Martin Luther King, Jr. was a civil rights activist in the 1950s and 1960s. He led non-violent protests to fight for the rights of all people including African Americans. He hoped that America and the world could become a colorblind society where race would not impact a person’s civil rights. He is considered one of the great orators of modern times, and his speeches still inspire many to this day.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your language arts mini spark recording page: #44: I Have a Dream

2. Add this information to your recording page

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

• Occupation: Civil Rights Leader
• Born: January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, GA
• Died: April 4, 1968 in Memphis, TN
• Best known for: Advancing the Civil Rights Movement and his “I Have a Dream” speech

3. Read about Martin Luther King, Jr. at National Geographic Kids. Add a short summary for each section to your recording sheet.

4. Read this article and add 5 details to your recording sheet.

5.  Read these Interesting Facts about Martin Luther King, Jr. On your recording sheet add 3 more facts that you found in your research.

• Dr. King was the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a national holiday.
• At the Atlanta premier of the movie Gone with the Wind, Martin sang with his church choir.
• There are over 730 streets in the United States named after Martin Luther King, Jr.
• One of his main influences was Mohandas Gandhi, who taught people to protest in a non-violent manner.
• He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
• The name on his original birth certificate is Michael King. This was a mistake, however. He was supposed to be named after his father who was named for Martin Luther, the leader of the Christian reformation movement.
• He is often referred to by his initials MLK.

6. Take a quiz to see how much you learned about this great man! Record your score on your recording page.

7. OPTIONAL Read or listen to Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. After reading/listening to the speech, record your thoughts on your recording page.

8. Share your language arts mini spark recording page and visual with your teacher/EY coordinator.