Martin Luther King Jr. Day, on the third Monday in January, honors the leader who worked all his life, peacefully, for fair laws and equal treatment for all people. For the youngest children, it is a day to learn what fair means, to hear how people stood together to change unfair rules, and to think of ways to help others.
Seven pages. Page 1 holds two short texts with questions: Martin as a boy in Atlanta, and the unfair laws of segregation. Page 2 tells the Montgomery bus boycott, page 3 the March on Washington and page 4 how we remember Dr. King. Page 5 matches six civil rights words to their meanings and page 6 five causes to their effects. Page 7 is a timeline from 1920 to 1990 with the years printed.
Read one text a day in the week before the holiday. Before page 2, act out the bus rule with chairs to see how unfair it was, then talk about how walking instead of riding for 381 days took courage. Read page 4 with care, and end with ideas for helping others on the holiday.
Talk about a rule that seemed unfair to you and how you could change it peacefully, then pick one way to help someone on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Short history texts on Martin Luther King Jr., from a boy in Atlanta who saw unfair laws to the Montgomery bus boycott, the March on Washington and the holiday in his honor. Students answer questions, match civil rights words and causes to effects, and read a timeline of his life.
Tell us what to make next, or build your own with a worksheet maker.
This worksheet is free to download, print, copy, and hand out in your classroom or at home. You do not need to create an account, and there are no watermarks on the PDF.
