Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
FREE Video Based Unit Study

Links to video, book suggestions, worksheets & printables, and more to supplement anyunit study on Martin Luther King, Jr. geared towards children ages 8 - 13.

 Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial "outside agitator" idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.
 MLK Jr. Letter from Birmingham jail. <the whole letter is here>

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MULTI-MEDIA RESOURCES

• PHOTO GALLERY 
  
• Interactive Timeline on the Civil Rights Movement

READING COMPREHENSION and ARTICLES for middle/high school

• Middle School Reading comprehension worksheets for Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks
• Middle School article: Why we Honor Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
• The Guardian Article on the 50th Anniversary of the I HAVE A DREAM Speech. speaks of segregation and racism
• Civil Right glossary: terms and vocabulary

PICTURE BOOKS and CRAFTS for lower elementary

• Creative Classroom:10 pictures books for Martin Luther King Jr unit study with activities

For students:

Quick Video (2 minutes) summarizing the civil rights movement includes information on Martin Luther King Jr and Rosa Parks.

Read Write Think printable booklet comparing your life to Dr. King's. Add your own text or draw pictures.

Listen to Dr King's famous I Have a Dream speech. Pick your favorite line and illustrate it. Here a link with free printables

Fun Facts about Martin Luther King Jr.

• King was the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a national holiday.
• At the Atlanta premier of the movie Gone with the Wind, Martin sang with his church choir.
• There are over 730 streets in the United States named after Martin Luther King Jr.
• One of his main influences was Mohandas Gandhi who taught protesting in a non-violent manner.
• He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
• The name on his original birth certificate is Michael King. This was a mistake, however. He was supposed to be named after his father who was named for the leader of the Christian reformation movement, Martin Luther.
• He is often referred to by his initials MLK.

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Teacher Resources:

TOPICS/THEMATIC UNITS
middle school/high school:

• Why we Honor Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
  
• Discrimination
  
• Civil Disobedience: The student also will examine civil disobedience’s history and explore whether it is a viable form of protest in today’s world. *PBS Civil Disobedience lesson plans for a 2 - 3 day study are here
  
• Impact of social change
  

elementary school:

• What's Fair ?
  

• Standing up for Others(lesson plan ideas using bandaid Chicken Bystander)
  
• Bullying (tools to help you), 

See other heroes who fought to overcome injustices at 
Abolition of slavery UNIT STUDY