Here at My Bilingual Life, we have created a FREE bilingual Martin Luther King, Jr. reading activity that you can use in your classroom. It is available in both English and Spanish and you can download it completely free in our Teachers Pay Teachers store. So you may be asking, what’s the catch? Well, really there is no catch. We want to give you the opportunity to sample one of our biography activities for yourself. We have created a variety of biography resources that are perfect for Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and Hispanic Heritage Month. They are all created similarly to this resource, so if you like it….maybe you would like to get some more to use in your classroom. If they don’t work for your needs, then enjoy the freebie and let us know if there is something we could do to make it work for your situation (we love to get ideas from our customers). Also, be sure to check out 5 Reasons to Use Biographies in Your Classroom.
What is included in this FREE Martin Luther King, Jr. Reading Activity?
This product includes 26 slides in a pdf document. One page is the reading passage, one page is the vocabulary activity, one is the key for the vocabulary, one page for reading comprehension questions, one page is the key for the comprehension questions, two pages for a sequencing activity, a graphic organizer for comprehension with a key, and a graphic organizer for the writing prompt, and one page is the final draft writing paper for the prompt. This contains both English and Spanish Versions
- A pdf document ready to use in class in English and Spanish
- Reading comprehension passage about Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Vocabulary fill-in-the-blank with key
- Comprehension questions with key
- Sequencing Activity
- Graphic Organizer for Comprehension with key
- Writing prompt with graphic organizer and final draft writing paper
- Use in your classroom online or in-person
Who could use this FREE Martin Luther King, Jr. Reading Activity?
The passage is appropriate for 1st to 4th grades and could be used with older language learners. (I have personally used them in my adult classes). Check below as I have both English and Spanish versions available which could be used in your Spanish, dual-language, ESL, or immersion classes. You can use this in a whole-class setting, guided reading groups, independent work, or literacy centers. You could also use this resource if you are learning Spanish or English by yourself. The answer key is included so you could check your answers.
How long will I need to teach the Martin Luther King, Jr. Reading Activity Lessons?
This is not an easy question as it will vary from class to class. If it is a younger classroom, you will more than likely need to scaffold the reading for younger students. There are several included activities, so you can pick and choose which ones are best for your class situation. The activities could also be broken up over several days depending on your schedule. So this question is something that you will need to determine for your own specific situation.
How would you use the activities in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Reading Activity lesson as a whole class?
I suggest doing the vocabulary activity first (possibly even before reading the passage). For younger students, I would also have them look for the vocabulary words in the passage and underline them or highlight them. The reading can be done in several ways….use your favorite method to teach the reading. For my younger students, I read the passage aloud and had them follow along with their finger on their copy of the passage. Older students could read independently or in pairs. After the reading, I would have the students complete the comprehension questions and the sequencing activity. I would have the students complete the graphic organizer either during or after the reading (or we might do it together as a class). Finally, I would assign the writing prompt.
All of the activities are structured so that you can scaffold as necessary for your classroom. The activities could be done as group activities or individually as needed. Also, they could be used for grades and assessments if you choose. You can determine what the best use of the resource is for your classroom environment.
Could you use this Martin Luther King, Jr. Reading Activity for Guided Reading?
YES! I love using these passages for guided reading. It is a great way to let my language arts time cover the social studies curriculum! In small groups, I can differentiate learning even more by individualizing the amount of assistance I provide. Some groups may need a lot of help, and others may be able to complete the activities completely on their own. I love assigning the graphic organizer as a “team project” and letting the students present the information to the class. One of my favorite activities for Black History Month is to assign a different “person” to each small group and letting them present their person to the class. You could even incorporate some drama and let a student “act” as the person being presented. Use your creativity to expand on these biographies for a unique experience in your classroom.
Can these activities be used in a Dual-Language classroom?
Yes! I created these because of a need I had in my classroom. The bilingual model we were using required that we teach social studies in a short time in the language of the day. This meant that many times I was teaching something different on English day than I was on the Spanish days due to a lack of resources. These resources allow you to teach the same subject on both English and Spanish days. I would suggest introducing the reading in the native language and then re-visit it in the target language. This provides a natural scaffold for comprehensible input! If you are using this in a dual language classroom, you could easily use the words in the vocabulary lesson on your word walls.
Can this Martin Luther King, Jr. Reading Activity be used for older students?
Yes! I have used these activities with my language learners of all ages. I have used these passages in my adult ESL classes as well as with students of all ages. I also explain to the adult students that these passages serve the extra purpose of teaching some United States history in case they need to take a US Citizenship exam. (This will not prepare them specifically for the citizenship exam, but they will learn about some important moments in history). I have found these activities to be great for students who have had quite a bit of language instruction but need more “realistic” ways of putting it together.
Do you have more resources like this?
Yes! We have created various biography resources that are perfect for Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and Hispanic Heritage Month. We are also working on many other biographies so stay tuned. If there is a biography you would like for your classroom that has not been created yet, feel free to let us know and we will add it to our list!
