MLK

As we head back to school Tuesday on Inauguration Day, it might be a nice time to remember the man we honored by not starting school Monday. Of course I'm talking about Martin Luther King, Jr.

In the "old days," I used to introduce his holiday by going to the library and checking out a video of him giving what is perhaps his most famous speech: "I Have a Dream." Nowadays, one can simply do a search on the internet and find dozens of links to it. I previewed the following one earlier today. It's only 17 minutes long. It's black and white, of course. And it's a little "grainy," but I think that makes it all the more real as 1963 was a gritty time.

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm
Link to you tube video of MLK giving the speech.
This also has an audio only version and the full text.

If you want to make a "day"of it, there are lots of resources available. The following links are from a home school site. There are 3 work sheets: a vocabulary list, a word search puzzle, and a crossword puzzle.

http://homeschooling.about.com/od/holidays/ss/mlkingprint.htm?nl=1
http://homeschooling.about.com/od/holidays/ss/mlkingprint.htm?nl=1
http://homeschooling.about.com/od/holidays/ss/mlkingprint_3.htm


There are so many sites that one can visit, but this one seems to be very rich.
http://www.mlkonline.net

For some ideas about what other teachers are doing, try
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/martin-luther-king-jr/teacher-resources/6643.html?_R=1

Lessons in Courage is an example of what one (k-12) district created. It includes some very thought provoking lessons. Although they were designed for children, they contain a lot of information that could be used in an ESL setting. The site looks at the important moments in the lives of three people, including MLK, in an effort to explain the key issues of the era including a lesson on segregation.
http://www.dpsk12.org/programs/almaproject/pdf/LessonsInCourage.pdf

For or against, Tuesday will certainly be a good day to celebrate having dreams.