Martin Luther King, Jr. & Freedom Fighters January 2006.

MartinMartin Luther King, Jr. Luther King, Jr.&&

FreedomFreedom Fighters Fighters

JanuaryJanuary 2006 2006

Rosa Parks Rides the BusRosa Parks Rides the BusA Reader’s Theater Play – Grade KA Reader’s Theater Play – Grade K(15 Plays About Famous Americans for Emergent Readers. Scholastic)(15 Plays About Famous Americans for Emergent Readers. Scholastic)

CharactersCharacters

Passengers 1 to 5Passengers 1 to 5Bus DriverBus DriverRosa ParksRosa Parks

Passenger 1: Rosa Parks got on the bus.All: And the bus rolled on and on.Passenger 2: She took a seat right in the middle.All: And the bus rolled on and on.Passenger 3: Then some white people got on the

bus.All: And the bus rolled on and on.Passenger 4: They did not have a place to sit.All: And the bus rolled on and on.Passenger 5: The bus driver spoke to Rosa.All: And the bus rolled on and on.Bus Driver: You must go stand in the back.All: And the bus rolled on and on.

Passenger 1:

Rosa said:

Rosa: I will not go!All: And the bus stopped!Passenger 2:

Rosa would not move. She was put in jail.

Passenger 3:

African-American people heard what happened. They stopped riding the bus.

Passenger 4:

This showed that they did not agree with the rules.

Passenger 5:

Finally the law was changed. From then on, Rosa did not need to give up her seat.

All: Now the bus rolls on and on.

This is the bus that Rosa Parks was riding.

Step 1: Color the bus and the children’s faces.Step 2: Cut out the children and place them in the bus windows.Step 3: Cut out the bus and paste it on the “I have a dream…” poster.Step 4: Write or draw your dream on the poster.Step 5: Display in Library

He Had a DreamHe Had a DreamA Reader’s Theater Play – Grade 1A Reader’s Theater Play – Grade 1

(15 Plays About Famous Americans for Emergent Readers. Scholastic)(15 Plays About Famous Americans for Emergent Readers. Scholastic)


TeacherTeacherStudents 1-5Students 1-5

Teacher: Martin Luther King, Jr. had an important dream. It was not a dream you have when you’re sleeping. It was a different kind of dream.

Student 1: His dream was his goal for all people.

Student 2: His dream was his greatest hope and wish.

All: He had a dream.Student 3: In his dream, all people were

treated as equals.Student 4: In his dream, all people were free.All: He had a dream.

Student 5: In his dream, people treated one another with respect.

Student 1: In his dream, people did not judge one another by the color of their skin.

All: He had a dream.Student 2: In his dream, people worked

together.Student 3: In his dream, people lived together

in peace.All: He had a dream.Teacher: Martin Luther King, Jr., wanted

others to know about his dream.

Student 4: He spoke about his dream. He wrote about his dream.

Student 5: He told people how they could make our country a better place.

All: Martin Luther King, Jr. knew that when all people shared his dream, his dream would come true.

Let Us Keep His Dream AliveAuthor Unknown ~ to the tune of "This Old Man"

This young man had a dream; In his eye he had a gleam.

We must love each other to survive.Let us keep his dream alive.

He believed man was good; He had dreams of brotherhood.


All join hands, let us sing; Let the bells of freedom ring.


We can learn from the past;Then we'll all be "free at last!"


READ – 1READ – 1stst & 2 & 2ndnd Grades Grades(12 Genre Reproducible Mini-Books, Scholastic)(12 Genre Reproducible Mini-Books, Scholastic)

Escape in the NightEscape in the Night

Group Read ~ Story Map OrganizerGroup Read ~ Story Map Organizer

Preparation for Reader’s TheaterPreparation for Reader’s Theater

The Railroad to FreedomThe Railroad to FreedomA Reader’s Theater Play – Grade 2A Reader’s Theater Play – Grade 2

(20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills. Scholastic)(20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills. Scholastic)


Narrator 1Narrator 1Narrator 2Narrator 2

Harriet TubmanHarriet TubmanBrotherBrotherSisterSister

MotherMotherFatherFatherFriendFriendManMan

Act I SETTING: A slave cabin on a plantation in Maryland

Narrator 1:

Have you heard about the Underground Railroad?

Narrator 2:

It wasn’t a real railroad at all. It was a safe network that led slaves to freedom

Narrator 1:

Harriet Tubman was a slave. She ran away in 1849. She used the Underground Railroad to get herself and other slaves to freedom

Harriet Tubman:

Brothers! I just heard some bad news. They are going to sell me down South!

Brother 1: Oh, Harriet! What are we going to do?

Harriet: Let’s run away! We can leave tonight.

Brother 2: But, Harriet, they will kill us if they find us.

Harriet: I’d rather die fighting for freedom than live in slavery forever. I will leave tonight, but I will come back for you.

Brother 1: Just make it safely. Don’t worry about us, We will be fine. Now leave quickly, before it is too late.

Harriet: Good-bye. I will see you again. I promise.

Narrator 1:

Harriet ran for many days. When she finally made it to the North, she was tired and hungry. She settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There she made some friends called abolitionists. They believed slavery was wrong

Narrator 2:

The abolitionists helped Harriet get settled in her new life. But Harriet couldn’t rest knowing her family and friends were still slaves.

Narrator 1:

Harriet Tubman became a conductor for the Underground Railroad. The “railroad” was not a train at all but a system of boats, wagons, trains, and safe houses that took slaves from the South to the North.

Narrator 2:

Harriet risked her life to return home and help her family and many others escape from slavery.

Act II Scene 1

SETTING: The cabin of Harriet’s mother and father

Mother: I do miss Harriet. I miss my sons too. It seems that every time I turn around another child is missing. They just seem to disappear.

