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Thursday, 25 February 2021

Alpha Plus News Did You Know Teaching Supplies, Tools, Tips Curriculum Resources Way to an A

In Oklahoma history, Bessie Coleman was just a freshman attending the Colored Agricultural and Normal University at Langston in the early 1900s. She went on to become the first black woman and the first Native American woman to receive an international pilot’s license. Read more in this sneak peek of our 6th grade ELA book!

Her Dreams Were in the Sky

In 1919, 27-year-old Bessie Coleman was doing nails in a Chicago barbershop. Born in Texas, she had saved up her money and moved to Oklahoma to attend what is now Langston University. She could only afford one semester so she went to live with family in Chicago and attended beauty school.

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Monday, 08 February 2021

Alpha Plus News Oklahoma Education Jan Barrick, Founder Did You Know Teaching Supplies, Tools, Tips Curriculum Resources Way to an A

In Oklahoma history, a musician born in Oklahoma City in 1914 grew up to write one of the most influential novels in American history. During Black History Month, we remember the life of Ralph Ellison and the first great novel by an African-American writer, Invisible Man, published in 1952.

Ralph Ellison: An Oklahoma Treasure

Oklahoma has a rich history of people who have made a lasting mark on their profession and the world. Ralph Ellison is one such figure. Born in 1914, in Oklahoma City, Ralph Ellison walked the halls of Frederick Douglass School and learned from early hardship that life was difficult but beautiful. Pulling from his roots and life experiences, Ellison wrote Invisible Man, one of the most influential novels in American history.

Ralph Ellison was named after his father’s literary hero, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Ellison’s father had wanted his son to be a poet, just like his namesake. Unfortunately, when Ellison was three, his father was killed in a terrible accident. After the tragedy, Ellison’s mother was forced to work multiple jobs to support her family. But even in this, Ellison could see good, as his mother brought him books to read given to her by residents in the houses she cleaned. Ralph Ellison grew up poor but was able to attend school in Oklahoma City, learned to play the trumpet, and found good mentors.

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Did You Know

Friday, 04 December 2020

Alpha Plus News Jan Barrick, Founder Did You Know Teaching Supplies, Tools, Tips Curriculum Resources Way to an A

In Oklahoma history, tourism has been central to the state’s economic development. In this story, a family races to complete a challenge and wins the game by helping a fellow traveler.

Excerpt from “The Oklahoma Burger Trail Challenge”

One day. Seven greasy hamburgers. Over 200 miles to drive.

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Did You Know

Friday, 20 November 2020

Oklahoma Education Jan Barrick, Founder Did You Know Teaching Supplies, Tools, Tips Curriculum Resources

In Oklahoma history, few stories are more tragic than the journey of more than a thousand miles that brought Native American tribes to what would become the 46^th state. The following selection is courtesy of the Oklahoma Historical Society.

Trail of Tears¹

By Andrew K. Frank

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