Education
Public Broadcasting Atlanta has compiled a list of educational resources to help elementary, middle school and high school students learn about Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights movements of the past and of modern times. Scroll through this page to find videos, printable activities, lesson plans, a reading list and links to additional resources.
Education
Lesson Plans
Observing Martin Luther King Jr. Day And Black History Month
Grades K-5
PBS LearningMedia
This lesson plan includes a list of resources created by PBS LearningMedia. Students will watch a video about Martin Luther King Jr. Day and ad video about Black History Month, and then they will test their knowledge with crossword puzzles and word searches.
Martin Luther King Jr., A Civil Rights Leader
Grades 3-7
PBS LearningMedia
This lesson plan focuses on Martin Luther King Jr.’s strategy of nonviolence and challenges students to think about how they would respond to the aggression King faced. Students will analyze primary sources and acknowledge other leaders who have risked their lives in nonviolent protest.
Grades 9-12
PBS LearningMedia
In this lesson, students will discuss the rhetorical influences on Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, discuss and the oratorical devices King used in delivering it and compare it to President Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” and President John F. Kennedy’s “Inaugural Address.”
Reading Materials
Pre-K And Kindergarten
“Martin’s Big Words”
By Doreen Rappaport
A picture-book biography that introduces Martin Luther King Jr. to young readers. Illustrated by Brian Collier. This book is great to beginners, but it can also be appropriate for older students up to fourth grade, Scholastic.com says.
First Through Third Grade
“My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”
By Christine King Farris
A picture book written by King’s older sister of late and illustrated by Chris Soentpiet, an award-winning author and illustrator.
Fourth Through Fifth Grade
“I Am Martin Luther King, Jr.”
By Brad Meltzer
Students can learn about Martin Luther King Jr. through this picture book written by a New York Times bestselling author, Brad Meltzer and illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos. It’s written in cartoon-form, like a graphic novel.
Middle School
“The Day Martin Luther King, Jr. Was Shot”
By Jim Haskins
This book uses photographs and drawings to show the history of Civil Rights beginning with its roots in American slavery, according to Scholastic. This book may also be appropriate for grades 3 through 5.
High School
“The King Years: Historic Moments in the Civil Rights Movement”
By Taylor Branch
The author identifies 18 important moments in the civil rights movement to give a “slender but comprehensive view of America” in the 1960s, according to his website.