Each year, the US celebrates the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Teaching about MLK provides rich opportunities to introduce and expand on social studies concepts like civil rights, leadership, and democracy. These ideas can be tricky, especially for younger students, but the concrete of example of MLK’s actions and words allow even the youngest students to understand them more fully.
I can help you bring the story of MLK to life in your classroom! I’ve created FIVE exciting resources to help your students learn about this important leader, his significance in American history, and how his life and work still impact us today.
The best part?! They are all low or NO PREP– saving time without sacrificing the interest of your students! Students love these resources because they are engaging, interactive, and meet them at their level.
(psst, make sure you check out my Martin Luther King Jr. Bundle for 20% off all of these resources!)
Martin Luther King, Jr. Biography Pack
This week-long mini-unit about Martin Luther King Jr. is a complete solution to all things MLK in the elementary classroom. It includes a variety of engaging pieces, including activities addressing social studies, reading, and writing standards. In addition, it’s a fantastic lead-in to February’s Black History Month.
What’s included?
- Colored & Black and White Posters
- KWL Chart
- Reading Sheet
- Graphic Organizer
- Writing Worksheets
- Word Search
- Letter to MLK Jr,
- Was/Wanted/Had
- Trading Cards
- Colored & Black & White Bookmarks
- Timeline Activity
- Assessment & Answer Key
Martin Luther King, Jr. Mini-books
With 4 completely NO PREP options to choose from, these mini-books are perfect for young learners. Use the included nonfiction text as a read-aloud or independent reading, then let students prove what they learned by completing the book! Choose the format that works best for your students, print, and GO!
Option 1: 8 pages that are doubled for easy copying, cutting, and stapling! This option is wonderful to help your little learners work on their fine motor skills!
Option 2: An 8-page mini-book that is more challenging for your students to construct. Instructions for assembling these books can be found here on TpT.
Option 3: The easiest mini-book to construct: just print and fold! This is great for younger learners.
Option 4: Just like option 3, just print & fold! The nonfiction text is on the two inside pages, and the questions are on the back.
What’s included?
- Color & Black and White cover pages
- Nonfiction text
- Leader of the Civil Rights Movement
- When and where he was born
- King as a child
- Marriage to Coretta Scott
- Becoming a pastor
- Preaching peace
- I have a dream speech
- Equality
- Still remembered today
- Teacher answer key
Martin Luther King, Jr. Writing Prompts
After your students have learned all about Martin Luther King Jr., have them extend their learning with no-prep themed writing prompts! Students can reflect on what they know about MLK and make personal connections through 10 different prompts. In true time-saving fashion, the bundle includes both primary-lined and regular lined paper, plus a writing checklist!
What’s Included?
There are 10 prompts included in this resource. Each prompt comes on primary-lined paper as well as regular lined paper. A writing checklist is also included.
Prompts include:
- Write about 3 things you have learned
- MLK Jr.’s childhood
- MLK Jr.’s adult life
- Describe MLK Jr. (space for illustration)
- What was MLK Jr.’s dream (space for illustration)
- What is your dream?
- Creative writing: imagine you are at MLK Jr.’s famous speech (space for illustration)
- If you could meet MLK Jr.
- How can you treat all people equally?
- How can you make the world a better place
Martin Luther King, Jr. Word Wall Cards
Word walls are interactive and engaging visual reminders for students to refer to in their reading and writing. Use this MLK Jr. word wall to bring your civil rights unit to life with 100 cards, including 4 blank cards for you to add your own words!
Martin Luther King, Jr. Paper Bag Book
Paper bag books are a fun and engaging twist on mini-books! This resource includes a non-fiction text passage about the history and life of Martin Luther King Jr., and how the holiday came to be! After reading the informational passage, students use two brown paper bags to assemble a book and complete the text with the information they learned!
What’s included?
- Assembly instructions
- Reading sheets (2)
- Color version (8 pages)
- Black and white version (8 pages)
So, what do you think?! Grab one or a few of these resources to enhance your students’ understanding of Martin Luther King, Jr. with almost NO work or planning on your part! And I’d love to hear how it goes in your classroom!
Want to save time and money? Grab the Martin Luther King Jr. Bundle and save 20%!
