Lystra M. Richardson
Objective
Students will analyze Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and identify reasons why Dr. King and his speech have been so important in American history.
Material
Printed copy and video of Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech.
Procedure
The teacher will introduce the unit by giving an overview of the unit including the books to be read, student activities and purpose of the unit. Students will read Dr. King’s speech silently. Then the teacher or a student volunteer will read it aloud. Students watch the videotaped speech, after which the teacher initiates discussion by asking openended questions such as: What is the essence of Dr. King’s message or Why does America need the message?
As students generate ideas, the teacher writes them on the chalkboard in a cluster or web. After a substantial number of ideas have been generated and recorded, the teacher may add some of his/her own, and proceed to inform students that the information on the board is important because they will be referring to it periodically throughout the unit. Students will then write down the information on the board.
Closure
Teacher will summarize the lesson and explain its relevance to the entire unit. For homework, students will use the ideas generated in class to write a short analytical essay of Dr. King’s speech.