Mississippi Whole School Initiative
Dream Big...With Your Eyes Wide Open
For many people, Barack Obama's presidency was the next step in Martin Luther King, Jr's dream of America's future. Explore the dreams of Americans past and present, as well as the young Americans in your class, with a set of activities...
Curated OER
Word Art with King's Words
Learners investigate equality and racism by creating a word art project. In this civil rights lesson, students discover the life of Martin Luther King Jr. and create a word art project using the Internet site Wordle Web. ...
PBS
Breaking the Code: Actions and Songs of Protest
Ezell Blair, Jr., David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil changed history. Their sit-in at the lunch counter of the Woolworths in Greensboro, North Carolina on February 1, 1960 became a model for the nonviolent protests that...
Curated OER
Andrew Young
Pupils explore Andrew Young and his role alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during the Civil Rights Movement.
Curated OER
Martin Luther King Jr.
First graders examine the life and goals of Martin Luther King Jr. They listen to a biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. from the "Let's Read Biography" book series and discuss discrimination and Dr. King's goals. Students complete a...
Curated OER
Analyzing Persuasion
A reading of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech launches a study of rhetorical devices such as hyperbole, allusion, metaphor, simile, personification, connotative language and parallel structure. Class members then...
Curated OER
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Students learn what goals Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had when he wanted to change the inequality of the United States.
Curated OER
Understanding the Theoretical Basis for Civil Disobedience
Students analyze Henry David Thoreau's 'On the Duty of Civil Disobedience' and Dr. Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail." In this civil disobedience lesson, students read Thoreau's essay and answer 6 questions for the...
Curated OER
I Have a Dream...
Students explore the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. In this civil rights instructional activity, students utilize their computer skill as they compose "I have a dream" statements.
Student Handouts
Letter from Birmingham Jail
Analyze an abridged version of Martin Luther King Jr's "Letter from Birmingham Jail." Class members read the excerpt and respond to four provided questions, which focus on the content provided. Consider taking the time to read the entire...
Curated OER
Ruby Bridges & School Integration
Students explore school integration issues. In this Civil Rights Movement lesson, students read Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges and school integration and then write reflections about difficult experiences.
Curated OER
Martin Luther King Jr.: A Fact Or Opinion Activity
Students discuss the difference between fact and opinion, then read a brief biography of Martin Luther King Jr. They complete the Martin Luther King Jr.: Fact or Opinion worksheet.
Curated OER
Youth Participation in Nonviolence
Students explore the use of nonviolent resistance. For this social justice lesson, students listen to their instructor present a lecture on Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. as well as the Apartheid Movement in South Africa.
Curated OER
Tracing the Idea of Civil Disobedience through Thoreau, Gandhi, and King
Students analyze civil disobedience through history studying Thoreau, Gandhi, and Dr. King. In this civil disobedience lesson, students read and analyze excerpts from Thoreau, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King. Students demonstrate their...
Curated OER
Martin Luther King, Jr.
In this tracing letters instructional activity, students trace the letters according to the color directions. Students trace the letters for Martin Luther King, Jr.
National Endowment for the Humanities
A Journalist’s Report: The Better Vision for Black Americans
After reading a series of primary source documents detailing the teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, class members craft newspaper columns assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each man's vision, and present their...
Curated OER
Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Through Literature
Students can learn more about Martin Luther King, Jr. through these literature selections.
Jazz Academy
Let Freedom Swing
Three lessons in the Let Freedom Swing concert tour resource guide packed with information, materials, and activities that provide the context for any study of American history.
New York State Education Department
US History and Government Examination: June 2014
The 1960s marked a pivotal point for social and foreign policy in the United States. Using documents, such as speeches from Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy, and authentic test prompts, class members consider the impact of this...
Anti-Defamation League
Major League Baseball and the Negro Leagues: Correcting an Injustice
It's been a long time coming! In 2020, MLB Commissioner Robert D. Manifred, Jr. stated that "the Negro Leagues would be recognized as official major leagues." Middle schoolers investigate the history of the Negro Leagues and use evidence...
Curated OER
Pay It Forward
Ninth graders practice serial reciprocity. In this "Pay It Forward," lesson, 9th graders watch the film of the same name and discuss how it mirrors work by Martin Luther King, Jr. Students then discuss service projects they can carry out...
Curated OER
Nonviolent Protest Around the World
Twelfth graders complete research that exposes them to examples of nonviolent protest throughout the modern world. In this nonviolent protest research lesson, 12th graders discover information about signification nonviolent movements...
Stanford University
Letter from Birmingham Jail: The Power of Nonviolent Direct Action
What strategies are most effective in changing an unjust law? Class members examine the tactics used in the Birmingham Campaign of 1963 (Project C) to achieve social justice and social transformation. After examining documents that...
Center for Civic Education
The Power of Nonviolence: Change Through Strategic Nonviolent Action
How did major historical figures, such as Henry David Thoreau, Susan B. Anthony, and Mohandas K. Gandhi, explain and defend their beliefs in nonviolence? Your learners will begin by studying the backgrounds of these individuals, and then...