Module 1 - Unit 1 - Lesson 1

Life in Atlanta

Grade K-5

Lesson Overview

Learning Targets/Objectives:

Recognize Georgia, Atlanta, and Dr. King’s childhood home on a map.
Identify the parents and siblings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Make connections to Dr. King’s birth name, nickname, birth date, and birthplace.
Explain the role of the church in Dr. King’s childhood and the impact it made on his life.
Relate the family, childhood, and influences of Dr. King to one’s own.

Success Criteria:

Students will create a family tree identifying all members.
Students will identify a family member who has influenced them.

Social Emotional Openers (SEL)

SEL Opener:

OPTION 1: Show a picture/pictures of YOU as a child with/of your family.
OPTION 2: Show and explain where you grew up and identify the members of your family.
OPTION 3: Show a picture of Dr. King as a child/as a child with his parents and siblings.
- Discussion Questions: Do you recognize anyone in this picture? Who knows Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.? Where is he in this picture?
- Show Dr. King as an adult and say: It is time to get to know Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Unit-1-Life-in-Atlanta-K-5-Curriculum-Guide

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Activities/Choice Board

Materials and Downloads

Grade 6-12

Lesson Overview

Learning Targets/Objectives:

Discuss Martin Luther King, Jr.’s relationship with his parents, Martin Sr. and Alberta Williams, and siblings, Christine and Alfred
Describe the importance of the church in King’s childhood through the lens of “The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life” speech given in April 1967
Analyze King’s “Three Dimensions of a Complete Life” speech for text, context and subtext.
Understand the contextual setting for which King grew up in Atlanta, Georgia

Success Criteria:

Students should be able to argue the most influential dimension of King’s childhood.

M1-U1-L1

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Classroom Resources

Anchor Text:

(Excerpt) King, Martin Luther, Jr. “The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life.” April 9, 1967. Retrieved at https://projects.seattletimes.com/mlk/words-life.html and https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/constituents/benedict-j-fernandez?all/all/all/all/0

Supplemental Sources:

Rock Island Argus. “Michael Luther King Jr.?” October 15, 2001. 14.
Fernandez, Ben J. King Family Portrait found in New York Times. “Martin Luther King Jr.’s Original Obituary. April 5, 1968. Retrieved at https://www.nytimes.com/article/martin-luther-king-jr.html

Social Emotional Openers (SEL)

Discussion Activity:

What’s in a Name? Ask students to share the origins of their last name and ask if they would be willing to share some information about their family.

Activities

Activity 1

Opener

Students will read a short article by the Rock Island Argus describing Dr. King’s birth name “Michael Luther King, Jr.” They should respond to the prompt: “Why did Dr. King’s birth name change from Michael Luther to Martin Luther?”

Activity 2

Discussion

The teacher should display Ben J. Fernandez’s “King Family Portrait” and facilitate a discussion about King’s parents and siblings using the Lesson Content Overview as a source of information.

Activity 3

Independent Work, Close Reading Analysis

Students will read an excerpt of King’s “The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life.” Students must summarize what King means by “length, breadth, and height” as the three dimensions of a complete life.

Activity 4

Small Group Discussion

In groups of three or four, students will discuss their analysis of King’s “Three Dimensions” speech and generate responses to several open-ended questions. Students should record responses to the following questions.

According to Dr. King, what are the three dimensions of a complete life?
Which of the three dimensions have you most developed at this point of your life? Explain.
Which of the three dimensions in your life needs improvement? Explain ways for which you can go about improving that dimension.
Based on what you know about the United States in the 1930s, if you could choose, would you prefer to grow up then or are you happy with the current era in which you live? Explain your response.

Activity 5

Large Group Discussion

Students will share their answers to the last prompt. The teacher should find themes among students’ answers. The teacher should provide analytical thought about those themes so as to establish the contextual setting of Dr. King’s early years.

Activity 6

Formative Assessment

Students will write a five-sentence response to the following prompt: To what extent was the church the most influential object of Martin Luther King’s childhood?

Adaptations for Student Needs

IEP

Sizes of student groups range
Students team up with a peer partner, while others would prefer to work individually.
There is a variety of small-group work
Chunking information
Visual cues and wait time
Visual supports (maps, images, PowerPoint slides, handouts)
Assessments will be modified, and students given extra time

ELD

Modified/simplified reading material
Content-related lists/handouts of key terms
Text is supported by visuals and connected to real-life experiences

Materials and Downloads

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Contact

Life in Atlanta

Lesson Overview

Social Emotional Openers (SEL)

Activities/Choice Board

Materials and Downloads

Lesson Overview

Classroom Resources

Social Emotional Openers (SEL)

Activities

Activity 1

Opener

Activity 2

Discussion

Activity 3

Independent Work, Close Reading Analysis

Activity 4

Small Group Discussion

Activity 5

Large Group Discussion

Activity 6

Formative Assessment

Adaptations for Student Needs

Materials and Downloads

Contact Info

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