Exploring the Life of Martin Luther King Jr.

Every year, teachers commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. day by exploring the life of this influential individual. However, one day is not enough. This is a topic that can be covered in a series of lessons, rather than in a one hour time period, on a single day. In order to understand why we have a national holiday celebrating the life of this man, teachers need to delve into the history, details, people, and events relating to the civil rights movement.

Immersing Students in the History

It's a common practice to introduce students to discussions of Dr. King's life by reading a biography or short description of his life. However, one of the best ways to motivate students to learn about this topic is by providing first-hand accounts.

Students should read some accounts which describe what it was like to live in segregated communities in the 1960’s. They can read the descriptions of Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges, Dr. King or others. It may be hard for students to visualize what it was like to live in a society that was divided by race. Students always react in horror to the fact that whites and blacks used different water fountains, bathrooms, areas in bus stations, etc. These are some of the details that students are usually exposed to; however, you can explain that blacks were also subject to educational, economic, and political inequality. For example, you can describe Ruby Bridges’ experience as the first black person to go to the William Franz Elementary School in New Orleans. If you go to the Ruby Bridges’ website you can read aloud the first-hand account of her experience. It is heart wrenching. Even though Ruby was yelled at and cursed at as she entered school every day, she still saw the good in her persecutors. She is an amazing person.

Students can discuss how they would have felt if they had lived in a segregated society. You can lead the discussion by asking such questions as:

·         What would your life have been like if you had lived in the south in the 1960’s?

·         What would some of the challenges have been?

·         What would you have done to face these issues?

·         Would you have made speeches, taken part in marches, etc?

Delving Into Dr. King's Life

The next step is to learn a little bit about the life of Martin Luther King Jr. You can start from the beginning and read a book about his entire life, or you can use the information on the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Change website that highlights the key points of his life.

You could also have students do research on Dr. King. Students could list ten key accomplishments. Then you could have students make a timeline in which they list these important events. In small groups, students could share their timelines and describe why they picked these particular events instead of others. As a whole group, you could have students share which of the facts they encountered in their research that they found the most interesting.

Listening to Dr. King's Words

No exploration of this great man would be complete without listening to one of his famous speeches or letters. While his “I Have a Dream” speech is one of the most discussed in the classroom, there are other famous works of his that are equally worthwhile for students to listen or read. His “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” or his speech when he accepted the Noble Peace Prize are wonderful examples of rich and powerful use of language. In all of his works, he managed to clearly describe the challenges faced in a segregated society and spoke to peoples' better natures to make things right.

Lessons for Martin Luther King Jr. Day:

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - Middle School Reading activity

This lesson provides a good activity to kick-off or end a discussion of Martin Luther King Jr. Students answer a series of questions about this man. Teachers could add in a research or a writing component to extend the activity.

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s “I Have A Dream” Speech

In this lesson students analyze the "I Have a Dream" speech by identifying poetic elements. By using this strategy teachers could introduce a discussion of how orators use imagery, language, and repetition to make their words memorable. Students could then write their own speeches and experiment with ways to motivate and influence listeners.

Free at Last Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

This resource provides a series of lessons and activities that could be used for a unit on civil rights. Included in the unit are links, worksheets, and other resources to augment an exploration of this topic.

Martin Luther King R. - From Civil Rights to Human Rights

In this lesson students engage in activities that can promote critical thinking skills. They discuss the United Nation's "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" and evaluate what it means. This can lead to research on human rights in our country and in the rest of the world.