Lesson Plan – March on Washington, 1963

 

*Can be used to celebrate Black History Month in February

 

Grade Level: 5 - 6

 

Objectives:

Students will understand the following:

1.    Interpret and use timelines to map out Martin Luther King’s life.

2.    Analyze the impact of the March on Washington for the Civil Rights Movement

3.    Learn the events that led up to the March on Washington in 1963

 

Materials:

•    Copies of the book March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed The World by Christine King Farris (2008)

•    Copies of the book Coretta Scott by Ntozake Shange (2009)

•    Copies of the book Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Martin Luther King Jr. by Doreen Rappaport (2001)

•    Regional maps of the southern U.S. (Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia) and a map of Washington D.C.

 

Procedures:

 

1.    Opener: Play an audio or video excerpt from Martin Luther King’s speech “I Have A Dream”. (Audio link: http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/resources/article/video_dr_martin_luther_king_jr_i_have_a_dream_speech/)

 

2.    Assign the readings of March On!, Coretta Scott and Martin’s Big Words, either at home or in class.

 

3.    Have students fill-out a timeline of important events in Martin Luther King’s life.

 

4.    Talk about some of the historical figures, places and incidents that occurred leading up to the March on Washington, such as Jim Crow laws, Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott, Montgomery Bus Boycott, as well as incidents that followed such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and King’s assassination.

 

5.    Use maps to help students locate places mentioned in the books: Atlanta, GA, Montgomery, AL, Birmingham, AL, Memphis, TN, Washington, DC and the Lincoln Memorial.

 

6.    Use the following questions to create an in-class discussion or written homework assignment in which the students will analyze each question.

 

Discussion Questions:

 

1. What incident sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott?

 

2. What were Jim Crow laws and how did they affect African American citizens?

 

3. Why did young Coretta Scott walk five miles to the nearest school?

 

4. What leader did Martin and Coretta admire for his belief that nonviolence was the true path to liberation for an oppressed people?

 

5. What types of action(s) did Martin Luther King participate in to protest the injustices of segregation?

 

6. Why was President Kennedy nervous about the March on Washington?

 

7. Why is “I Have A Dream” an important speech in the history of our nation?

 

DPower 8/2/09

 

Martin's Big Words: The Life of Martin Luther King Jr.by Doreen Rappaport and Bryan Collier, ill. New York: Hyperion, 2001.

ISBN: 978-0786807147

Annotation: This picture book biography tells the story of Martin Luther King, Jr. and uses quotes from many of his speeches. As a child Martin Luther King promised to grow up and use “Big Words” like his father, which is what he did when he demonstrated nonviolently to make a change in the world.   

Media: watercolor and cut paper collage

Metaphor: The stained glass windows that appear throughout the book stand for many things according to the artist. They stand for the spirituality of a church. They can be seen both from the inside and out which allows you to look past where you are. The various colors stand for the various races and cultures that humanity is.  The four candles at the end of the book stand for the 4 girls that were killed  in the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. Their light burns on. The medium of collage was used to show the piecing together of many things for understanding that might have no relationship until they are connected together to form one.

Curricular Connections: 5-8th grades: Black History, Civil Rights, Segregation, nonviolence

Rating: 5Q/5P

RAC 7.27.09

 

 

Citation: Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Martin Luther King Jr. by Doreen Rappaport and Bryan Collier, ill. New York: Hyperion, 2001.

  

ISBN: 0786807148

 

Annotation: A chronology of Martin Luther King Jr.’s heroic life as a non-violent civil rights leader, his powerful message of racial equality and tolerance, and how his tragic death influenced us. 

 

Media: Collage

 

 

Curricular Connections: 5^th- 6th grade History or Language Arts. Subjects- Biography, Martin Luther King Jr., Civil Rights, peaceful protest, racial prejudices

 

 

Rating: 5Q/5P

 

S.F 06/21/09