Exploring a Collection of Complimentary Martin Luther King Jr. Educational Curriculum and Tasks for Free
Martin Luther King Jr., an American who lived in the 20th century, was a global civil rights icon whose impact is still felt today. To help educators share his story with students, a variety of resources are available.
One such resource is the standards-aligned lesson, "Dr. King's Dream," which offers a brief biography, videos, photos, and interactive activities to teach about King's life. For a more in-depth exploration, The Life of Martin Luther King Jr. provides a wealth of materials, including photos, texts, audio excerpts, and a timeline of key events.
The New York Times offers a range of teaching and learning resources, including lesson plans, songs, photos, videos, a civil rights quiz, and connections to current events. For younger learners, there's a collection of lessons and activities designed for K-5 students to learn about King and his legacy.
Nonviolent civil disobedience is a central theme in King's work, and this is taught in the lesson plan "Nonviolent Direct Action at Southern Lunch Counters." This resource uses online newspaper articles, photos, and printable worksheets to help students understand this important concept.
For those interested in King's influence by Gandhi's philosophy of civil disobedience via nonviolent resistance, a standards-aligned lesson titled "Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, and the Power of Nonviolence" is available.
The struggle for voting rights is another key aspect of King's work, and this is covered in an in-depth lesson plan titled "Securing the Right to Vote: The Selma-to-Montgomery Story."
The Center for Civic Education offers a lesson plan about the power of words in nonviolent resistance, designed for grades 7-12. For those interested in primary sources, Birmingham 1963: Primary Documents allows students to investigate the civil rights protests and violent police response in 1963 Birmingham, Alabama, using six historical documents.
The National Archives provides a lesson focused on Martin Luther King Jr.'s role in the Memphis Sanitation Workers' strike and his views on economic issues. For those seeking a more comprehensive civil rights curriculum, the "Competing Voices of the Civil Rights Movement" explores different views of key black leaders during the 1960s and includes guiding questions and lesson plans for grades 9-12.
For a more engaging approach, Kid President tells the story of Martin Luther King Jr. in a way suitable for younger learners. Read Write Think offers Martin Luther King Jr. activities and lessons searchable by grade, learning objective, and topics.
The idea of a federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr. generated plenty of resistance, but today, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a day of service to the community. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute tells the story of King's naming as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 1964.
Finally, for a fun and creative way to engage students, Resources for Virtual Projects provide a guide for teachers to plan and implement volunteer projects for Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. There are also ten printable coloring pages featuring quotes from MLK in doodle-style font.
These resources offer a wealth of opportunities to teach about Martin Luther King Jr. and his impact on civil rights, both in the United States and globally.
