Lesson 1
Objectives
- No objectives are listed for this lesson due to the fact that the primary purpose of this lesson is to gain an understanding of what students already know about Martin Luther King.
- What Are You Thinking worksheet (attached below)
- MLK Jr. Powerpoint (attached below)
- Promethean/Smart board
- Computer
- Internet access to get on Wordle.net
- Remind students of the class questions “What does it mean to be a great leader?”
- Let students know that they will be learning about another individual this week and will need to decide if that individual meets the requirements of a great leader.
- Review the class characteristics of great leaders (determined at the beginning of the year): 1. Great leaders stand up for their beliefs, even in the face of ridicule, prejudice, and danger. 2. Great leaders are confident and passionate. 3. Great leaders have a vision for a better future. 4. Great leaders can communicate effectively with others and encourage others to do what is right with their actions.
- Split students into groups of four and have them go back to their desks where they can sit together. Let them take a few minutes to come up with a group name and keep a list of students in each group, because these same groups will be used throughout the unit.
- Once students are sitting with their groups, give them the What Are You Thinking worksheet and start the slideshow with pictures of Martin Luther King Let students know the name of the man, and instruct them to discuss with their group memebers what they know about Martin Luther King, or what they think they know about him based on the pictures.
- Students will compile what they know as a group and fill out the worksheet, by either writing or drawing pictures.
- Once every group is done, students will share out what they know/think they know about Martin Luther King while the teacher documents their thinking in a Wordle.
- Let students know that the Wordle will document what they know about Martin Luther King before learning about him, and that they will complete a final Wordle after their unit to see how much they have learned about him.
- Close the activity by letting students know that over the next week, they will learn more about the life of Martin Luther KIng. Remind students that he is a candidate for their great leader wall, so as they learn about him, they need to think about how he might be considered a great leader.
- The groups used in this activity should be mixed-readiness levels. By using mixed-readiness level groups, students from different levels of understanding can work together to discuss what they know about MLK Jr. In addition, for students who struggle with writing or getting their thoughts down on paper, there will be a more competent individual in the group who can help with the writing requirements.
- Students are give the choice to write, draw, or do both when completing the What Are You Thinking worksheet as a group.
- The What Are They Thinking worksheet is used as a formative assessment for the teacher to help with the planning of the upcoming lessons. The teacher can use the information from the worksheet to determine what students already know or what misconceptions they might have in order to make the upcoming lessons accessible to all learners.
- For this lesson, the teacher will need access to a Promethean/Smart board, as well as access to the Internet to get on Wordle.net.
- The teacher will also need to be able to run Powerpoint on their computer in order to access the attached slideshow.
mlk_powerpoint.pptx | |
File Size: | 479 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
whatareyouthinking.docx | |
File Size: | 44 kb |
File Type: | docx |