Classroom Resources for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Grades 6-8
Lesson Plans, Activity Ideas & Other Resources for Teaching MLK Day
Help students in grades 6-8 put in perspective the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., his impact on the Civil Rights Movement, and his significance to American culture and history.
Lesson Plans
The Dream Continued
Students in grades 6-8 create found poems based on MLK’s 1968 obituary published in The New York Times.
The Power to Persuade (
PDF, 3 pages, 134 KB)
Students in grades 6-8 use an excerpt from MLK’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” as a model to write a persuasive argument.
Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Power of Nonviolence
Students in grades 6-8 investigate Martin Luther King, Jr.'s philosophy of nonviolence and the teachings of Mohandas K. Gandhi that influenced King's views.
Activities
Martin Luther King Jr. Interactive Timeline
After listening to a reading of A Picture Book of Martin Luther King Jr. by David A. Adler, students in grades 3-6 use sequencing skills to create a timeline of MLK’s life.
Martin Luther King Jr. Quiz
A printable ten question quiz.
An MLK Crossword for grades 6-8.
Background Resources
I Have a Dream: Celebrating the Vision of Martin Luther King, Jr.
A source of activities, lessons, and websites.
Martin Luther King Jr.
NY Times archive of articles on MLK.
Commemorate the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
This K-8 teacher source provides whiteboard resources, book lists, and activities.
Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site: Lesson Plans and Teacher Guides
This curriculum package for K-8 teachers includes a teacher guide, lesson plans and units, exhibits, a problem-solution project, and references. The package is available in 5 PDF sections totaling 303 pages.
The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow
This companion website features history (1896-1954); stories, including video, audio, photographs, and documents; interactive maps; tools & activities; and lesson plans and activities for middle school and high school.
MLK Websites
Videos
- Martin Luther King, Jr. "I Have a Dream"
- Martin Luther King Jr.
The History Channel provides a collection of 49 short videos on MLK and his career. - Roads to Memphis: The 1968 Hunt for Martin Luther King's Killer (1:21)
This video and transcript describes the hunt for James Earl Ray, a documentary that aired originally on PBS as part the American Experience series. - American Experience: Eyes on the Prize: The Story of the Movement
This part of the 14 hour series covers 25 major events, from Emmett Till's murder in 1955 to the election of Harold Washington as Chicago's first black mayor in 1983.
last updated: January 7, 2013
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COMMENTS:
l kennley | 2012/01/12