Free Lessons and Videos to Honor Dr. King's Legacy on MLK Day and All Year Long

Videos, read alouds, reading passages, lesson plans, and more - totally free resources galore! How will you celebrate the American hero Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?

As Teaching Tolerance points out, Dr. King and his work should be celebrated all year long, not just on MLK Day. There were also countless other brave women, men, and children who worked alongside Dr. King and in their own ways during the Civil Rights Movement. MLK Day is a mid-year reminder that teachers should be looking for ways to celebrate Civil Rights heroes, including but not limited to Dr. King, in the classroom all year long.

I hope you'll find the list below to be helpful as you plan and prepare to share with your students about Dr. King and the many heroes of the Civil Rights Movement. I personally find the resources in #7 to be most helpful in guiding instruction and think kids will be most engaged by the resource in #2. What are your favorite resources for celebrating Dr. King and the American heroes of the Civil Rights Movement?

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1. Remember to share about the heroes beyond just Dr. King. Georgia Gilmore is a great example of one. Sharing the National Civil Rights Museum’s “Small But Mighty Storytime” series is a great resource for doing that.

You can check out the entire playlist here.

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2. Share an animated video of Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech from the King Institute at Stanford.

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3. The Kid President’s Story of Martin Luther King, Jr. reminds everyone that things don’t always have to be as they are.

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4. Explore the Smithsonian Museum's MLK collection.

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5. Take a virtual tour of Dr. King's Legacy Museum in Memphis.

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6. Grab a free differentiated reading passage that explores the history of the holiday.

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7. Teaching Tolerance shares excellent guidance and content surrounding teaching the Civil Rights Movement (click the image below). You should also read through the list of the Do's and Don'ts of Teaching about MLK.

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8. Kids Discover Online's MLK unit is sometimes offered for free during Black History Month.

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9. The National Park Service has a handful of lesson plans for a variety of grade levels about Dr. King.

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10. Listen to Carnegie Hall’s Freedom Songs and explore free lesson plans to go along with them.

11. As you plan and prepare your instruction, keep Teaching Tolerance's post-teaching reflection in mind. Revisit it again after you teach.

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Lauren CopelandJanuary 18, 2021