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Lesson plans and activities are divided into sections for grade levels 4 and 8. Each activity worksheet is available in both black and white or colored versions.

Bringing the Heroes of Yesterday to the Students of Today...

This website offers lesson plans and activities to help bring the courageous contributions and heroic story of the Tuskegee Airmen to West Virginia students.

Why Teach About the Tuskegee Airmen?
West Virginia played an integral role in the training and support of the Tuskegee Airmen long before they accepted their challenging missions during World War II. Originally an "experiment" to train black aviators, the Tuskegee Airmen became one of the most celebrated squadrons in history. They earned over 100 Flying Crosses, 14 Bronze Star Medals, eight Purple Hearts, a Silver Star, Legion of Merit and three Presidential Unit Citations. They were also awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by then-President George W. Bush.
Unmatched by Any Other Flight Squadron

The Tuskegee Airmen never lost a plane to combat - a feat unrivaled by any other flight squadron and a testament to their uncompromising sacrifice and heroism. In addition to attacking enemy planes in the air, the Tuskegee Airmen broke down barriers of prejudice and racism throughout the country. In a time when no one believed black men could fly, the Tuskegee Airmen rose to the challenge and paved the way for military desegregation.

Diversity in the Classroom
Teaching students about West Virginia history and the impact the Tuskegee Airmen had on our nation's victory is a perfect example of how commitment and courage can overcome even the harshest obstacles. By using the instructional materials provided on this website, you'll not only be teaching your students an important history lesson, but you'll also be instructing them on the values of diversity, teamwork and determination.
 

Tuskegee Airmen Teaching Activities for Grades 4 and 8

Please choose the appropriate grade level by clicking below or view games and writing assignments appropriate for all grades.

4th Grade Activities

Create an Airman - An art project - students can draw and label a Tuskegee Airmen on posterboard using various materials. Download

Repair a Crashed Plane - Cut and paste the parts of a plane together that was flown by a Tuskegee Airmen. Plane Pieces in Color - Black & White - Finished Plane - Color - Black & White

Code Buster - Decode important names of Tuskegee Airmen with the code buster. Available in Color and Black & White - Download Answer Key in Color / Black and White

S-t-r-e-t-c-h It Out - Stretch out sentences covering important events dealing with the Tuskegee Airment. Available in Color and Black & White, Answer Key in Color / Black and White

Word Search - Find words like determination, dignity and other terms that symbolized the Tuskegee Airmen. Available in Color and Black & White - Download Answer Key in Color / Black and White

8th Grade Activities

Aircraft Types - Learn about the different types of airplanes flown by the Tuskegee Airmen. Available in Color and Black and White - Download Answer Key in Color / Black and White

Fact Hunt - Discover year-by-year facts about the Tuskegee Airmen by highlighting important events. Available in Color and Black and White - Download Answer Key in Color / Black and White

George "Spanky" Robinson Fill-in-the-blank - Learn a little about the amazing history of one of the Tuskegee Airmen through this fill in the blank exercise. Available in Black & White. Download Answer Key in Black and White

Timeline Research - Discover important events in the history of the Tuskegee Airmen and plot them on a timeline. Available in Black and White. Download Answer Key in Black and White

True or False? How well do you know your Tuskegee Airmen and events? Available in Color and Black & White. Download Answer Key in Color / Black and White

Similes & Metaphors - A writing project for students that teaches them about similes and metaphors in a Tuskegee context. Available in Black and White

Games, Writing and Other Activities

Pilot Nicknames - Learn how pilots earned their nicknames and come up with creative pilot nicknames for your students

Poetry Patterns - Common poetry patterns that could form the basis of a poem about the Tuskegee Airmen and their heroism.

Pop Quiz Ideas - A simple pop quiz idea that tests the students knowledge of the Tuskegee Airmen Unit.

Unscramble - Unscramble words related to the Tuskegee Airmen. Page 1 / Page 2

Wordsearch - Simple wordsearch - Two different versions available. Version 1 / Version 2

School Word Scramble - Learn which other schools had a Tuskegee Airmen program. Answer Key

Story Tree - Write a simple story using a set number of words and adjectives. Available in Color / Black and White

Tuskegee Journal - During the Tuskegee Airmen Unit, have the students keep a journal with open-ended questions crafted by the teacher. Examples provided.

