This document consists of six lesson plans and primary source materials on the history of black people in the Illinois cities of Bloomington and Normal. The plans were developed for the Bloomington-Normal Black History Project which concentrates on recovering and recording the history of blacks in those two cities. These pilot editions are intended to be useful to teachers at grade levels 6 through 12 who are looking for materials to help students gain insight into the African American experience in U.S. history, particularly in small towns and cities. Topics for the lessons include: (1) the abolition of slavery; (2) school desegregation, which took place in 1984 in Bloomington, Illinois; (3) business history of Bloomington's black businesses from 1855 to 1915; (4) local government and elections; (5) housing patterns that identify human migration patterns, and the family as a focal point of the community; and (6) a memoir that covers the period from 1920 to the present. The lesson plans include themes from U.S. history, skill objectives, a description of the focus of the lesson, suggested procedures, possible ways to extend the lesson in other directions, and suggested readings. Each lesson draws heavily on primary sources such as newspaper articles, business directories, legal documents, charts and graphs, U.S. census documents, and the memoir. Procedures include identifying and analyzing the primary source document for that lesson. A handout copy of the primary source document being studied is included in each lesson plan. (DK)