Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Activities for Kindergarten – 3rd Grade

I always struggle to find the best activities for my students when it comes to history. I want to make sure that whatever topic is being discussed, they are getting accurate and unbiased information. This is why I worked exhaustively to create Black history units – for not only my own use but to share with other educators as well. Today I’m sharing my newest unit, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. activities for kindergarten, first, second, and third grade. You can grab all of these activities HERE. Check out out the activities below!

–>Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Activities<–

This resource contains 13 activities for your Black history unit. Black history is American history and can be taught during any time of the year – not only in February. We hope that this resource will help you to have rich and engaging conversations with your students. It is our goal to help you educate your students on the challenges faced by African Americans, as well as their contributions to our country. We hope you and your students enjoy these Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. activities.

Slideshow Presentation

Using real-life pictures, this slideshow shares information about the life and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Use this slideshow to introduce students to Dr. King. The slideshow comes in a PDF format.

Vocabulary Cards & Vocabulary Check

This unit identifies six vocabulary words that can be studied and discussed throughout the unit. Each vocabulary word is defined in a kid-friendly definition. The words are presented in two different formats: word wall card size and a smaller size for students to cut out and store in a sandwich bag. The children can write the definition on the back of each card. There is a worksheet included with a vocabulary check activity.

Posters

There are three posters with information about Dr. King. The first and second poster are cartoon images (both in color and black & white), the last photo is a real-life image of Dr. King. These posters can be hung around in the room or distributed to students.

Emergent Reader

Students can read and color this book, which coordinates well with the slideshow. There is also a color copy of this book that can be printed and laminated to be used in the classroom library.

Reading Passage & Comprehension Check

There are two reading passages and comprehension pages. Use these reading passages during your social studies lesson or integrate social studies into your reading curriculum with these passages. Read these passages together as a class, in groups, or independently depending on the reading level of your students. After your students read each passage, they will complete a simple comprehension activity that relates to what they have read.

Was – Had – Wanted Chart

This graphic organizer is for writing down information that the students learn about Dr. King. After spending some time learning about Dr. King, discuss some of the things he “was”, ”had” and “wanted”. This includes his characteristics, achievements and goals. There are several versions of the graphic organizer; use the one that is best for your students. Use the words on the last three pages to create an anchor chart together with the students.

Word Web

Use this graphic organizer to write down information about Dr. King, such as “civil rights activist”, “Georgia” or “Minister”. This word web can be used as part of the pre-writing process or can be filled out after viewing the slideshow.

Research Report

These research report pages are for the students to document the information they learned about Dr. King. Use these pages after viewing the slideshow or in combination with the reading passages. Alternatively, students can collect information by working in groups or independently, or reading relevant non-fiction books. These pages can also be used to plan and brainstorm ideas in the pre-writing process.

Writing

There are 20 blank writing pages to choose from. Some pages have a clip art picture of Dr. King, others have real-life images. Students can use the pages with real-life images and write about what they think may be happening in the picture. These pages can be used at the end of the unit to assess what students have learned.

Crossword Puzzle

This crossword puzzle will provide students with a fun and engaging way to review vocabulary words from this unit. Students use the pictures to complete the crossword puzzle. This crossword puzzle is great for early finishers or can be used during small groups, centers, morning work or homework.

Word Search

This is a fun activity for early finishers or can be used during centers, morning work or homework. The words are created in a clear font and words appear across and down only. No words are diagonal, backwards or overlapped. Perfect for students to reinforce their vocabulary words!

Write the Room

Write the room is a favorite in my kindergarten classroom. To prepare this activity, simply print, cut, and laminate the themed cards and then print a recording sheet. Place cards around the room. Students will walk with a clipboard around the room to find the cards. Then they will match the picture on the card to the one of their recording sheets and write the word from the card. There are several different variations of the recording sheet for differentiation.

Craft

This craft is a fun way for the students to display what they have learned. Print one page for each student, then have them color and cut on the dotted lines. Take one piece of construction paper and fold it into three equal parts. First, glue the words “Who, what, when, where, why” at the top of each page. Then, sort the pictures in the appropriate categories and glue them to the page.

These Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. activities are perfect for teaching your students about the life and achievements of Dr. King. I hope you found these resources useful, let me know which activity you’re looking forward to using in your classroom.