8 Martin Luther King Jr. Day Lesson Plans

Tuesday, 1/12/2010

Image Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is celebrated January 18th; use it as an opportunity to teach students about King’s life and the Civil Rights Movement. We’ve found outstanding lesson plans for every grade band – all are aligned to national standards.

Do you have an MLK Day lesson plan you’d like to share? Share with us in the comments section below!

Grades K-2

• Martin Luther King, Jr: A Man with a Dream, Scholastic: This activity introduces younger students to King’s “I Have a Dream” Speech with a colorful mini-book, and encourages them to think about their own dream for America with a fun reproducible.

Grades 3-5

• Martin Luther King Jr.: A Great Leader, Vocabulary Lesson, Scholastic: This activity introduces students to vocabulary themed around Civil Rights and King’s work. Students then complete fill-in, crossword puzzles and comprehension reproducibles.
• Martin Luther King Jr. Quiz, Scholastic: A fun, reproducible 10-question quiz about the life and times of Martin Luther King Jr.

Grades 6-8

• The Dream Continued, New York Times Learning Network: Students read Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1968 obituary and a follow-up article published 40 years later. They then use them to create found-word poetry, and discuss how perceptions of King’s work and impact have evolved over the years.
• The Power to Persuade, Scholastic: Students study King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” and how King used persuasive language to create an argument. Students then write their own persuasive essay.
• I Have A Dream Lesson Plan, Stanford Education: Students explore and investigate Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s dream, analyze the progress that has or has not been made, and think about what Dr. King’s dream means for the future.

Grades 9-12

• The Children’s Crusade, The Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute: This lesson explores the role of young people in the Civil Rights Movement with an entire unit plan and discussion questions.
• Ordinary People, Ordinary Places: The Civil Rights Movement, EdSitement: The lesson focuses on the individual people who heard Martin Luther King Jr.’s message of non-violence and advanced the cause, and encourages students to discuss and think critically about the movement.

General Resources:

• Martin Luther King Jr. Online Encyclopedia: This free digital encyclopedia covers features in-depth entries on all the people, places, events and related content surrounding the Civil Rights Movement and Martin Luther King Jr. It’s a great resource for your students.
• The History Channel MLK Resource Page: This offers a comprehensive biography of King, and offers loads of video resources.

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