Meeting Martin Luther King Jr. - introducing significant individuals

Calendar Circle. Then teacher unveils MG-6 Canon Chart (covered). Six portrait tiles revealed. Teacher: 'Today and over the next few days, we'll meet 4-6 people who made a HUGE difference long ago. We call them SIGNIFICANT INDIVIDUALS.'

• Dramatic unveiling of MG-6
• Read each name aloud once
• Focus on MLK first; others previewed

M-1-F-CIV-12-B Chart

36x48-inch chart with 6 photo-illustrated portrait tiles (4x6 inches each) for: Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), Rosa Parks (1913-2005), Helen Keller (1880-1968), George Washington Carver (1864-1943), Sojourner Truth (c.1797-1883), Wangari Maathai (1940-2011). Each tile shows portrait, name, life dates, one-sentence child-language description, country/region. Velcro-mounted. Below: blank tile for 'a significant individual from MY family or community ___.'

MG-6 Chart

Mounted on classroom wall at child-eye-height (24-36 inches) with laminated surface for repeated dry-erase use.

A SIGNIFICANT INDIVIDUAL is a person whose CONTRIBUTION still affects our lives today. Today we meet Martin Luther King Jr. He lived from 1929 to 1968 - that's during the GRANDPARENT generation on our timeline. He was a REVEREND - a church leader - who spoke and walked PEACEFULLY for CIVIL RIGHTS and EQUALITY. He believed all people should have the same rights, no matter their skin color. He gave famous speeches and led marches.

• Notice - Doreen Rappaport quotes MLK's REAL words (primary). The book is a secondary source ABOUT MLK, but it uses his primary words inside.

  model Pause at key spreads: 'I have a dream' / mountain top / love and not hate

  prompt Read aloud Martin's Big Words (Rappaport/Collier 2001), full text
• MLK's life spans two generations. He died in 1968 - which is in our grandparents' time.

  model Mark 1929 (birth, in great-grandparent band) and 1968 (death, in grandparent band) with a connecting line

  prompt Place MLK on MG-2 wall timeline

• Who was MLK?
• What was ONE of his contributions?

M-1-F-CIV-12-A Illustration

Reproduction of Bryan Collier's Caldecott Honor cover for Martin's Big Words (Disney-Hyperion 2001) - MLK's portrait in collage technique. Plus enlarged spreads of 'I have a dream' page (with multi-racial children illustration) and 'mountaintop' page. Pages held up at A3 size for whole-class read-aloud.

• Add MLK portrait + contribution card to biography wall

  scaffold Teacher-led whole class
• Partner-share: 'MLK's contribution was ___'

  scaffold Sentence frame

M-1-F-CIV-12-C Chart

36x60-inch wall display titled 'OUR SIGNIFICANT INDIVIDUALS.' First slot filled this lesson: MLK portrait + 'CONTRIBUTION: spoke and marched peacefully for civil rights and equality for all Americans' card + life-dates (1929-1968) + 'where to find more: Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport' card.

• Who is Martin Luther King Jr.?
• Name ONE contribution.
• Where on the timeline does he go?

• MLK portrait stays on biography wall
• Preview: tomorrow more significant individuals - Helen Keller and Rosa Parks

• Tonight, ask a caregiver: 'Have you ever heard MLK's voice?' Tell them what you learned today.