Martin Luther King Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday in January. The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was an African-American minister who is recognized for his determination to win civil rights for all people through nonviolence. This holiday is one of only ten in which all public schools are closed.
I've planned to adapt parts of a lesson plan for different academic ability levels that was featured in the New York Times Learning Network. The objectives include:
Students will:
1. Share opinions about the teachings and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
2. Learn about the life of Martin Luther King Jr. by reading and discussing the obituary “Martin Luther King Jr.: Leader of Millions in Nonviolent Drive for Racial Justice.”
3. Write found poems using the obituary published in The Times.
4. Write reflection papers that address the impact of Dr. King’s teachings on their own lives.
New York Time's Learning Network.
I am excited because Dr. King's life and accomplishments are stated simply in the obituary, not in text book fashion. We will be integrating literacy with social studies by doing one of their favorite activities, creating poetry. Hopefully, these kids will be thinking about how relevant his teachings are to their own lives, and not via writing about their own dreams, which I finally realize is not making any connections to themselves and what we are studying.
What I'm hoping they'll do is turn on their creative juices.
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