TeachersFirst's Martin Luther King, Jr. Resources
These teacher-reviewed resources from TeachersFirst provide lesson ideas, activities, research materials, and interactive sites for studying Martin Luther King, Jr. Whether you are celebrating Martin Luther King Day in January or including Dr. King in units on the 1960s, civil rights, or famous Americans, start from this list recommended by Thinking Teachers. Don't miss the TeachersFirst Exclusive lessons about Martin Luther King, Jr. For even more resources, try this page with all resources tagged civil rights.
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The Best of Our Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Resources - Learning for Justice
Grades
3 to 12
tag(s): civil rights (201), martin luther king (45)
In the Classroom
Students could identify a modern injustice, draw parallels to Dr. King's methods, and propose peaceful solutions. Assign students to analyze and reflect on Dr. King's speeches and letters to understand his rhetoric and goals.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Martin Luther King Jr. Primary Source Resource - National Geographic Kids United Kingdom
Grades
K to 6tag(s): civil rights (201), comics and cartoons (53), martin luther king (45)
In the Classroom
Include this activity with your other resources when teaching students about Martin Luther King, Jr. Find additional lesson ideas and information at the TeachersFirst collection: Martin Luther King, Jr. Resources, reviewed here and this primary-level teaching unit, Remembering Martin Luther King, reviewed here. Use the comic book format to engage and extend learning by asking students to create comics to tell the story of Martin Luther King in their own words. For younger students, help them create single-frame cartoons of specific events relating to Martin Luther King using ToonyTool, reviewed here, then create a class book that includes your students' work using Book Creator, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teaching for Change - Teaching for Change
Grades
K to 12tag(s): bias (27), central america (20), civil rights (201), cross cultural understanding (170), difficult conversations (61)
In the Classroom
Add this resource to your teaching resources when teaching social justice issues. Visit the booklist to find resources in your classroom library that address many forms of social injustice and cultural issues. Teach students how to engage in productive conversations about difficult topics using resources shared on TeachersFirst Special Topics Page: Resources Related to Difficult Conversations, reviewed here. Encourage motivated students to become involved in causes that interest them by sharing ideas found on DoSomething.org, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teaching a More Complete Picture of MLK - Candra Flanagan, Eden Cho & Phoebe Hillemann
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): black history (130), civil rights (201), martin luther king (45), primary sources (119)
In the Classroom
Include this article that features various teaching ideas with your other resources for lessons about MLK. Use Padlet, reviewed here to collect and organize lesson ideas and information. For example, create a Padlet with columns to organize information by primary sources, books, saved lesson plans, etc., as a way to easily find content to use. Engage and extend learning as students watch videos using edpuzzle, reviewed here. Add comments and questions to the appropriate portions of videos as a way for students to focus on critical information. As students prepare to show their learning, consider using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here as a resource for students to create infographics about Martin Luther King and his contributions to civil rights.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Freedom's Ring - Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): black history (130), civil rights (201), martin luther king (45)
In the Classroom
This resource takes a comprehensive look inside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous speech. Teachers may want to use this site to engage students by playing the address at the beginning of a lesson or by having students preview the oration by scrolling through and observing the pictures and graphics displayed throughout. Instruction can be enhanced by having the students view and analyze the supplemental materials and videos. Extend your student's knowledge by having them create their own interactive slide analyses presentations made with Canva for Education, reviewed here to reflect on their learning and share with their peers. You may also want to ask students to comment on others' videos to compare similar and different viewpoints.Comments
This is a wonderful site.Karen, VA, Grades: 0 - 12
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Facing History and Ourselves - Facing History and Ourselves
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): bullying (49), civil rights (201), democracy (20), holocaust (42), immigrants (34), immigration (68), journalism (72), martin luther king (45), racism (79), religions (84)
In the Classroom
