Happy Birthday Martin Luther King

Author: Marzollo, Jean Title: Happy Birthday Martin Luther King
(A BIG BOOK)
Book Genre: Biography Publishing Info: Scholastic, 28 pp.

Summary: This is an abbreviated story about the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In the story it tells about his untimely death as well. The story follows his life from the time of his birth to his untimely death.

Personal rating: **** Great

Rationale: This brief version of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is well written for younger audiences. This big book would be a great resource for introducing elementary children to this part of our history. The artwork in the book is excellent.

Reading level: 3.1 Interest level: K-3

Themes: Leadership, Responsibility, Death, Freedom

Content Areas: History, Social Studies, Language Arts, Art, Music

Potential Problems or Difficulties: Some children may have a hard time with the part of the text that conveys that Dr. King was shot, and the reading may need to be adjusted accordingly. The teacher could read the text as he died.

Possible use in classroom:
*This book could be used as a resource to go with an introduction of the civil rights movement and what it means. For younger students the text is just enough to get them familiar with this time in our history.
*Students could work together in forming a list of rules (laws) for the classroom which included how the students were to treat one another. (respecting their differences) This would help them connect to the part of the text where King helped to change some of the laws of the land.
*Students could collectively make a chart that listed the laws of our land that they are familiar with.
*To integrate art the teacher could have students color a paper with different colored crayons and then cover the colors with a black ink. Then when the pictures are dry students can use tools to scrape off (draw on) the black to make a picture revealing the colors underneath. Students could even try to “draw” a scene that would be appropriate for the book.
*The teacher could have someone come in and to play and sing some of the music that the Reverend King might have had in his church. Then students could share with each other what types of music they enjoy and maybe even bring in some examples.
*This Big Book format would be good to use in teaching directionality, and fluency.
*Students could create a timeline of the key events of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life.