This lesson provides ideas for celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by encouraging students to explore the connections between Dr. King and themselves through journaling and inquiry-based research.

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Me: Identifying with a Hero

Grades
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Entering History: Nikki Giovanni and Martin Luther King, Jr.
6 - 8
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Nikki Giovanni's poem "The Funeral of Martin Luther King, Jr." is paired with Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech, taking students on a quest through time to the Civil Rights movement.

Grades
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In 1929, Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on this day.
7 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Historical Figure & Event
Students study Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech and work in groups to create a mural that depicts Dr. King's vision of peace.

Grades
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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963.
7 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Historical Figure & Event
Students explore the "I Have a Dream" Foundation's website and brainstorm ways they can help themselves or others at their school achieve their educational dreams.

Grades
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Exploring the Power of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Words through Diamante Poetry
9 - 12
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students explore the ways that powerful and passionate words communicate the concepts of freedom, justice, discrimination, and the American Dream in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

Grades
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How Big Are Martin's Big Words? Thinking Big about the Future
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Minilesson
Inspired by the book Martin's Big Words, students explore information on Dr. King to think about his "big" words, then they write about their own "big" words and dreams.

Grades
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I Have a Dream: Exploring Nonviolence in Young Adult Texts
9 - 12
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students will identify how Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of nonviolent conflict-resolution is reinterpreted in modern texts. Homework is differentiated to prompt discussion on how nonviolence is portrayed through characterization and conflict. Students will be formally assessed on a thesis essay that addresses the Six Kingian Principles of Nonviolence.

Grades
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Living the Dream: 100 Acts of Kindness
K - 2
Lesson Plan
| Recurring Lesson
This lesson provides the "action piece" for any study of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In this project, students participate in Dr. King's dream by doing 100 acts of kindness.

Grades
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Every Punctuation Mark Matters: A Minilesson on Semicolons
6 - 8
Lesson Plan
| Minilesson
Students analyze stylistic choices and grammar use in authentic writing, focusing on the use of the semicolon in Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail."

Grades
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LeVar Burton, longtime host of Reading Rainbow, was born in 1957.
1 - 4
Calendar Activity
| Author & Text
After reading two complementary Reading Rainbow selections, students compare the selections using the Venn Diagram and write a comparison essay.