Unit 13 6-8: Learning Plan

Content Background

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the Letter from Birmingham Jail after he was arrested for participating in a non-violent protest against the racial segregation Birmingham’s city government allowed. King wrote the letter in response to eight white Alabama clergymen who believed the battle against racial segregation should be fought in the courts, not the streets. King disagreed and argued that the black people of Birmingham were left with no other choice but to fight discrimination wherever they encountered it.

Learning Activities

1. Previous night’s homework
   1. Students will read “White Clergymen Urge Local Negroes to Withdraw From Demonstrations.”
   2. They will answer the provided questions.
2. Do Now
   1. Students will answer the question in sentence form: “How would you answer the clergymen’s concerns?
      1. Do you agree with them?
      2. Disagree with them?
      3. Have other ideas?
3. Direct Instruction
   1. Use the PowerPoint to explain Martin Luther King, Jr’s “Letter for Birmingham Jail.”
      1. Share the reading of the PowerPoint slides with students while reading the notes to the class.
      2. Entertain questions and keep the students involved.
   2. You should read the letter beforehand to familiarize yourself with the content.
   3. You can give students copies of the PowerPoint slides.
4. Guided Practice
   1. In a class discussion, ask which students to think of someone who exemplifies Reverand King’s moral extremism today.
5. Independent Practice
   1. Students will write a paragraph defending Martin Luther King, Jr.’s use of Christian, Western, and American examples of moral extremism.
      1. They don’t have to justify the use of any particular individual.
      2. They must defend King’s use of sources and examples supporting his position.
6. Homework
   1. Instruct students to pick someone who exemplifies Reverand King’s moral extremism today.
      1. The person they pick may be a political, religious, or civic leader or family member.
      2. In a five-paragraph essay, they will explain why their chosen person exemplifies King’s moral extremism.
      3. They can use examples from the past, as King did, to establish their position.

Suggested Pacing Guide

• The lesson should take two 45-minute classes.

Resources

Bryan Loritts (Editor), John Perkins (Contributor), & 8 more, Letters to a Birmingham Jail: A Response to the Words and Dreams of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Study Guide: Letter From Birmingham Jail (SuperSummary) July 9, 2019.

Stanford The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute. “Connor, Theophilus Eugene’Bull.’” July 11, 1897 to March 10, 1973.”

Jonathan Rieder. Gospel of Freedom: Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail and the Struggle That Changed a Nation, April 8, 2014.