Search lesson plans:

Rafe Esquith: Five Tips to Help Children Develop Their Natural Gifts

#2792. Shared Reading MLK Jr.

Reading/Writing, level: Middle
Posted Wed Jan 8 16:16:58 PST 2003 by kimberly Shalit (kashalit@aol.com).
Standley Middle School, San Diego, USA
Materials Required: Speech (1963), transparency of speech,
Activity Time: 2 days
Concepts Taught: understanding the perspective of MLK Jr. speech "I Have A Dream"

1. Chart what students already know about Martin Luther King Jr. and what his ideas were.
2. Predict the meaning behind his speech just by it's title. Chart ideas
3. Shared reading of I Have A Dream (each student should have a copy and should also be able to follow along on overhead. Read all the way through one time without stopping for fluency
4. Take first 3 paragraphs: reread aloud and ask students if they would like to make comments (accountable talk about the author's message).
5. Continue: "This is our hope...." discuss what changes have occurred today that were wished by MLK and what evidence do we have to prove this. (This can be debatable)
6. Cont. reading the rest of speech and discuss in detail "Let Freedom Ring"
7. Have students log in their journals what connections they can make to the speech (ie. freedom, discrimination, what is fair, What would MLK be proud of today and what changes would he have made if he were still alive today in regard to today's society?