10 MLK Day Activities and Resources

Teachers and parents are preparing for MLK Day: here are some of my favorite resources for planning a meaningful lesson on the American civil rights leader.


Virtual Community

1. The most amazing MLK activity I've seen this year is Add Your Dream, an excellent example from The King Center of how technology can teach.  Browse through the nearly-5,000 dreams already posted by tag or location, then add your dream to the virtual community.  Create one with your family or classroom and spark a great discussion.

2. The Smithsonian Institution’s exhibit “One Life: Martin Luther King” doesn’t open until June of this year, but you can experience their superior online collection of portraits and realia from his life online.  http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/MLK/index.html  SI also has collections on the civil rights movement, with pictures and primary sources.

Be Active!

3.  A day ON, not a day OFF.  The MLK National Day of Service campaign asks you to do something for your community: search or post ideas on their website.  From art contests to volunteer work, there's something everyone can do:  http://mlkday.gov/

4.  The Dallas MLK Center draws over 30,000 people to their parade (held on Saturday, not Monday): the weekend-long celebration includes a candlelight service and speeches: http://www.mlkcelebrationdallas.org/index.html?q=node/48 

5. Denton's own MLK Rec Center is holding a day-long event with different activities: http://www.cityofdenton.com/about-the-city/calendar/-item-11444  

Learn about King’s life and legacy!

6. The National Education Association has a list of free lessons and resources for kids in grades K-12. http://www.nea.org/tools/lessons/mlk-day.html

  

7.Home-schoolers and classroom teachers alike will find articles written for younger kids here, as well as timelines and paper-and-pencil activities:  http://fun.familyeducation.com/martin-luther-king-jr/activities/32832.html 

8.  The King Center in Atlanta:  over a million primary source documents online, as well as a huge collection of ideas for bringing the philosophy of nonviolence to your work, school, or family  http://www.thekingcenter.org/

9.  Our national library, the Library of Congress, has an excellent webpage for adults and students in grades 6 and up that demonstrates Dr. King’s influence throughout American culture.   http://www.loc.gov/wiseguide/jan03/kingjr.html

Teach your family and friends:

10.  This list of ideas from the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance project is a great basis for debate and discussion with older children and young adults.  Get more ideas and teaching materials at:  http://www.tolerance.org/