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Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Letter from Birmingham Jail: The Power of Nonviolent Direct Action

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
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...
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Lesson Plan
Newseum

Making a Change: Letter From Birmingham Jail

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter From Birmingham Jail" was written in response to "A Call for Unity," written by eight white ministers from Birmingham and published in the local newspaper. After reading both letters and following a list...
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Worksheet
Student Handouts

Letter from Birmingham Jail

For Students 8th - 12th Standards
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Socratic Seminar on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Key in the struggle to gain the rights of democratic citizenship was the April 1963 arrest of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for civil disobedience. To deepen their knowledge and understanding of events during the civil rights movement,...
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Assessment
California Education Partners

Letter From Birmingham Jail

For Students 9th Standards
To demonstrate their ability to comprehend complex text, ninth graders are asked to craft an essay in which they use evidence drawn from "Letter From Birmingham Jail" to analyze how Martin Luther King, Jr. uses rhetorical devices such as...
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Lesson Plan
C-SPAN

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Timing is everything. Introduce young historians to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" with a resource that underscores the significance of the timing of the Good Friday Birmingham march, King's subsequent...
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Organizer
Curated OER

Letter from Birmingham Jail Active Reading SkillBuilder

For Students 11th - 12th
Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is the text used as the basis of a packet of skill-building activities. After a close reading of the letter, individuals identify the type of arguments King uses and the allusions he...
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Lesson Plan
Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program

A Mini lesson on Semicolons

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" serves as an exemplar for a mini-lesson plan on semicolons. Working alone or in small groups, class members first circle all the semicolons in the letter, and then consider how...
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PPT
Curated OER

MLK Letter From Birmingham Jail Analysis

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Designed as a PowerPoint presentation for AP English class, this resource provides a detailed analysis of the content, format, and purpose of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s “Letter from the Birmingham Jail.” Because much of the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

King Campaigns in Birmingham

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders discuss the contributions of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.  In this civil rights movement lesson, 11th graders read Rev. King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail", answer questions about the letter, share their answers...
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Lesson Plan
2
2
National Endowment for the Humanities

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nonviolent Resistance

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Was nonviolent resistance the best means of securing civil rights for black Americans in the 1960s? In this highly engaging and informative lesson, your young historians will closely analyze several key documents from the civil rights...
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Lesson Plan
Literacy Design Collaborative

Exploring Character Development in The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963

For Teachers 5th - 6th Standards
How did the Civil Rights Movement affect young people in the United States? Scholars read Christopher Paul Curtis' novel, The Watsons go to Birmingham - 1963. Next, they write compare and contrast essays showing how the main characters...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Museum of Tolerance

The Price of Personal Responsibility

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A reading of Patrick Henry's "Speech in the Virginia Convention," Henry David Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience," and Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" launch a discussion about the price one is willing to pay to...
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Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

Birmingham 1963: Spring Jubilation Part 1

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
As part of a study of the 1963 quest for civil rights in Birmingham, Alabama, class members view a PowerPoint that details the struggle and analyze Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail."
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Museum of Tolerance

The Pursuit of Democracy and Diversity: The Trial of Pro-Social Injustice in Historical Documents and Accounts

For Teachers 8th Standards
Class members investigate The Indian Removal Act of 1830, U.S. Theft of Mexican Territory Timeline, and President Abraham Lincoln’s letter to Horace Greeley, 1862, and then conduct a mock trial of each of these documents to determine...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding the Theoretical Basis for Civil Disobedience

For Teachers 12th - Higher Ed
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...
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Lesson Plan
Wisconsin Historical Society

Civil Disobedience

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
When is civil disobedience acceptable? Class members read examples of Jim Crow laws, an excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," and a newspaper article and then consider the factors that make a law just or...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Martin Luther King and Writing as a Tool for Social Change

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore writing as an agent for social change. In this Social Studies lesson, students examine the power of writing using Dr. King's Letter from a Birmingham Jail.  Students will practice the technique of persuasive writing by...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ethos, Logos, and Pathos

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Young scholars compare and contrast "Letter From a Birmingham Jail" and "Civil Disobedience" by writing a paper using MLA format.
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Unit Plan
Northshore School District

American Voices and Their Audiences

For Students 11th - 12th Standards
Those new to teaching an AP level language and composition prep course and seasoned veterans will find much to treasure in a unit that is designed to help young language scholars develop the skills they need to analyze the language...
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Lesson Plan
Facing History and Ourselves

Socratic Seminar

For Teachers 7th - 12th
New to the socratic seminar format? Check out a resource that not only provides the rationale for the procedure and step-by-step directions, but also provides a list of suggested topics, rules and model statements.
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Lesson Plan
Shmoop

ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.10

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Make sure that your pupils have mastered complex literary nonfiction by the end of the year and use this resource to help get them to that point. After a brief description of the Common Core standard, a list of age-appropriate...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Museum of Tolerance

Making Lemonade: Responding to Oppression in Empowering Ways

For Teachers 11th Standards
An activity focused on tolerance encourages class members to consider how they might respond when they or someone else is the target of oppression and discrimination. After researching how some key figures responded to the anti-Semitism...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program

Common Core Reading Standards: Understanding Argument

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
What does your class know about logical fallacies? They can find out quite a bit and practice identifying logical fallacies if you follow the steps and use the resources provided here! After reviewing ethos, pathos, and logos, ask small...