$5 - $10 Martin Luther King Day Lesson (by date, oldest first)

AVID Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "I Have a Dream" Speech + Socratic Seminar: In this Mini Socratic Seminar and Lesson students will mark the text of the "I Have a Dream" speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Then they will have Socratic dialogue in small groups in order to discuss the essential question, “What aspects of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech can be applied to the world today?”

By the end of this Socratic Seminar your students will have a deep understanding of what Martin Luther's Speech entails and what aspects of the speech can be applied today which is presented as the EQ of this Seminar. Use this AVID Mini Socratic Seminar Lesson to increase dialogue and engagement in your classroom.

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What's Included:

• Lesson Plan with a walkthrough of all the slides and a video overview and explanation.
• I Have a Dream Speech- google doc which includes a transcript for students to mark their text and come up with questions in the margins for the Seminar. They will also add an essential question at the top, summary at the bottom, and fill out the embedded vocabulary chart.
• Google slides- go over the lesson related to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his speech and discuss the process of a Soccratic Seminar. The slides include embedded links for students to follow along and access required documents.
• Participant Reflection- a digital Google Sheets document for students to summarize and reflect what they learned through the Seminar.

Directions:

• Students will discuss the background of the I Have a Dream Speech as directed through the teaching slides.
• Students will read and watch the speech video and follow directions for marking the text.
• Students will look for integrity and leadership qualities.
• Students will bold unknown words and add these words and their definitions to their embedded vocabulary chart in the speech text.
• Students will come up with questions for the Socratic Seminar using Costa's Level of Thinking.
• Students will meet with a partner to clarify any confusions.
• Students will summarize the text by answering the EQ in 3-5 sentences.
• Students will review the protocol for Socratic Seminars.
• Students will use their questions and provided sentences stems to have dialogue in the Seminar.
• Students will complete a participant checklist in order to reflect on the seminar.

Definition:

A Mini Socratic Seminar is a scholarly discussion of an essential question in which student opinions are shared and refined through dialogue with other students in small groups. In this mini format, the teacher or seminar leader facilitates the discussion for the small groups.

Purpose:

In a Socratic Seminar, participants seek to answer an essential question and gain deeper understanding of laws, ideas, issues, values, and/or principles presented through rigorous and thoughtful dialogue

Advantages:

• Teaches respect for diverse ideas, people, and practices
• Enhances students' knowledge
• Creates a community of inquiry
• Develops critical thinking, problem solving, speaking, and listening skills
• Clarifies one's ideas, ethics and values
• Maximizes student participation
• Encourages divergent thinking

Mini Seminar Directions:

1. Students are placed in small groups or virtual break out rooms of 5-6 students.
2. Teacher poses the essential question.
3. Teacher chooses a Socratic Seminar leader for each group.
4. The leader facilitates the seminar discussion by guiding group members to a deeper and clarified consideration of the ideas, a respect for varying points of view, and adherence to and respect for the seminar process.
5. Students may pose new questions when the discussion is exhausted. New questions posed must relate to students’ ideas and contributions in response to the initial essential question.
6. If dialogue slows use one of the provided questions to encourage discussion.
7. Students complete the participant checklist during the last 5 minutes of class.

More MLK Resources

Click HERE to see our other AVID resources.

We also have several great AVID bundle options available down below!

AVID Mega Growing Bundle

AVID Teambuilding Bundle

AVID Writing Bundle

These three differentiated lesson plans center around the beautifully powerful poems, "Still I Rise," "A Dream Deferred," and "Caged Bird." Each plan is meticulously explained using a format of warm-up, explanation, application, and synthesis with the aim to engage students from beginning to end. Students will analyze the figurative language within the poems and respond to the powerful messages they evoke through independent work, paired activities, and full class discussion. Lesson plans and accompanying materials strive to encourage students to interact deeply with some of the most breathtaking works of American poetry ever written. No teacher preparation is necessary for any of these lesson plans.

Bundled Product Includes:

• 3 Full lesson plans with warm-up, explanation, application, synthesis, and differentiated extension activities
• Comprehensive student packets for each poem
• Copies of each poem

Although these lesson plans are aligned to eighth grade Common Core standards, they can be differentiated to be appropriate for a middle or high school setting.

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Buying this bundle saves 20% off the price of the three lesson plans, however, you can buy them separately here:

⭐ "Still I Rise" Lesson Plan and Materials

⭐ "Caged Bird" Lesson Plan and Materials

⭐ "A Dream Deferred" Lesson Plan and Materials

Also, check out these great resources for your poetry unit by Language Arts Excellence:

⭐ Poetry ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ Poetry Unit Anticipation Activity

⭐ Figurative Language Challenge Game

⭐ Sonnet 130 Valentine's Day Lesson Plan

⭐ Sonnet 18 Valentine's Day Lesson Plan

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Great Americans who have shaped the arts, sciences, sports, and history of our nation and culture get lost in time. The Great Americans Series of Biographies and Worksheets is an easy-to-read 200-word Biography of just the highlights of each subject's life designed to keep young readers engaged. The Questions page ensures student reading comprehension and grasp of key points. The Vocabulary page introduces and explains new words, phrases, and/or institutions students may not have been familiar with. The Quotes page challenges students to write what a famous quote by the subject means to them. The Great Americans Series is available individually or in bundles, making great bell work. An Answer Key is provided with each worksheet.