Teaching About Martin Luther King

The Teachable Moment for Dr. Marin Luther King

January 17th, 2011 is Martin Luther King Day in the United States. The day is meant to commemorate the life and accomplishments of one of this country’s pre-eminent civil rights leaders. Born on January 15, 1929 King went on to become a minister and civil rights leader who worked tirelessly for the causes of equality and equal justice in the US. He received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work.

Martin Luther King Day represents a teachable moment on several fronts with ample cross- over activities for Black History Month as well as a look at the Civil Rights Movement in the US. There are also opportunities for interdisciplinary teaching units.

At the high school level, students can study King’s speeches, most notable of which is the “I have a Dream” speech. Students can discuss the effectiveness of the speech and devise a list of what makes an effective and memorable speech. The speech can be heard and played in the classroom by going to www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

In one high school in New Jersey, students were asked to research King’s quotes on the internet and discuss them in class. They then took their quotes to their art classes where they learned calligraphy and created posters of their quotes. These calligraphy quotes were posted throughout the school building.

One helpful web site that we recently came across is The Teachers Corner www.theteacherscorner.net).

Here you will find lesson plans, poster ideas, worksheets, printable crossword puzzles and much more that can be used to develop exciting lessons for MLK Day.

 To get a unique  prespective on Dr. King's life and  how he impacted the Civil Rights Movement, I recommend the award winning best seller "Walking with the Wind" by John  Lewis (c.1988  HArcourt, Brace Pub Co.). Lewis is a distinguished US congressman from Atlanta and marched with King across the infamous Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.