Dubuque Branch NAACP is proud to announce the 2019 MLK Tribute.  

Kindergarten through Grade 5  – A Fairy-Tale View of ‘Isms’

• According to The Merriam Webster Dictionary, the suffix “ism” can indicate an “adherence to a system or a class of principles” or a “prejudice or discrimination on the basis of a (specified) attribute.” Some familiar words, such as pacifism, take the first meaning. But when the suffix is applied to root words like age, race, sex and class, the second, uglier meaning comes into play. In this suggested activity, students will have the opportunity to explore a variety of “isms,” take a social stance and weave their “ism” of choice into a fairy-tale format. To begin this activity, introduce “ism” as a suffix. Then brainstorm “isms” with your students, and create a list of words. Identify the “isms” that indicate prejudice or discrimination. Then divide students into discussion groups to explore each negative “ism” in greater detail. After the groups have finished their discussions, explain how to write a fairy tale. Ask students to form new groups that include one representative from each of the original groups. These representatives will present the “ism” they discussed in their original groups. The new group will choose one “ism” and write a fairy tale incorporating information from the previous group discussions.

Other Suggestions :

• Use a book about Dr. King, the civil rights movement, or fairness, such as, Happy Birthday

Dr. Kingby Kathryn Jones, My Brother, Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.by Christine King Farris or March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the Worldby Christine King Farris.

·Have students write a brief paragraph telling what they now KNOW about Dr. King/the meaning of fairness after reading this book and write a poem, essay or song that would help others understand these main ideas

• Create a non-fiction picture book about a person of color in Dubuque or Iowa who is working to make the world more fair and just right now or in the recent past.

· Have students write a brief paragraph telling what they now can DO because of working on their project.

· Have students create unique 2-dimensional, 3-dimensional, or digital art and provide an artist’s statement that relates to the lesson or explains the inspiration for their art.

•The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Park in Atlanta Georgia also provides some lesson plans that may be useful for primary students www.nps.gov/malu/learn/education/lessonplansandteacherguides.htm

· Have the students create posters or write simple essays listing the actions Martin took to try to end discrimination and what they can do to try to end current types of discrimination and have students write a brief paragraph telling how they think about the world differently because of their study of Dr. King.

• More lesson ideas are available from www.brighthubeducation.com/preschool-lesson-plans/61253-understanding-martin-luther-king-jr/ or www.tolerance.org/anti-bias-framework useful.

Please feel free to use your own prompts or to let students work in pairs or teams.

6th through 12th Grade – Peaceful Heroes

Students at this age can examine stereotypes, prejudice and bias as well celebrating African American history and how closely bound all Americans are by each other’s accomplishments.

• This activity helps studentsdiscover the toolsand the heart they needto build a more peacefulworld.

Post and discuss the following essential questions: What does “the common good” mean, and why does understanding it matter? Why serve? How far am I willing to go to make a difference?

As a class, create a diagram for the term “common good” with a working definition, characteristics, examples and non-examples for it. Next, using the resources below or others in your classroom, help students choose a “peaceful hero” – someone who stood up against injustice with nonviolence. The person can be a contemporary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., another historical figure, or someone from the present day. The person could be someone who played a role in the Civil Rights movement in the City of Dubuque, the State of Iowa or the U.S. or worked for Human Rights in other countries.

Student could draw book covers about the peaceful hero; create a diagram, chart, map, graph or timeline with facts about the peaceful hero; list important facts they learned about their peaceful hero; create a powerpoint presentation, write an essay or create something else to share what the learned and answers these questions:

How did the peaceful hero understand the common good? Why did the hero serve? How far was the hero willing to go to make a difference? How can the student become a peaceful hero?

If you do this with a whole class, each student should choose a different peaceful hero.

• Students could learn about the six principles of Dr. King’s philosophy of nonviolence described in his first book, Stride Toward Freedomand then each student shouldwrite a poem, essay or song that would help others understand one of these principles or create unique 2-dimensional, 3-dimensional, or digital art illustrating a principle.

If you do this with a whole class, each student should choose a different principle.

•Students can research one of the people involved in the March on Washington, research one of the African-American inventors and scientists listed at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_African-American_inventors_and_scientists, do an Internet search for “Africa American Inventors and Scientists”, research one of the African-American members of Congress since 1870 listed at www.senate.gov/CRSpubs/617f17bb-61e9-40bb-b301-50f48fd239fc.pdf or do an Internet search for “African-American members of congress”.

Students should create original music, visual art (including computer-aided work), or reflective writings (poetry, short stories, reflective essays, explanatory essays, etc.) in which they explore that person’s life. If you do this with a whole class, each student should research a different person.

In addition to his or her original work, each student is asked to write a brief paragraph telling how they think about the world differently because of the person they researched.

If you do this with a whole class, each student should choose a different person.

Principals/Teachers – Grade levels provided are onlv guidelines. If your students receive accommodations, please determine the appropriate developmental level for your students’ projects. Hard copy entries can be dropped off at St. Luke’s UMC or send an e-mail to countess14@hotmail.com to arrange for pick-up or to get a dropbox link for submittal of electronic entries. 

Prior to pick-up, please assure that student’s name, grade, and school on the back-side of entry.  

Thank you!  We appreciate and count on your support!