Martin Luther King Day Video Lessons for Teachers
Need a way to introduce your students to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.? Check out Edpuzzle’s ready-to-go video lessons!
Illustration by Edpuzzle Staff
How do you sum up the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in just one day? The answer is, you don’t.
Martin Luther King Day Jr. Day is just one opportunity for celebrating the monumental impact Dr. King had on the world, but it’s certainly not the only time during the school year to incorporate his teachings.
The good news is that it’s never too late to start. Use Edpuzzle’s video lessons on Martin Luther King Jr. as a jumping-off point to spark meaningful discussion and thoughtful reflection.
Video Lesson: Martin Luther King Jr.
Complete with built-in questions, Edpuzzle’s ready-to-go Martin Luther King Jr. video lesson can be assigned in just a couple of clicks.
As always, you can adapt it to your grade level by modifying the existing questions or adding your own. Watch it for yourself to check out how you can use it in your own classroom:
Video length: 7 mins. 30 secs.
For even more personalization, you can add your own audio notes so students can connect with you further. Turn on audio responses to hear what they have to say in their own words.
Key Takeaways from the Martin Luther King Jr. Video Lesson
This video lesson includes a brief biography of Dr. King’s life, spanning his childhood through his assassination and his modern-day legacy. Your students will learn about:
- How the racism he suffered during childhood laid the groundwork for his future activism.
- How small-scale boycotts and peaceful local demonstrations evolved into national events like the 1963 March on Washington, attended by a quarter-million people.
- Dr. King’s emphasis on nonviolence and love as vehicles for change.
SEL in Your Martin Luther King Jr. Video Lesson
With this video lesson, you can explore social-emotional learning by asking students to put themselves in Dr. King’s shoes at various stages of his life.
Students are also asked in the video to explore primary source material and answer open-ended questions (audio responses work well here!).
Video Lesson: The Selma March and Voting Rights
This video lesson for upper elementary and middle schoolers dives into Martin Luther King Jr.’s involvement in The Selma March.
Here students will examine activist efforts in Selma Alabama in order to understand the campaign to end voter discrimintation.
Video length: 7 mins. 45 secs.
However you choose to celebrate MLK Day with your students, we would love to hear about it! Tweet us at @edpuzzle and let us know how your lessons go!