This new Black History resource written by musician and singer Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne, reflects thoughtfully on music-making among enslaved people in former British colonies in the Southern United States and the Caribbean. It explores how songs have been adapted and yet remained very similar across the Atlantic. Working together with singer Germa Adan and storyteller Alison Solomon, who produced accompanying audio files, Cohen’s resource draws on four songs and stories sung by black singers in these diverse locations and presents them, their history, and creative tasks for young people in secondary education (Key Stage 3 and above).

As part of our mission to celebrate diversity and promote equality we have produced our first learning resource in celebration of Black History Month. ‘Black Sailors and Sea Shanties’ introduces learners to sea shanties and explores the influence of black sailors on shanties. The resource provides arrangements of three shanties with extended learning activities, and is aimed at Key Stage 3 (age 11 and above). The pack also provides useful background information and discussion points to explore the meanings and interpretations of the songs. Audio recordings are free to download and include: instrumentals, vocals, high parts, low parts, middle parts, percussion and full songs. Please feel free to provide feedback on this resource - including the music - and let us know if you have found it useful.

Storytelling was used with Year 7 students as part of The Full English learning programme at Queensbridge School in Birmingham. This pack details how Amy Douglas worked with the students, and provides some Storytelling exercises and some Ballad Story Bones to help get you started. Amy Douglas is a vibrant professional storyteller with a passion for traditional stories and riddles. She first discovered storytelling at a folk festival in her teens and has been a devotee of the art ever since, broadening her knowledge, experience and skills as a storyteller as well as promoting and celebrating the art form. More resources can be explored at www.efdss.org/resourcebank Resource provided by the English Folk Dance and Song Society

This pack brings some background information about coal mining together with songs and poems that can be used in primary schools to explore and analyse the issues surrounding coal mining. It was created by the English Folk Dance and Song Society in partnership with the National Coal Mining Museum for England. There is a wealth of folk music, song and dance associated with coal mining. The living conditions of mining families also feature in songs, as do tales of child labour and poverty. There are many songs about the different jobs and roles that people had, and sad laments about mining disasters that occurred. There is also the rapper dance tradition that grew from coal mining communities in the North East, and tunes that accompanied the dances. The material presented in this pack has all been tried and tested with visitors to the National Coal Mining Museum for England, pupils at Flockton C of E (c) First School, Wakefield (thanks to the East Peak Industrial Heritage Support Programme), and also in The Full English school projects at St John with St Mark CofE Primary School, Bury and Shawlands Primary School, Barnsley. All the material can be used to explore themes of local history, industrial revolution, child labour, poverty and social change. The material is aimed at primary age children and their teachers. ACCOMPANYING AUDIO TRACKS CAN BE DOWNLOADED FOR FREE AT http://efdss.org/efdss-education/resource-bank/resources-and-teaching-tools/coal-mining-with-folk-arts-and-poetry