Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated each year on the third Monday of January. This lesson plan introduces children to Martin Luther King Jr. and the idea and importance of equal rights.
Before the Lesson
Before you go ahead with this lesson, send a note home to parents explaining what you will be doing and to contact you if they have any questions. Ask that they not mention the activities to their children.
Objectives
The objective of these activities is to provide students with an understanding of equality and acceptance of other races, cultures and traditions. Children will also learn who Martin Luther King Jr. was and why he is an important icon in American history.
Materials Needed
- Book: Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King Jr. by Jean Marzollo.
- Healthy snack (enough for the whole class)
- Paper
- Crayons or paint
Activity 1
- Give a snack to half of the children in the class (you may wish to choose children randomly, or give snacks to only the girls or only the boys). Do not explain your decision when asked. Allow enough time for the students to finish their snack.
- Call children to the reading circle and read the story about Martin Luther King Jr. Be sure to provide a brief introduction as to who Martin Luther King Jr. was and the importance of learning about him and celebrating his birthday each year.
- When the story is over, ask the children how they felt about your decision to give only half of the class a snack. Explain to them that you were being prejudice and not treating everyone as equals. Discuss how this relates to the racism discussed in the story and why it is important to treat everyone equally.
- At the end of your discussion, be sure to give the remaining children their snacks.
Activity 2
- Ask each child to share some information about their culture and traditions with the class. This does not necessarily have to be about race. Have children share family traditions, religious traditions, if another language is spoken in their home, etc.
- Provide each child with a sheet of paper and crayons or paints (or another medium of your choice).
- Ask the children to draw a picture of themselves participating in a custom or tradition that another student discussed.
- Have each student discuss his or her picture with the class. What is their picture of and why did they choose to draw this particular tradition or custom?