Curated OER
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Students examine and discuss Dr. King's fight for equality and justice in the Civil Rights Movement. They locate words in a dictionary, read and interpret a poem about Martin Luther King, Jr., and discuss the holiday celebrated in his...
PBS
Amid Rising Economic Inequality, Does America Need a Third Reconstruction?
Young political scientists investigate the Poor People's Campaign protest held in Washington, D.C., on June 18, 2022. They research how the event was reported in various news outlets and consider their stance on whether...
Curated OER
Influencing Others in Our World
Students discover that the actions of people can have a positive influence on a community. They use a variety of resources to research biographies of African Americans. Students research and discuss the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.,...
Curated OER
Just-Us and Kindness: A Voice for Children: King Day
Eighth graders investigate philanthropy. In this service learning instructional activity, 8th graders read human rights literature and use information gleaned to discuss children's rights around the world. Students discuss scenarios...
Curated OER
Martin Luther King Day
Students access a varitey of Martin Luther King, Jr. themed websites. They locate information about Dr. King and his leadership in the American civil rights movement. They take a virtual tour of his birth home and view photographic...
Curated OER
How does it feel? Why is the Civil Rights Movement so Important?
Fifth graders study the Civil War. In this US history lesson, 5th graders simulate what life was like during the Civil War by having two groups with one group given more materials than the other group. Students then draw a...
PBS
The Sixties: Hitsville USA
James Jamerson. You probably heard him but may not have heard of him. But fans of Motown Records will certainly recognize his contributions to the sound that desegregated popular music during the 1960s. Challenge young history...
Curated OER
Thoreau, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Students explore the concept of non-violent resistance. In this political philosophies lesson, students study the political tactics of Mohandas Gandhi, Henry David Thoreau, and Martin Luther King, Jr. in order to discover how each of...
Curated OER
Introduction to Music of the Civil Rights Era
Students summarize the major events of the Civil Rights Movement. They examine leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X and what they did for the movement. They also listen to music from the Civil Rights Era and their...
Curated OER
King's Dream Revisited
Students investigate the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They complete a Webquest, listen to an excerpt from a speech, take an online quiz, answer discussion questions, and read newspaper articles about current...
Center for Civic Education
The Power of Nonviolence: Change Through Strategic Nonviolent Action
How did major historical figures, such as Henry David Thoreau, Susan B. Anthony, and Mohandas K. Gandhi, explain and defend their beliefs in nonviolence? Your learners will begin by studying the backgrounds of these individuals, and then...
Curated OER
The Poor People's Campaign
Learners research and analyze the campaign that was conceived by Dr. Martin Luther King, The Poor People's Campaign. The concepts of poverty and cultural diversity along with the Civil Rights Movement is also covered in detail within...
Curated OER
Martin Luther King and Writing as a Tool for Social Change
Students explore writing as an agent for social change. In this Social Studies lesson, students examine the power of writing using Dr. King's Letter from a Birmingham Jail. Students will practice the technique of persuasive writing...
Curated OER
All Access Spotlight: U2
Young scholars listen to songs from the group U2 to examine civil rights issues.
Curated OER
Music and Lyrics
Eighth graders analyze lyrics from songs from a variety of genres. In this musical analysis activity, 8th graders write an essay about their life plans in which they discuss the lyrics of U2's song, "One." They tell how the writings of...
Albert Shanker Institute
Making the Case for Equality: A Comparison
Martin Luther King Jr's " I Have a Dream" speech and Atticus Finch's closing argument during the trial of Tom Robinson both address the societal need to overcome racism. After examining the rhetorical devices and figurative language used...
Curated OER
The Man, The Dream
Learners discuss how one person's life can affect a community . For this Martin Luther King Jr. lesson, students read about Dr. King's life and contributions. They formulate ideas about how they can meet the needs of their own community.
Curated OER
20th Century Civil Disobedience
Young scholars write from varying perspectives in the American South about the civil rights movements in the 1950s. In this civics lesson, students view video clips and take notes. Young scholars discuss the film and listen to a lecture...
Curated OER
Civil Rights after MLK and RFK
Students are assigned to groups representing minority populations who produce a research project in a digital format from the list. A few of the choices are: speech, letter to the editor, editorial cartoon, etc.
Curated OER
I Have A Dream
Students create a reader response essay as they react to the I Have A Dream speech made by Martin Luther King. In this Martin Luther King lesson plan, students read the speech, fill out a Civil Rights movement sheet, have discussions,...
Curated OER
Love, Kindness, and Friendship
Students explore the goal of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. They find pictures from magazines that show love, kindness, and friendship and other things that would make Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. happy. Students discuss why they selected...
Curated OER
Rosa Parks Refused to Do What?
First graders listen to two books about Rosa Parks. They contribute factual information for a web. They listen to an interview with Rosa Parks on the internet, adding more information to the web. They write and illustrate a book using...
Curated OER
What is a Biography?
Investigate biographies with your class. Compare autobiographies and biographies of Martin Luther King, Jr. as an example. Learners explore the factual components that make up a biography and locate several biographies of notable...
Curated OER
Analyzing Persuasion
A reading of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech launches a study of rhetorical devices such as hyperbole, allusion, metaphor, simile, personification, connotative language and parallel structure. Class members then...