Citizens
Introduction: Learners will compare and contrast life before and after Dr. King and the civil rights movement. They will discuss the concept of "fair" and "unfair." They will also identify people who are good citizens and describe the character traits that make them admirable.
This activity is meant to discuss why we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day and explore student ideas of what it means to be fair and a good citizen in their classroom, community/country, and the world.
Driving Questions: What is fair? What is unfair? What does it mean to be a good citizen?
Focus: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Grabber:
In Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s time, there were some very bad laws in our country. Look for things that are unfair in the following videos. Then have learners share their thoughts.
Read Aloud: My First Biography- Martin Luther King Jr.
The Story of Martin Luther King Jr. by Kid President
Help learners articulate that it is wrong to treat people differently based on how they look. Discuss the positive changes Martin Luther King Jr. made in the world. Encourage to look for things they think could be improved. Have them talk about their ideas with others. That is how change begins!
Now Watch a video about how to be a good citizen in the classroom.
Video: Citizenship in the Classroom
After watching the video, ask what made MLK, Jr. a good citizen?
Then show Video: We are all Connected- Global Citizens
Here are other resource videos you might like to use:
Martin Luther King, Jr. Resources
Now ask what makes someone a good global citizen?
Culminating Activity:
Split students into groups of 4 and have them discuss ideas of what they think it means to be a citizen. Give each group a scenario to brainstorm ideas of big white sticky post-it paper. Scenarios could include how to be a citizen at school, home, out in public, etc. Have them discuss how their ideas would fit into MLK’s dream of what it means to be a good citizen. Then have the class come back together and present posters.
Extension Activity: Peace Plates
This art project celebrates Dr. King's message of peace and diversity.
You'll need: Paper plates, masking tape, paint, brushes
Use masking tape to make a peace sign on the back of a paper plate. You will need one for each learner. Then have the learners paint the back of the plate using a variety of colors. Peel off the tape once the paint has dried to reveal a peace sign. Display the learners' work and talk about how each peace sign is unique, just like people are and how each is beautiful in its own special way!
Assessment: Have learners draw or write letters to other students in a different school (pen pals) discussing who Martin Luther King Jr. is, what he did, what citizenship is, what MLK thought it was, what makes a global citizen. Learners can type letters out on http://kidblog.org/home/. Use written letters for grading over content. Finally, the teacher must use https://www.epals.com/#/connections or a similar site to connect with other global teachers to share students work and find pen pals.
Rubrics:
The first rubric is used to grade letter for pen pal letter. This allows us to also follow writing standards while still grading their content/information. The second rubric is a more specific option.
Source From: http://snippetsbysarah.blogspot.com/2012/06/writing-rubrics.html
Made Using: http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php
Examples:
Post-It Example
*Teacher’s Result of combined ideas from each group. Students would be completing individual sections, like school, etc.