DE Celebrate & Honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

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On Monday, January 15th, we will observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I think we can all agree that teaching about the service and impact of his life is important. However, I want to encourage you to try some new activities or use some different resources this year. 

In my elementary classroom, we always spent time discussing this great man and explaining why he was so monumental in the civil rights movement. We talked about the famous speech and made our own dreams for the future. To be honest, I'm not sure they ever really "got" it. The students' lack of background knowledge and many of the cartoon books I found just were not cutting it in terms of richness and depth. It all seemed too much to be crammed into one or two class periods as well.

Imagine my delight when stumbling upon Discovery Education's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day channel. DE is always known for high-quality and engaging content, but this collection is special and offers a vast variety of age-appropriate material. It is categorized by grade levels K-5, 6-8, 9-12 and includes images, quotes, songs, and activities, along with the videos we all know and love. The best part is that it is easy to search and is far more authentic than anything you'll find on TPT.



Here are a few of my favorite options. I hope you take time to explore the channel for yourself. 

K-5 Studio Board: This whole group or student- paced activity focused on learning how Dr. King helped others with a lens of accepting others who are different in their race, culture, habits, and/or beliefs.

3-5 Celebrate Holiday: Nine slides with activities exploring the history and impact of Martin Luther King Jr.

K-8 Yolanda Renee King: This video clip allows students to meet the granddaughter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King, as she shares her perspective on the legacy of her grandparents.


6-12 Six Principles of Podcast: A series discussing Martin Luther King, Jr.'s six principles of nonviolence, including King's sources of inspiration and ways to defeat injustice.

6-8 Coretta Scott King: Studies Coretta Scott King's life after the assassination of her husband. It explains her continued role in political activism as well as her legacy.

9-12 Letter from Birmingham Jail: Let students hear the letter written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from inside of a cell, "The Injustice of Silence".

Another great option is to have your students search all of these resources on their own, and even create a studio board collection of their learning. 

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