Lesson Plan for Dr. Martin Luther King Day

Students will learn about the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Students will reflect on sections of the I Have a Dream speech..

Students will gain some understanding of the experience of being involved in the civil rights movement.

Students will recognize the chronology of Martin Luther King’s life and develop a timeline.

A BOX OF CRAYONS

I just finished a lesson in honor of Martin Luther King Day that I found to be one of the best of my 6 year teaching career. This truly is a great lesson I’d love to share!

Living the Dream: 100 Acts of Kindness

After studying about Martin Luther King, Jr. and what he believed in, students need the chance to apply those lessons. Students count the days between Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Valentine’s Day and are challenged to complete 100 acts of kindness during that time. They brainstorm examples of kind acts they could do and discuss how to report acts of kindness they witness. They also select a service project to plan and complete together as a class. For the project’s duration, acts of kindness are tracked on a classroom chart. Students are encouraged to acknowledge kind acts by others through thank you notes, and families are encouraged to help report acts of kindness. The project culminates with a Valentine’s Day celebration.

Martin Luther King Jr.: A Clothesline Timeline

Students

* use print and online resources to learn about the life of Martin Luther King Jr.
* identify important events in King’s life.
* sequence lists of important events by date.
* create art representations of the important events.
* sequence art on the clothesline timeline.

Martin Luther King Jr.

The students will recognize the chronology of Martin Luther King’s life.

The students will have an understanding of the Jim Crow laws.

The students will become familiar with the speech “I Have a Dream.”