Learning to Give, Philanthropy education resources that teach giving and civic engagement
generationOn
Purpose:
Students analyze and define the word perseverance as it applies to Martin Luther King, Jr.
Duration:
One 20-minute lesson
Objectives:
The learner will:
- respond through discussion to the book I Have a Dream: The Story of Martin Luther King. See Bibliographical References.
- analyze the meaning of the word perseverance.
Service Experience:
This character education mini-lesson is not intended to be a service learning lesson or to meet the K-12 Service-Learning Standards for Quality Practice. The character education units will be most effective when taught in conjunction with a student-designed service project that provides a real world setting in which students can develop and practice good character and leadership skills. For ideas and suggestions for organizing service events go to generationon.org.
Materials:
One read aloud copy of the book I Have a Dream by Margaret Davidson (See Bibliographical References)
Note: If the book is not available, see Bibliographical References for websites about Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life or read aloud the timeline of events from Attachment One: Civil Rights Movement Highlights. Show images of Martin Luther King, Jr. from the Internet, if possible.
Instructional Procedure(s):
Anticipatory Set
Write the word perseverance on the board. Ask the students to define perseverance [to persist, even in the face of discouragement] and think of some examples of times they persevered or saw someone else persevere.
- Read I Have a Dream: The Story of Martin Luther King by Margaret Davidson (see Bibliographical References). Note: If you do not have access to the book, refer to Attachment One: Civil Rights Movement Highlights to summarize some of his major actions in the Civil Rights Movement (links to timelines also available in the Bibliographical References). After reading, ask the students to describe Martin Luther King, Jr. What kind of person was he? What did he say and do that made people follow him? How long did he stay with his dream? What were his successes? What were his failures? What can we learn from him about the value of perseverance?
- From the word perseverance on the board, draw four lines out in a web design. Write the following four topics at the four points: What it looks like; What it is not; Benefits of applying; Consequence of not applying. With the learners, analyze perseverance by writing in the four sections of the concept web. Encourage them to think of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s perseverance, but also the description and effects of perseverance in other situations.
- As a group, create a concise definition of the word perseverance. Have students write the definition in their character education journals.
Bibliographical References:
- Davidson, Margaret. I Have a Dream: The Story of Martin Luther King. Scholastic, 1991. ISBN-13: 9780590442305
- Louisiana State University. "Timeline of Events in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Life." http://www.lib.lsu.edu/hum/mlk/srs216.html
- Sylvester, Melvin. Long Island University. "A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." June 1998. http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/mlking.htm
Lesson Developed By:
Betsy FlikkemaAssociate Director
Learning to Give
Barbara Dillbeck
Director
Learning to Give
Handouts:
Handout 1Print Handout 1
Civil Rights Movement Highlights
- Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1, 1955. On December 5, Martin Luther King, Jr. was made the official spokesman for the Montgomery bus boycott.
- On November 13, 1956, segregation on buses was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. The King family home was bombed, but nobody was hurt.
- The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was passed.
- In 1958, Dr. King was stabbed in Harlem, but he survived.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested and put in jail for his participation in a lunch counter sit-in in 1960. The sit-ins were protests in which African Americans sit at lunch counters insisting on being served. Because of their efforts, some cities desegregated their lunch counters.
- In 1961, segregation on interstate highways was banned. The Freedom Riders rode across the South to test the new law. Their bus was burned and the riders were beaten when they came to Anniston, Alabama.
- In April 1963, Dr. King spent eleven days in Jail in Birmingham, Alabama, where he wrote a famous letter about the lack of justice for black Americans. Four girls died in Birmingham when someone bombed a Baptist church.
- The March on Washington in 1963 was the largest civil rights demonstration in history. At this event, Dr. King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech.
- In 1964, Martin Luther King, Jr. was named Man of the Year by Time Magazine. At the White House, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed. And in December, Dr. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
- In 1965, the Voting Rights Act was signed by President Johnson.
- In 1966, Dr. King moved into a slum apartment to call attention to how the poor people in Chicago lived. He started a campaign to end discrimination in Chicago schools, housing, and jobs.
- In March of 1968, when Dr. King was marching for the rights of sanitation workers, the march turned violent. It was the first of his events to get violent. In April, Dr. King was shot in Memphis, Tennessee.
Unit Contents:
Overview:Character Education: Perseverance (Grade 6) Summary
Lessons:
- 1.
- A Dream for a Better Life
- 2.
- Goals and Perseverance
- 3.
- In- "cent" -ives
- 4.
- Long-Term Goals
- 5.
- Planning to Persevere
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