ML King Timeline

I Have a Dream Speech

Study Guide

Dr. King's Dream
for use with the video tape of the I have a dream speech

Introduction

The goal of this single class period experience is to make the students feel as though they are on the walk with Martin Luther King, Jr. during his historic March on Washington, to hear his inspirational "I Have a Dream" speech, and envision the dreams of freedom for all Americans.

In this lesson, students will learn about the life and work of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Students will listen to a brief biography, view photographs of the March on Washington, hear King's "I Have a Dream" speech, and discuss what King's words mean to them. Finally, in April, coinciding with the April 4 anniversary of his assassination, they will create picture books about their own dreams of freedom for Americans today.

Guiding Question:

Learning Objectives

After this lesson, students will have:

• learned about the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr.
• reflected on a section of King's "I Have a Dream" speech
• become aware of inequities that still exist in the United States

1. Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr.?

Before the lesson, explore what students already know about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. Draw a "bubble map" on the board with Dr. King's name in the center bubble; as you elicit students' prior knowledge, write the words and phrases that they associate with Dr. King in smaller bubbles around the center.

Next, read the class a short biography of Dr. King. A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr., by D.A. Adler (New York: Holiday House, 1989) offers an accessible overview of King's life, while portions of If You Lived at the Time of Martin Luther King, by Ellen Levine (New York: Scholastic, Inc., 1994) could be used to provide historical context.

Finally, remind students of some of the other people who worked to extend the American dream to all Americans (e.g., Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Mary McLeod Bethune, W.E.B. DuBois, Booker T. Washington, Jackie Robinson, Malcolm X). Students may already have some knowledge of these historical figures from previous units of study. Briefly discuss each of these figures' contributions to the battle for civil rights, pointing out that Dr. King's work was part of a lengthy struggle that continues to this day.

2. What Was the March on Washington?

Explain to students what the March on Washington was. (Aerial picture at left) Tell them that its full title was the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, that it was held on August 28, 1963, and that thousands of Americans from all walks of life attended it. Let students know that although Dr. King emphasized the struggles of African-Americans, he devoted his life to the freedom of all Americans. As long as even one of us was not free, he believed, none of us could be truly free. Further, by the time of his death he was also a noted antiViet Nam War protestor.

3. The Power of Dr. King's Words

Ask students if they have ever heard Dr, King's "I Have a Dream" speech, which he delivered at the March on Washington.

After setting up the video of the I Have a dream speech--show it!

After students have listened/watched the speech, ask them which of Dr. King's words or phrases especially stood out to them, and why. Write these phrases on the board and discuss their meanings.

4. The Dream Lives On

Talk with students about some of the inequities that persist in American society today. Do they think all Americans are truly free? Why or why not? (Students might reflect on the plights of homeless people, for example, or speak up about ways in which they or people they know feel unfree due to skin color, ethnicity, language, socioeconomic status or gender.) Of what types of freedom would Dr. King dream if he were alive today? List students' ideas in a "bubble map" on the board.

Finally, have students create picture books, in which they begin each sentence with the words, "I have a dream of freedom for…" Students who are stuck for ideas may refer to the master list on the board.

Extending the Lesson

Have students interview family members about their dreams of freedom: What does "freedom" mean to these family members? In what ways do they consider themselves free or not free? What kinds of freedom do they think Dr. King would want for all Americans if he were alive today? Students may then incorporate these dreams into their picture books.