The 2014 Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Observance will be held on Monday, January 20. This annual celebration is an opportunity for all to remember this very important historical figure and Civil Rights Leader who was born on January 15, 1929, and died on April 4, 1968.

LEARNING ABOUT MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. (MLK)

One key website to learn about Dr. King is The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (“The King Center”) at The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (http://www.thekingcenter.org). Information on the site indicates that it “has been a global destination, resource center, and community institution for over a quarter century.” There is a wealth of information on the site including digital archives, transcripts of King’s speeches, a glossary of nonviolence terms, and much more. A thoughtful participatory link labeled “DREAMS” is at the top of the page and individuals can submit their own dreams… hundreds and hundreds of dreams have been posted. They are categorized and searchable. Viewers can also see the “dream map” that shows where the most dreams have come from. The actual center is in Atlanta, Georgia, and is open seven days a week. The King Center was established in 1968 by Mrs. Coretta Scott King.

The King Center’s biography page, “About Dr. King,” is very informative. It notes that:

During the less than 13 years of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s leadership of the modern American Civil Rights Movement, from December, 1955 until April 4, 1968, African Americans achieved more genuine progress toward racial equality in America than the previous 350 years had produced. Dr. King is widely regarded as America’s pre-eminent advocate of nonviolence and one of the greatest nonviolent leaders in world history (http://www.thekingcenter.org/about-dr-king).

Following are books and websites to connect to and share with young people as they honor Dr. King.

CONNECT TO MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY

Marzollo, Jean. Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King. Illus. by Brian Pinkney. On My Own Holidays series. Scholastic, 2006.

This book shares both the important contributions of Dr. King and the historical significance of celebrating his birthday as a national holiday. It is also available in Spanish as Feliz Cumpleaños, Martin Luther King.

McNamara, Margaret. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Illus. by Mike Gordon. Robin Hill School series. Aladdin, 2007.

This book generally provides a focus on Martin Luther King’s dreams and impact through an easy-to-read text.

▶Scroll down the page to find four comprehension questions to accompany the reading of McNamara’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day (http://simpleliterature.com/id5.html).

▶Connect to activity cards (http://curry.virginia.edu/go/wil/MLK.pdf) that provide a variety of ideas for discussion and extension of Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King.

▶Connect with Live Oak Media’s Activity Guide (http://www.liveoakmedia.com/client/guides/93286.pdf) which is an intended guide for the read-along titled Martin Luther King Jr. Day by Linda Lowery (Illus. by Hetty Mitchell. First Avenue Editions, 2003.). Some activities can also be used in conjunction with the other books listed above.

▶Make sure to visit the Martin Luther King Day website which calls on citizens to participate in a day of Cooperation for National and Community Service (http://mlkday.gov).

CONNECT TO THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON AND KING’S “I HAVE A DREAM” SPEECH

Farris, Christine King. March On!: The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World. Illus. by London Ladd. Scholastic, 2008.

This is a personal account by Dr. King’s sister of how he prepared for his speech and how she watched the event on television in Atlanta along with her parents.

King, Martin Luther, Jr. I Have a Dream. Illus. by Kadir Nelson. Schwartz & Wade, 2012.

Nelson’s stellar art provides the backdrop for an abbreviated version of King’s monumental speech. Full text of the speech is printed in the back and the book is accompanied with a CD of the speech in its entirety.

Krull, Kathleen. What Was the March on Washington? Grosset & Dunlap/Penguin, 2013.

This book is about a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and Civil Rights rally in 2013.

▶Students may print and color pages for a lift-the-tab booklet that connects with King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. It is available from Teacher Created Resources (http://www.teachervision.fen.com/tv/printables/TCR/0743932609_115-125.pdf).

▶Audio of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech from August 28, 1963, in Washington, D.C., on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial can be found at the Smithsonian website (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/multimedia/audio/128077288.html). The full text of the speech can be found at American Rhetoric: Top 100 Speeches (http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm). Additional online searches for “I Have a Dream” will result in more video clips from various news channels and other sources.

▶Video clips from the March on Washington (3:10 minutes) can be found on History.com (http://www.history.com/videos/martin-luther-king-jr-leads-the-march-on-washington#martin-luther-king-jr-leads-the-march-on-washington and http://www.history.com/topics/march-on-washington/videos#bet-you-didnt-know-march-on-washington).

▶President Barak Obama’s remarks are available on video commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the civil rights march on Washington. President Obama’s speech was delivered on August 28, 2013, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, just where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his speech five decades ago. There are slides from the historic event that can be seen on the screen as President Obama talks (http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50153903n 28:19 minutes).

CONNECT TO MLK LIFE STORIES

Pinkney, Andrea Davis. Martin & Mahalia: His Words -- Her Song. Illus. by Brian Pinkney. Little Brown, 2013.

A quote from the book notes, “Martin’s voice kept people in their seats, but also sent their praises soaring. Mahalia’s voice was brass-and-butter—strong and smooth at the same time.”

▶A 1-minute, 29-second clip from the March on Washington is available at YouTube with scenes from the crowd and Mahalia Jackson singing in the background and then depicted in the last seconds (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT0SUMSjMWw).

Rappaport, Doreen. Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, 2007.

Martin Luther King, Jr. grew up fascinated by big words. He would later go on to use these words to inspire a nation and call people to action. In this award-winning book, powerful portraits of King show how he used words, not weapons, to fight injustice.

▶”How Big Are Martin’s Big Words? Thinking Big about the Future” has a template to print so that students can think of their own “Big Words!” (http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/martin-words-thinking-about-92.html). There is also a “Word Mover” app link so students can move their “Big Words” around like a magnetic poetry board.

