Date: January 31, 1998
Grade Level(s): 3, 4
Subject(s):
Students understand, analyze, and interpret historical events, conditions,
trends and issues to develop a historical perspective.
Overview:
In this lesson students will learn more about who MLK was, what many of his contributions to society were and why those contributions were important. Some ideas which we will study are, nonviolence as a means of solving conflict, the "I have a dream speech," and MLK Day: Why do we celebrate this day? Students will have the opportunity to search the Internet to learn facts about MLK and to submit their thoughts about him to the World Wide Web. This lesson is important because it will help students to understand the events of the past and to develop a historical perspective about those events.
**This lesson is designed to take more that one day. Students could spend a week doing these activities.
Learner Outcomes:
*Students will know who Dr. Martin Luther King was
*Students will know about the contributions Dr. King made to society
*Students will be familiar with some of the events that occurred during the Civil Rights Movement
*Students will understand that Dr. King's movement was non-violent
*Students will know the importance of Martin Luther King Day and why we celebrate this holiday.
Procedure:
1.) Begin by posing the question, "Who can tell me who Dr. Martin Luther King was?
2.) On the board write down any and all information given by students about King.
3.) Next, have students discover who MLK was by allowing them to explore this site on the Internet: http://www.seattletimes.com/mlk/classroom/index.html
4.) Students should choose the option for "biographical sketch."
5.) Students should write down 5 interesting facts that they find out about King.
6.) Now students will work together in groups of 4 and construct a poster about "What We Have Learned About Martin Luther King."
7.) Students will share the information they have learned with the class.
8.) As a class, we will have a brief discussion about nonviolence as a means of resolving conflict and how this related to Dr. King's movement.
9.) On the Internet we will also look at Dr. King's famous speech, "I Have A Dream." ( http://www.usconstitution.net/dream.html )
10.) While students are looking at the text of the "I Have A Dream" speech, play some of the audio clips from the Civil Rights movement. ( http://www.webcorp.com/civilrights/index.htm)
11.) Students will work together in groups and as a class to construct a timeline about King's
life. (The years of his life should be split up. For example one group might have1929-1944). The years of his life could be split up as follows:
1929-1944
1945-1955
1956-1963
1963-1968
Students can draw pictures about these events or write a paragraph. Students can refer to http://www.pps.k12.or.us/district/depts/itss/buckman/timeline/kingframe.html for additional information about King and the years of his life. The timeline which the class constructs will be displayed in our classroom.
12.) Students will now write down their thoughts about MLK and the importance of celebrating MLK Day. These thoughts will be submitted to the World Wide Web for other students to read at http://www.seattletimes.com/mlk/classroom/index.html by selecting the option for feedback.
13.) Students will share their thoughts with the class.
Extensions:(Optional)
Have students write a poem or short story about Martin Luther King.
Assessment:
1.) Students will know who Martin Luther King was and what some of his contributions to society were by constructing a classroom poster about King's life, with interesting facts on it.
2.)Students will know some of the events that occurred during the Civil Rights movement. They will also know what King contributed to society by constructing a timeline about King's life.
3.) Students will understand the importance of nonviolence as a means of resolving conflict by writing a short paragraph about this philosophy and how it relates to King's movement.
4.) Students will understand the importance of MLK Day and why it is celebrated by writing down their thoughts and submitting them to the World Wide Web for others to read. These thoughts will also be shared in class.
Resources
1.) Netscape Navigator
2.) Microsoft Word 5.1
3.)Posterboard for constructing posters and timeline
4.) various art materials: markers, crayons, etc.