Tuskegee Game - A quiz game that helps test students' knowledge of the Tuskegee Airmen and events they participated in. Quiz questions provided. Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3 - Page 4
Credits and Information

This website was made possible and sponsored by the West Virginia Humanities Council as well as the West Virginia History and Cultural Committee and West Virginia State University.

Tuskegee Airmen plane graphic photo by Brian Silcox

Tuskegee History segment written by Elaine A. Cheesman, Ph.D. - University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

Lesson plans and activities collected / created by the students of Dr. T. Ford-Ahmed at West Virginia State University

Special Thanks to the Red Wing Project and Maxwell Airforce Base for photos of the Tuskegee Airmen and their aircraft.
Historic photo of Tuskegee airmen
 

History of the Tuskegee Airmen

As told by Elaine A. Cheesman, Ph.D. - University of Colorado at Colorado Springs - Freedom's Song

The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African Americans to serve in the U.S. Army Air Corp, the forerunner of today's Air Force, Composed of pilots, navigators, bombardiers, air traffic controllers, maintenance men, and support staff, they were part of the "Tuskegee Experiment" to train African Americans to fly and maintain combat aircraft in World War II. Located at the renowned Tuskegee Institute in central Alabama, the Tuskegee Army Air Field graduated 993 African American pilots between 1942 and 1946.

To fully understand the historical significance of the Tuskegee Airmen, one must first understand the social climate of the time. At the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Jim Crow laws, or legal discrimination, had formally existed in the southern states for nearly 60 years. Graphic indications of the Jim Crow laws included voting restrictions, separate schools, "colored" drinking fountains, segregated movie theaters and restaurants and seating in the back of the bus.
In the early days of aviation, Jim Crow laws prevented African Americans from learning to fly in the United States. France opened its doors to aspiring African American pilots. Many African American pilots, like Eugene Bullard, served in the French Lafayette Flying Corps. In 1921, Bessie Coleman, daughter of a slave, trained in France and became the first African American woman pilot.

In 1925 at the height of the Jim Crow era, the military published a report issued by the War College, "The Use of Negro Manpower in War." This report contained numerous derogatory remarks against the character of African Americans. Although the report offered no supportive evidence, it was accepted as truth and used to block African Americans from serving in the military. Many United States military leaders believed that African Americans lacked sufficient bravery, intelligence, and discipline to fight in combat. Despite that, in World War I (1914-1918), many African American pilots had distinguished records as pilots in the French Air Force.

In 1939, Europe was on the brink of World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt organized the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP) to prepare college students for eventual service in the U.S. Army Air Corps. This program was based in existing colleges, segregated by race reflecting the Jim Crow laws. Nearly a decade later, a CPTP was established at the famous Tuskegee Institute in central Alabama. Charles "Chief" Anderson was the chief flight instructor.

To get financial backing for this program, the president of Tuskegee Institute invited members of the Rosenwald fund of Chicago to hold its annual board meeting at the campus. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, a member of the board, toured the facilities and observed the pilots. Mrs. Roosevelt persuaded "Chief" Anderson to take her for a plane ride, over the strong objections of the Secret Service. After her visit, Mrs. Roosevelt became a strong supporter, and the Rosenwald Fund loaned the college enough money to construct the Tuskegee Army Air Field.

In 1940, the United States faced a crisis, World War II, and looked toward African Americans to fill out the military ranks. The Army Air Corps submitted a plan for an "experiment" to train pilots for all African American fighter squadrons at existing CPTP institutions. Many of the top military brass, firm believers of the War Department's infamous 1925 report, expected this "experiment" to fail. Tuskegee Institute was selected to be the first Army Air Corps training field, training ground for the African American 99th Fighter Squadron. Of the 13 men in the first pilot training class, only five completed the rigorous five week program to earn their wings. The cadets were painfully aware that this was an experiment. Individual success meant success for all African Americans. If they crashed, all African Americans went down with them.
One of the first graduates of the Tuskegee "experiment" was a West Point graduate, Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. Davis was selected as the Commander of the 99th Squadron and the 332nd Fighter Group and later became the U.S. Air Force's first African American General Officer. The success of the Tuskegee Airmen is in large part due to his leadership.
 