Discover the many free resources found on this site to include with your teaching units. If you find that some of the reading material is useful, but is above the reading level of your students, use a summarizing tool such as SummarizeThis, reviewed here, to break down large portions of text into manageable content. Include activities from this site as part of a larger unit using a learning management system such as Curipod, reviewed here. Use Curipod to build an interactive learning experience that includes videos, reading activities, quizzes, and images. Extend student learning by asking them to become the creators through sharing their knowledge with others. Provide options for students to create audio podcasts with PodcastGenerator, reviewed here, make explainer videos using Adobe Creative Cloud Express Video Maker, reviewed here, or use Google My Maps, reviewed here, to take viewers on a virtual journey through map locations.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Virtual Learning Journey: Civil Rights Movement - Georgia Public Broadcasting & Georgia Department of Education
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): 1960s (26), black history (130), civil rights (201), cultures (147), martin luther king (45)
In the Classroom
Be sure to include this virtual learning experience as part of civil rights lessons and Black History Month activities. Include a link to the experience on classroom computers for students to explore on their own. As students travel along the learning path, replace pen and paper and engage them by asking students to use an online note taking tool like Webnote, reviewed here, to write down their thoughts and questions they may have. As students learn about Civil Rights events, have them enhance their learning by asking them to step back in time and create podcasts from this time. Use Podcast Generator, reviewed here, a free tool for creating and sharing podcasts. Extend learning by challenging students find an image from the Civil Rights movement and create an annotated image using Google Drawings, reviewed here. Google Drawings allows you to annotate an image with links to videos, text, websites, and more. Not familiar with Google Drawings? Watch an archived OK2Ask session to learn how to use: OK2Ask Google Drawings, here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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'The Press and the Civil Rights Movement' Video Lesson - NewseumED
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): civil rights (201), constitution (93), freedom of speech (14), martin luther king (45)
In the Classroom
Using the Activity lesson plan/viewing guide, have the before viewing discussion with your class. Consider giving all students a chance to voice their opinions (even the shyest and quiet ones) by using a backchannel tool like YoTeach!, reviewed here. Then, show the video to the whole class, or "flip" the class and have them watch it at home. Either way, the viewing guide questions could be inserted into the video using a tool such as Acclaim, reviewed here. After the video, use the discussion questions and Vibby again. Next, have students (or small groups) choose one of the extension activities to complete and share with classmates.The reviewers at TeachersFirst have some suggestions for tools to use for those final projects: For items 1-4 make a chart using a tool such as Canva, reviewed here, or Draw.io, reviewed here. For managing a project like item 5 use Google Keep, reviewed here, Workflowy, reviewed here, or Todoist, reviewed here. For items 6 & 7, biography type projects, use Fakebook, reviewed here, and for item 8, make a collage, use Fotojet, reviewed here.
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Civil Rights Timeline - NewseumED
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): black history (130), civil rights (201), constitution (93), martin luther king (45)
In the Classroom
Civil Rights is about more than a movement that took place forty plus years ago. Americans have fought for their civil rights going back to the late 1700s. We are still fighting for them today. Review the timeline with a projector and the whole class. Extend student learning by suggesting to students that some of the articles have parallel situations going on today. Have them choose an article and research the situation from back in the 1960s and then compare it to a similar situation that is ongoing in the 21st century. Challenge students to redefine their technology learning by presenting their findings to classmates with an interactive, multimedia infographic or interactive poster using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Black History Month Resources - PBS
Grades
K to 12tag(s): black history (130), civil rights (201), cultures (147), martin luther king (45), racism (79), video (262)
In the Classroom
Explore this site for many different lessons and resources to use during Black History Month and with lessons on racism and bias throughout the year. Use lessons found here to differentiate for students of different levels. Be sure to check out the Discrimination - fair or unfair? lesson plan that is designed specifically for students who have difficulty with verbal and written expression.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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History and Politics Out Loud - WyzAnt Tutoring
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): churchill (8), declaration of independence (15), inauguration (8), kennedy (20), martin luther king (45), persuasive writing (58), presidents (135), roosevelt (15)
In the Classroom
