Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968

I Have a Dream

a website for learning about a man who had a dream. Through living his dream he made a positive impact on the world for grades 5-7. If you have any questions, you can e-mail me at ppowell@olivet.edu

By Pamela J. Powell

Introduction/Task/Resources/ Procedure/Evaluation/Conclusion

Introduction

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a preacher and also a civil rights leader. He became well known for his efforts of equal justice for black Americans. Dr. King wanted equal treatment for all people. He was against people being judged because of the color of their skin. Dr. King was very articulate and graceful. He preached nonviolence resistance to unjust laws and practices. Nonviolence was a method he adopted from an Indian leader. As a result of his civil rights efforts, the following laws were passed; the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In 1964, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Although Dr. King was always trying to help others, there were plenty of people who disliked him because of the stand he took for justice. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He had gone to Memphis, Tennessee to support the striking sanitation workers. Dr. King was murdered in 1968; however,it was not until 1983 when Congress voted to make his birthday, January 15, a national holiday (celebrated on the third Monday of the month.)

Task

There is a great deal of racial injustice taking place in the schools today. You would like to help to bring about a change in the thinking of many students all across the world. Many students have began to follow you because they believe in your efforts to keep peace by promoting nonviolence. You have been given 5 minutes of air time on the radio and TV. Your message will be broadcasted in schools all across the world. You must decide what you can say to your peers to put an end to the judging of one another because of the color of one's skin. Your speech must be very powerful, so that you are able to leave a lasting impression upon all students to make a change. Your task is to research all of the information you can about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. After you have researched the materials, you will need to write a speech, poem, rap or whatever you would like to recite to your peers. When doing your research make notes of the events that took place in Dr. King's life and make a timeline. The timeline can be done on a poster board or on the computer. You will also need to keep a journal for 5 days. In the journal, you will share what you have learned about Dr. King during your research and what it may have been like for children your age during that time period.

Resources

This is a list of resources that are available for you to research in order to complete the task. I have listed some addresses on the web that you can browse. I have listed some books you can locate at a local library. You are not only limited to these sites neither do you have to research each and every source listed. Have fun !

http://www.broadcast.com/publicaffairs/speeches (go to I Have a Dream by Dr. King, click on Yahoo Broadcast and listen)

http://www.netguide.com/special/king/about.html (go to about Dr. King and begin clicking at your topic of interest)

http://www.netguide.com/special/king/speeches.html

http://www.seattletimes.com/mlk (go to Electronic Classroom, then to test your knowledge of Dr. King)

http://www.holidays.net/mlk/

http://www.borg.com/~odonnell/AfricanAmerican.html (scroll to Martin Luther King Jr. go to any of the topics you would like)

http://www.angelfire.com/tx/mlkingjr

http://members.aol.com/StephanieR/MLK/

http://encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?ti+0173F000

http://www.geocities.com/~wwwin/mlking.htm

http://www.webcorp.com/civilrights/mlk.htm (go to Martin Luther King and listen)

DeKay, James T . Meet Martin Luther King, Jr.

Levine, Ellen. If you Lived at the time of Martin Luther King

Scholastic Press. I Have a Dream

Darby, Jean. Martin Luther King Jr., M. V. About Martin Luther King Day

Procedure

Day 1

On today, you should begin to research information that can be found under resources. Remember, you are not limited to these sources. You can obtain your information from other sources. Take notes over the materials you have studied, especially events and dates because you will need this information to complete a timeline of Dr. King life. After you have completed your research on today, do not forget to write in your journal what you have learned.

Day 2

Continue your research on Dr. King and do not forget to take notes. Write in your journal what it may have been like to be a child growing up during the Civil Rights period.

Day 3

Make a timeline of Dr. King's life from the research you have obtained. The timeline can be completed on poster board, construction paper, or the computer. Be certain to make sure your dates and events are correct. Listen to the speech by way of audio http://www.broadcast.com/publicaffairs/speeches or read the speech "I Have a Dream" , and describe how you would have felt being an American after hearing Dr. King's speech.

Day 4

Work on preparing your speech, rap, poetry or whatever you would like to share with your peers for the 5 minutes of air time you have been allowed. Write in your journal what you think about racial discrimination ( judging one based on their skin color.)

Day 5

Continue to work on what you will share during your 5 minutes of air time. Make sure your timeline is complete and ready to hand in on tomorrow. Write in your journals what you have learned this week from all of your research. Your speech is to be presented on the next day of class.

Day 6

Today, you will be given your 5 minutes of air time to share with your peers about racial discrimination. Remember , this message will be broadcast too many students across the world. It is important that you leave a lasting impression upon your peers in order to make a difference in the world today.

Evaluation

Project 1 Timeline ( your timeline must have at least 25 events)

Project 2 Journal

Project 3 Written & Oral Presentation

Conclusion

I hope you have had a wonderful time learning about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King was an apostle of peace and justice. The information you have learned is invaluable, and it can never be replaced. You had the opportunity to see history come alive and practice your writing and creativity skills; also,you had the opportunity to deliver a speech. Thank you for visiting my webpage if you have any questions you can email me at ppowell@olivet.edu