▶Link to the National Education Association’s website (http://www.nea.org/tools/lessons/mlk-day-gradesK-5.html) to find MLK lesson plans, activities, websites, print-outs, and videos.

▶Connect to the teaching guide for Martin’s Big Words at Scholastic/Weston Woods (http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/westonwoods/study_guides/martins_big_words.pdf). The guide has activities intended for before or after viewing the DVD, but the ideas can also be used before or after reading the book.

▶Hyperion provides an extensive twenty-page guide with multiple curriculum connections (http://cdn3.dolimg.com/explore/PMPages/Printable/Big_Words_TG_final.pdf).▶Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Non-Violence is a page available from the Smithsonian (http://amhistory.si.edu/ourstory/activities/mlk). Go to the upper right side of the page for the reading guide to Martin’s Big Words. Stained glass windows are depicted in the book and one activity describes the steps in making “stained glass” using colored tissue papers and cut patterns.

Ringgold, Faith. My Dream of Martin Luther King. Dragonfly Books, 1998.

From a dream of her own, Ringgold shares the story of the life of Martin Luther King.

▶A book module featuring My Dream of Martin Luther King (http://www.teachingchildrenphilosophy.org/wiki/My_Dream_of_Martin_Luther_King/) includes multiple questions for discussion based on freedom, race, and heroes.

▶Teachers@Random provides a guide with connections to a variety of curriculum areas (http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780517885772&view=tg/).

CONNECT TO MLK CHILDREN’S BIOGRAPHIES

Colbert, David. Martin Luther King, Jr. (10 Days). Aladdin, 2008.

From the cover of the book: “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. lived 14, 235 days, these ten days shook his world and yours.” These are ten various days throughout his career such as December 5, 1955, when he called for a boycott of buses in Montgomery, Alabama.

▶Scholastic provides two pages of activities to accompany the book (http://clubs2.scholastic.com/clubs/pdfs/guides/10_days_guide.pdf) and includes a pre-reading activity, discussion questions or writing activities, and a vocabulary list.

Kitson, Jazynka. Martin Luther King, Jr. ReaderBios. National Geographic, 2012.

This Level 3 biography begins by asking “Who was Martin Luther King, Jr.?” and then sets out to answer the question by providing factual information in nine sections. It concludes with eight awesome facts like the fact that Dr. King gave 2,500 speeches in the last 11 years of his life.

▶Find a collection of thematic lessons and teaching ideas hosted by Scholastic and searchable by grade level on the site, “Teaching about Martin Luther King, Jr.” (http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/collection/commemorate-life-dr-martin-luther-king-jr).

CONNECT TO FAMILY STORIES ABOUT MLK

Farris, Christine King. My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Illus. by Chris Soentpiet. Simon & Schuster, 2003.

King, Martin Luther, III. My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Illus. by A. G. Ford. HarperCollins. 2013.

Dr. King’s eldest son shares his story of growing up as the son of the well-known Civil Rights leader.

Watkins, Angela Farris. Martin Luther King, Jr.: A King Family Tribute. Abrams, 2013.

Filled with photographs, this treasure shares the story of the life of the King family.

Watkins, Angela Farris. My Uncle Martin's Big Heart. Illus. by Eric Velasquez. Abrams, 2010.

Martin Luther King’s niece shares personal stories of her Uncle Martin.

CONNECT TO STORIES OF OTHERS WHO STOOD FOR WHAT IS RIGHT

Check out the “Other Books for Martin Luther King Day Jr. Day” page at Reading Rockets which highlights individuals who have stood up for what is right (http://www.readingrockets.org/articles/books/c1226). Selected books featuring a few important individuals who each had a role in the history of civil rights in America are as follows:

Bridges, Ruby. Through My Eyes: Ruby Bridges. Scholastic, 1999.

The first African American to integrate an elementary school was six-year-old Ruby Bridges. This is her memoir of her first year in school amidst the racial turmoil. Another selection is Robert Coles’s The Story of Ruby Bridges (Illus. by George Ford. Scholastic, 2010).

Haskins, Jim, and Rosa Parks. I Am Rosa Parks. Illus. by Wil Clay. Penguin, 1999.

This is an easy-to read introduction to the story of civil rights activist Rosa Parks who was arrested when she would not give up her seat on a public bus. Another selection is Nikki Giovanni’s Rosa (Illus. by Bryan Collier. Henry Holt, 2005).

Ryan, Pam Munoz. When Marian Sang. Illus. by Brian Selznik. Scholastic Press, 2002.

This is the story of how Marian Anderson came to sing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to an integrated crowd of more than 75,000 in 1939.

Shelton, Paula Young. Child of the Civil Rights Movement. Illus. by Raul Colon. Schwartz & Wade, 2008.

The daughter of civil rights leader Andrew Young shares her story of growing up.

ADDITIONAL MLK INFORMATION

The New York Times. “Times Topic” page. http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/k/martin_luther_jr_king/index.html

This is a source for day-to-day newspaper information related to Martin Luther King, Jr.

Seattle Times. “Martin Luther King Jr.” http://seattletimes.com/special/mlk/

A page of key articles and connections feature information about Martin Luther King, Jr.

Freed, Leonard S., Photographer. This Is the Day: The March on Washington. Texts by Julian Bond and Michael Eric Dyson J. Paul Getty Museum, 2013.

This “coffee table” book by photographer Leonard Freed represents the finest in photojournalism. A book for older students to learn about the events of this historic day, it was published to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.