Teaching Ideas

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Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Monday, January 15th is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a federal holiday in the Unites States and marks the birthday of the civil rights icon. The holiday serves to honor the legacy of King; civil rights and the use of nonviolence to promote change.

  • Search for names of civil rights heroes in this crossword puzzle activity for Who Was John Lewis?.

  • Give students a preview with this video book trailer for Love is Loud, then enjoy this complete video book reading to ponder how love can be a tool for change. Find additional questions and extension activities in this curriculum guide.

  • Consider together the power of nonviolence and the struggles of some nonviolent activists with this audio excerpt for We Are Power: How Nonviolent Activism Changes the World. To go further, encourage students to research champions of nonviolence and present their findings to the class.

  • Inspire readers with this complete video reading of Justice Rising: 12 Amazing Black Women in the Civil Rights Movement. Have students each select one of the women from the book and create a poster to display in the classroom.

  • Guide students through this Invitation to Imagine with Uma Krishnaswami, author of Threads of Peace: How Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Changed the World. Hear her discuss the book, then write poems using her prompts.

  • Explore additional titles and resources about Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights heroes in this post from last year.