The 99th Fighter Squadron was known as the "lonely eagles" because they were not part of a Fighter Group, customarily composed of three Fighter Squadrons. They first saw combat in Morocco, North Africa. In 1943, the 99th became the fourth and only African American squadron of the all-white 79th Fighter Group. In this group, the Tuskegee Airmen were welcome, and treated as professional equals. This integrated fighter group worked as a team and participated in many victories in Europe.
 
In 1944, the 99th Squadron was reassigned to the 332nd Fighter Group, an All-African-American group, originally formed in 1943 from three Fighter Squadrons -- the 100th, the 301st, and the 302nd. The men of the 99th were not entirely in favor of the transfer; some saw it as a return to segregation. Regardless, together the men of the 332nd achieved many victories. They were known as the Red Tails, because of the distinctive tail markings on their airplanes.

Throughout the war, various attempts were made to discredit African American combat pilots. However, their courage and skill eventually earned them respect from those who first questioned their ability and doubted their courage. The Red Tails became known as experts in bomber escort, and enjoyed the distinction of never losing a bomber they were escorting. No other group in the United States Armed Forces could make that claim.

Despite the impressive battle records in the service of their country, African Americans continued to endure racism at home. African Americans in the military were said to be fighting two wars, one against the enemy in Europe and another against racism. African American soldiers were treated more fairly by European soldiers, even as prisoners of war, then they were in the United States. Back home, military bases were strictly segregated according to Jim Crow practices. When African American officers in the all African American 477th Bombardment group attempted to enter a "white" officer's club at Freedom Field, they were arrested. It was not until 1948 that President Harry S. Truman issued an executive order to desegregate the military, due in no small part to the bravery and accomplishments of the Tuskegee Airmen.
 
 
Historic photo of Wertz Field

Tuskegee Airmen Lesson Plans

Please choose the appropriate grade level. Each web-based lesson plan will open in a new window for your convenience. For PDF files, you will need to have the Adobe Reader installed on your computer. Click here to download it for free.

4th Grade Lesson Plans

Write a letter to Jesse Owens - Learn about the accomplishments of Jesse Owens, the views of the Nazi Party and Civil Rights in 1936.

African-American Hall of Fame - Spark interest in the topic of African-American heroes by displaying biographies, photographs, and artifacts concerning African Americans.

Jim Crow History - the Right to Flight - An interesting exercise that helps students become acquainted with discrimination and how the Tuskegee Airmen rose above segregation to become one of the most memorable aviation squadrons in history.

Teach with Movies - the Tuskegee Airmen - ($11.99/year) - A detailed lesson plan based on the film 'The Tuskegee Airmen'


8th Grade Lesson Plans

African-American Leaders in the U.S. Military - Discuss and define what it means to have an impact on society. Learn how the Tuskegee Airmen overcame discrimination to make their own impact. Find out if any family members were in the military and research African American military leaders. (Downloadable PDF file)

Past, Present and Future Flying Machines - An artistic research project introducing students to the different types of aircraft flown in World War II as well as the role played in the war by the Tuskegee Airmen

Achievements in Aviation - Learn about the obstacles the Tuskegee Airmen faced in aviation as well as their achievements

Creating a Memorial - Create a memorial honoring a Tuskegee Airman while learning about patriotism, bravery and discrimination.

Consider a Career in Aviation - (2 pages) - Learn about the Tuskegee Airmen and their impact on the aviation field. Compare their treatment with that of the Navajo Code Talkers. Download Page 1 - Download Page 2.

Tuskegee Airmen Language Arts Project - A 10 day, detailed language arts/social studies course including web research, select activities and class presentations in a historical context.
 
Tuskegee Airmen
 
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