Lesson Plan: Black Studies & Voice — Featuring Dr. James A. Robinson

Learning Objective (1)

For the Worksheet That Goes with This Lesson Plan email: radiotalklr@gmail.com

Students will analyze how Black Studies is defined, practiced, and shared by examining Dr. Robinson’s scholarship and the Metro State Black Student Achievers Podcast as parallel forms of knowledge production.

Example: A student explains how Robinson’s research on Black railroad labor and the podcast’s student stories both recover voices often excluded from mainstream narratives.

Learning Outcome (1)

Students will identify one way Black Studies empowers communities and provide evidence from either Robinson’s work or a podcast episode.

Example: “The podcast shows how Black students narrate their own academic journeys, which aligns with Robinson’s learner‑centered approach.”

5E Learning Model

Engage

Play a 30–45 second clip from the Metro State Black Student Achievers Podcast. Ask: Whose voices are centered here? Why does that matter?

Explore

Students read short excerpts from Dr. Robinson’s biography. In groups, they connect his work to the podcast’s mission: defining Black Studies, elevating community knowledge, and documenting lived experience.

Explain

Students answer: What is Black Studies? Where is it learned? They use evidence from Robinson’s research AND the podcast’s storytelling.

Elaborate

Students map the eight guiding questions onto the podcast: e.g., What do students learn in Black Studies? How does the podcast model that learning?

Evaluate (Formative Assessment)

Exit Ticket: “Using Dr. Robinson’s work or a podcast episode, explain why Black Studies is important for students and communities.”