question: “How would this change if…?”
• ELL: Pre-teach key vocabulary; use visual aids and sentence frames.

Assessment Look-Fors

• Accurate narration with key vocabulary
• Notebook entry shows observation + reflection
• Map/timeline entry accurate
• Discussion participation with evidence
• Project completion with explanation