Activity

Martin Luther KingKey LearningStudents will investigate how vocabulary can express meaning, feeling and opinion. Students will learn about Martin Luther King and the impact of his “I Have a Dream’ speech on civil rights.

The Australian CurriculumEnglish / Language / Language variation and change

Investigate how vocabulary choices, including evaluative language can express shades of meaning, feeling and opinion (ACELA1525)

Understand the use of vocabulary to express greater precision of meaning, and know that words can have different meanings in different contexts(ACELA1512)

Incorporate new vocabulary from a range of sources into students’ own texts including vocabulary encountered in research (ACELA1498)

English / Literature / Literature and context

Identify and explore ideas and viewpoints about events, issues and characters represented in texts drawn from different

historical, social and cultural contexts (ACELT1619)

Make connections between students’ own experiences and those of characters and events represented in texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts (ACELT1613)

Identify aspects of literary texts that convey details or information about particular social, cultural and historical contexts (ACELT1608)

English / Literacy / Creating texts

Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, selecting aspects of subject matter and particular language, visual, and audio features to convey information and ideas (ACELY1725)

Discussion Questions1. In Australia it is illegal to discriminate against someone because of their race. True or false?

2. What was Martin Luther King’s famous speech called?

3. What year did Martin Luther King make his “I Have a Dream” speech?

4. Martin Luther King was an American civil rights activist, what does this mean?

5. Give some examples of segregation that occurred in America in the 1950s.

6. In which American state was Martin Luther King born? Find using Google Maps.

7. Martin Luther King led peaceful protests in the 1950s. What is a peaceful protest?

8. Name the Australian civil rights leader that was inspired by Martin Luther King.

9. When did segregation laws end in the United States?

10. What prestigious award did Martin Luther King win for his role in the Civil Rights Movement?

©ABC 2013

Episode 253rd September 2013

Activities

Classroom discussion

After watching the BtN Martin Luther King story hold a class discussion, using some of the following questions.

Images: tes.co.uk – The Martin Luther King Story (by David Adler)

As a class listen to Martin Luther King’s famous speech, ‘I Have a Dream’. Ask students to circle the following words as they hear them. Record any unfamiliar words.

Ask students to write what they think is the meaning of each word (including unfamiliar words). Swap definitions with a partner and ask them to add to or change the definition. Check these against the dictionary definition. As a class investigate how vocabulary can express meaning, feeling and opinion.

Further activities for students: Make your own word search Use these words in your own sentences

I have a dream

Ask students to write their own “I have a dream” speech, and then illustrate using the template on the following page.

©ABC 2013

Independence FreedomCivil Rights

Justice LibertyRacial Injustice

Equality Segregation Emancipation

Discussion questions When and where do you think this speech was made? How did this speech make you feel? What makes Martin Luther King’s speech memorable? What do you think are the things that are most important when making a speech?

I have a dream

because

©ABC 2013

Who is Martin Luther King?

Students will develop a biography on Martin Luther King. Establish what students already know about Martin Luther King. What sort of information is included in a biography? What does a biography tell us about a person?

The following website has examples of biographies for students to look at http://www.civicsandcitizenship.edu.au/cce/contemporary_gallery,14538.html

The following plan provides a guide for students when writing a biography. Research Set a direction for your biography Create a plan Start writing Edit

For a more detailed plan download this pdf document. http://planningwithkids.com/wp-content/2012/06/PWK-How-to-write-a-Biography-v1.0.pdf

Encourage students to present their research using maps, timelines, drawings and photographs in an interesting way, for example using:

Prezi http://prezi.com/index/ Glogster http://www.glogster.com/ Bio Cube Creator http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/cube_creator/

Remind students that they will need to cite all references in a bibliography at the end of their biography.

8 Related Research Links

ABC News – US marks 50 years since Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speechhttp://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-29/us-mark27s-50-years-since-martin-luther-king27-27i-have-a-dr/4920336

ABC News – Martin Luther King delivers his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-29/martin-luther-king-i-have-a-dream-speech/4920434

©ABC 2013

Research questions When was Martin Luther King born and when did he die? Where was he born? What was his occupation? Who did he marry and did he have any children? What political movement was he a part of? Describe the language of his “I Have a Dream” speech. What awards did he win? Describe the impact that Martin Luther King had on civil rights in the United Stated of America. Create a timeline – highlight important events that occurred during Martin Luther King’s life on a

timeline. Include some other key or interesting events that occurred during the same time.

ABC Splash – What makes a great speech?http://splash.abc.net.au/media?id=28620

Behind the News – Racismhttp://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3825539.htm

Behind the News – Discriminationhttp://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s2219578.htm

©ABC 2013