Elevating Student Agency Through Garvey’s Legacy
These culturally rooted classroom resources draw on Marcus Garvey’s legacy to affirm Black identity, nurture student confidence, and empower young learners with tools for self-awareness and purpose.
Resources Rooted in Purpose: Elevating Student Agency Through Garvey’s Legacy
Every resource on this page begins with a simple conviction. When children see themselves reflected in the stories they study, they stop doubting and start daring to take on new challenges. Too often, classrooms present Black history as a footnote; something to check off during a single month and then set aside quietly. Here, Marcus Garvey’s life and ideas are woven through every lesson. That choice matters.
When a student traces Garvey’s footsteps from rural Jamaica to the global stage, they’re witnessing one person’s courage to challenge expectations. When a learner examines Garvey’s speeches, they’re encountering a demand that Black people own their worth. This is education rooted in truth and urgency.
Why offer these books, lesson plans, and Wisdom Cards? Because students deserve more than generic, “one-size-fits-all” lessons. They deserve materials that speak directly to cultural pride, resilience, and self-awareness. A child reading “My Name Is Marcus” is finding a mirror that says, “Your story matters here.”
By placing Garvey front and center, these resources dismantle narratives of invisibility and replace them with narratives of agency and empowerment.
Three guiding principles run through every item:
Authentic Representation
We refuse to deliver watered-down versions of Garvey’s journey. Instead, students encounter original documents such as speeches, newspaper excerpts, archival photographs, so they feel the urgency of Garvey’s activism.
When they handle the language Garvey used in 1920s Harlem, they understand that his call to “uplift” was not theoretical but tactical.
By engaging with primary sources, students learn to question incomplete histories and insist on full complexity by starting with their own.
Learning That Builds Self-Knowledge
The driving question in each lesson is not “What did Garvey do?” but “How did Garvey’s belief in himself change what was possible?”
From a 7-day personal power workbook to critical reflections on mental freedom, every activity prompts learners to consider their own strengths, struggles, and aspirations.
When a fifth grader illustrates Garvey’s early dreams, they’re also encouraged to draw themselves as creators of community change. This dual focus of studying Garvey while naming personal aspirations sharpens critical thinking and nurtures self-understanding.
Purpose-Driven Interdisciplinary Work
History, reading, writing, and social-emotional learning blend into cohesive units of study. A lesson on Garvey’s time in London becomes a vocabulary builder, a discussion starter, and a prompt for reflective journaling.
A mini-unit on growth mindset borrows Garvey’s philosophy to teach perseverance through writing, art, and group work. By refusing to isolate subjects, these resources show students that confidence, literacy, and cultural knowledge are not separate goals but interlocking practices.
What makes these materials stand out? They are immediately usable. Teachers can pick up a PDF and launch a lesson without laborious preparation. Parents can download prompts to spark evening conversations about identity and purpose.
Administrators can see clear connections to standards—whether it’s the Common Core, UK Key Stages, or Jamaica’s national curriculum. Each resource comes with guidance for differentiation, ensuring that visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners all find a point of entry.
Is there more to include? A brief “Next Steps” guide could help teachers extend learning beyond the classroom by suggesting community projects, organizing a local “Garvey Read-Aloud.”
Offering a downloadable poster series featuring Garvey quotes and student reflections would enable classrooms to display these ideas in daily view. And a section on how to adapt lessons for remote learning would make these resources even more flexible in today’s hybrid teaching environments.
These resources invite students to participate actively in a continuing story. When learners close a Wisdom Card and carry Garvey’s words into their next assignment, they’re stepping into a legacy of self-determination. That is the core of our work. We create pathways where education and empowerment are inseparable.
The Garvey Classroom Store on Teachers Pay Teachers
All Resources (9)
Young Marcus Garvey and His Big Dream – SEL & Literacy Mini-Unit (Grade 2)
Category: Black History, Other (ELA), Social Emotional Learning
Grade: 2nd
Price: $2.00
Marcus Garvey & the Black Star Line – Mini-Unit (Grades 9–12)
Category: Black History, Other (ELA), Social Emotional Learning
Grade: 9th – 12th
Price: $5.00
What Garvey Learned in London – Black History Month Reading & Reflection (Grades 6–8)
Category: Black History, Other (ELA), Social Emotional Learning
Grade: 6th – 8th
Price: $5.00
Garvey, Grit, and the Growth Mindset – SEL & Literacy Mini-Unit (Grades 5–8)
Category: Black History, Other (ELA), Social Emotional Learning
Grade: 5th – 8th
Price: $4.25
Building a Nation, Building Myself – Marcus Garvey SEL & Literacy Unit (Grades 6–8)
Category: Black History, Other (ELA), Social Emotional Learning
Grade: 6th – 8th
Price: $8.99
Marcus Garvey: The Power of Trying – SEL & Literacy Unit (Grades 2–5)
Category: Black History, Other (ELA), Social Emotional Learning
Grade: 2nd – 5th
Price: $3.00
Marcus Garvey Wisdom Cards | Growth Mindset SEL Reflection Prompts (Grades 3–8)
Category: Character Education, Social Emotional Learning, U.S. History
Grade: 3rd – 8th
Price: $3.50
Marcus Garvey and the Power of the Mind: A Free Lesson on Growth Mindset (Grades 5–8)
Category: Black History, Other (ELA), Social Emotional Learning
Grade: 5th – 8th
Price: FREE
Mapping Marcus Garvey’s Hero’s Journey – Lesson Plan & Activities (Grades 10–12)
Category: Black History, Literature, Social Emotional Learning
Grade: 10th – 12th
Price: $3.00
Explore more on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mynameismarcusgarvey
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Explore the full collection on Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Garvey-Classroom
Learn more at Liberty Hall: The Legacy of Marcus Garvey