Share speeches from this site on your class webpage or blog for students to view at home. Share them with your class using your projector or interactive whiteboard. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a president, famous scientist, or nearly any other real or fictitious person after viewing and listening to speeches on this site. Use the text of speeches to create a word cloud; try WordClouds, reviewed here, to analyze a leader's priorities and emphasis. Use these examples as students prepare their own persuasive (or propaganda) speeches in English or civics classes. Teachers or ENL students can offer speeches with accompanying texts to help build vocabulary and listening skills.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Martin Luther King Jr. and the Global Freedom Struggle - Stanford Research & Education Institute
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): black history (130), civil rights (201), martin luther king (45), rosa parks (9)
In the Classroom
This is a perfect place to send students for research. Have students use the timeline to find out about important dates in civil rights history. Use the encyclopedia to not only learn about civil rights champions, but about organizations of that time.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Non-violent Social Change - The King Center
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): african american (110), black history (130), civil rights (201), martin luther king (45)
In the Classroom
Share the video and/or audio clips on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Have students use this site for research projects. Challenge students to write a blog from King's perspective. Have students pretend that he could write a blog for people to read in the 2000s. What would he say? Has his dream come true?Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Remembering Martin Luther King - TeachersFirst
Grades
1 to 4tag(s): africa (142), african american (110), civil rights (201), holidays (181), martin luther king (45)
In the Classroom
Students can hone counting skills with the "Birmingham Bus" or test their powers of scientific observation by comparing brown and white eggs.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Martin Luther King Jr. Day - Myvocabulary.com
Grades
4 to 10tag(s): african american (110), black history (130), civil rights (201), holidays (181), martin luther king (45), vocabulary (238)
In the Classroom
Use this site to reinforce and support vocabulary as you study MLK Jr. Share the word puzzles on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students create their own word activities from the same vocabulary list, such as matching or ranking challenges for their peers to try on the interactive whiteboard.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Martin Luther King Papers Project - Stanford University
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1960s (26), african american (110), black history (130), civil rights (201), holidays (181), martin luther king (45)
In the Classroom
Use this site for research about King. Share the videos on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Have students create their own videos about Martin Luther King, Jr.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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March on Washington Lesson - PBS Newshour
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): african american (110), black history (130), civil rights (201), holidays (181), martin luther king (45)
In the Classroom
These lesson plans are ready to use and easy to follow! The extension activities offer some excellent higher order thinking questions. After sharing video footage with your students, why not project one of the extension activities on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Enhance learning by having students create a blog with Telegra.ph, reviewed here to answer the questions in the extension activities. With Telegra.ph you just click on an icon to upload images from your computer, add a YouTube or Vimeo, or Twitter links. This blog creator requires no registration.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Martin Luther King, Jr. - Nobel Acceptance Speech - Nobel Foundation
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): african american (110), black history (130), civil rights (201), holidays (181), martin luther king (45)
In the Classroom
Since this speech (document) is so lengthy, why not break it down into several lessons. Alternatively, you could use the Cooperative Learning Jigsaw method (small groups), reviewed here, and either way, ask students to dissect the words of King. Have them answer what still holds true in the 21st century? What has changed?Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Exploring the Power of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Words through Diamante Poetry - ReadWriteThink / NCTE
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): african american (110), black history (130), civil rights (201), holidays (181), martin luther king (45), poetry (194)
In the Classroom
This lesson plan is ready to go, includes interactive elements, and is even linked to national standards. English class and history class can team up on this lesson and discuss the poetry and history behind King's magical words.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Famous Quotes of Martin Luther King, Jr. - wikiquote
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): african american (110), black history (130), civil rights (201), holidays (181), martin luther king (45)
In the Classroom
Share these quotes with your students around Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The quotes can also be used throughout the month posted for reflection or read aloud. Have students rewrite the quotes in their own words.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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