On the third Monday of January, the US celebrates Martin Luther King Day. Born in 1929, King grew up during the Jim Crow laws of the south that segregated blacks and whites in schools, public transportation, and in many public places like hospitals, restaurants, and more. He eventually led people in the Civil Rights Movement to stand against racism and unjust laws; he led boycotts, peaceful protests, and marches.
Parents and teachers everywhere are inspired by the legacy of Martin Luther King. We’ve written a new Martin Luther King lesson plan to learn about his legacy. This activity pack teaches students about the key concepts of civil rights, protest, nonviolence, racism, and discrimination as related to the work of Martin Luther King, Jr.
The powerpoint presentation gives students a timeline of his life, with actual photos, Martin Luther King facts, and teacher notes. It explains King’s life, putting his work into historical context. The teacher’s notes allow teachers to give more detailed information for older students, or simply provide an introduction for younger students. While listening to the power point, students will color, and cut apart different events in King’s life, pasting them in order (sentence strips work GREAT, but I would also use these numbered in an interactive notebook).
One of my favorite sections is the cloze activity using the actual footage of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. In order to teach this wonderful portion to both older and younger students, there are a couple of ways to differentiate. First, we provided one sheet with a word bank, and one without. Also, when I use this with ESL learners, I pause the video (youtube link included) every sentence to give the kids a chance to write the words down. With older kids, the pauses can come less frequently. No matter who I use the activity with, the idea of a cloze activity is to listen several times to capture all of the information!
Through fun activities, students not only learn about and celebrate the struggle for civil rights in the US, but also write about how they can inspire change in the world! With real pictures, vocabulary activities, primary source audio, and authentic artwork, these activities are an excellent addition to your Social Studies and English Language Arts classes. It is also a great packet for Black History Month.
Martin Luther King Jr. Activities Pack
Our Martin Luther King Activities Pack is a ready-to-go activity packet full of everything you need to introduce students to this great leader and his role in the Civil Rights Movement. Teach students about the key concepts of civil rights, protest, nonviolence, racism, and discrimination as related to the work of Martin Luther King, Jr., whether in Social Studies, ELA, or in any class for Black History Month. Through fun activities, students not only learn about and celebrate the struggle for civil rights in the US, but also write about how they can inspire change in the world! With real photos, primary source audio, and authentic artwork. Go now! >