Father: They are all with Harriet. They are safe in the North.

Mother: But we don’t know that for sure.

Father: It is safer that way, for them and for us. Shhhh. What’s that sound?

Harriet: I’m bound fir the Promise Land! Who will go with me?

Mother: Oh, Harriet. It’s you! You really came back for us.

Harriet: I came to get you. Now my family will be together at last – together and free! Quickly, gather some food and your belongings. We have no time to waste.

Mother: But where will we go? It will be morning soon.

Harriet: Don’t worry, Mother. We will travel on the railroad – the Underground Railroad.

Narrator 1:

Stories of Harriet Tubman spread. She helped many slaves escape. Soon slave hunters began to look for her.

Friend: Harriet, I really don’t think it us safe for you to walk around. There are posters all over with your picture on them.

Harriet: I am not worried. I am dressed as a man. No one will recognize me in this disguise.

Friend: Please be careful. Hey, Harriet, watch out for that man!

Harriet: (Harriet bumps into a man) Excuse me sir. I didn’t mean to bump into you.

Man: You’d better watch where you are going, young man. What did your friend call you?

Harriet: (whispers to herself) Oh no! It’s my old owner! (to the man) Oh, she called me Harry, sir. That is my name.

Act IIScene 2

SETTING: A town in the South.

Man: Harry, huh? You look very familiar to me.

Harriet: I don’t think I have ever met you before, sir.

Man: Well, maybe you can help me. Here, put up these signs.

Harriet: What do they say?

Man: They say that we are looking for Harriet Tubman.

Harriet: Who is that?

Man: She is an escaped slave who has been taking other slaves away from their homes.

Harriet: What does she look like?

Man: (He pauses and looks right at Harriet.) She looks like… this picture. Look closely. We will reward well any person who brings her in.

Narrator 1:

Harriet didn’t get caught that time or any other time. She made 19 trips to the South and brought more than 300 people out of slavery.

Narrator 2:

Harriet didn’t work alone. Many people helped on the Underground Railroad.

Narrator 1:

They took a lot of chances. Some people got caught, but Harriet never lost a passenger.

Narrator 2:

People still remember the words she would sing to alert the slaves nearby: “I’m bound for the Promised Land!”

Read ~ Grade 3Read ~ Grade 3

RosaRosaBy Nikki GiovanniBy Nikki Giovanni

DiscussDiscuss

Story Map OrganizerStory Map Organizer

Speaking Out for Justice:Speaking Out for Justice:Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

A Reader’s Theater Play – Grade 3A Reader’s Theater Play – Grade 3(20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills. Scholastic)(20 Terrific Mini-Plays That Build Reading Skills. Scholastic)


NarratorNarratorRoseRoseJackJackMayMayBillyBilly

Mom 1Mom 1Dad 1Dad 1Mom 2Mom 2

Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

Act 1Narrator: It is the summer of 1963. in some places in

the country, African-Americans do not have equal rights. They cannot drink from the same water fountains, go to the same schools, or eat in the same restaurants as white Americans. In some places, they are not allowed to vote. Many people feel this is not fair. Many people are working to make a change.

Dad 1: Come on, Rose. Come on, Jack. It’s time to go.

Rose: Where are we going again?

Mom 1: We’re going to Washington, D.C.

Jack: Do we have to go? It’s so far!

Dad 1: Yes, Jack, we have to go. We have to let everyone know that we think what is happening in this country is not right.

Rose: Do you think there will be a lot of people there?

Mom 1: I think so, Rose. There are many people who feel the way we do. There will be some very important people there, too. Reverend King will be there.

Jack: If Reverend King will be there, then I am definitely going to Washington, D.C.!

Dad 1: All right, then. Let’s go.

ACT 2

Narrator: On August 28, 1963, more than 250,000 people marched in Washington, D.C.

Mom 2: May, Billy, stay close. We have to stay together.

May & Billy:

(shouting) Equal rights! Equal rights!

Mom 2: Do you see that man up ahead?

May: Yes, Mama.

Mom 2: That’s Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. He has been speaking out for equal rights for a long time.

May: He’s the one who talked about how important it is for all of us to vote.

Mom 2: Yes, May. And he’s traveled all over, all the way to India, to find ways that we can get our rights without using violence.

Billy: I heard that he even met with President Kennedy to ask him to support equal rights.

Mom 2: That’s right, Billy. Now let’s listen to what Reverend King has to say.

ACT 3

Narrator: At the Lincoln Memorial, the crowd stopped to listen to the words of Reverend King.

Jack: Look! It’s Reverend King.

Rose: And all these people are listening to him

Reverend King:

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.

Mom 1: (to Rose and Jack) Your dad and I have that dream too.

Reverend King:

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state an every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last”

Jack: Dad, when I listen to Reverend King, I just know that he’s right. I know that things are going to change.

Dad 1: I think you’re right, Jack.

ACT 4

Narrator:

It is now the spring of 1968. Since the speech, Reverend King has continued to lead people and speak out. He has been arrested and pit in jail. He has met with another president. Lyndon B. Johnson. And he has seen changes sweep across the country.

Mom 2: May, Billy, please come here. I have some news.

May: What is it, Mom?

Mom 2: Reverend King is dead. He was shot in Memphis, Tennessee.

Billy: No, Mom! That’s not fair! He was helping all of us.

Mom 2: I agree, Billy. It isn’t fair. But remember, Reverend King lives on in us. Every time we remember his words, every time we speak out against things that are unfair, we are keeping the memory of Reverend King alive.

2nd & 3rd Graders ~ I Have A Dream ~ Create Mobiles to Hang

Martin Luther King, Jr. & Freedom Fighters January 2006.

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Transcript of Martin Luther King, Jr. & Freedom Fighters January 2006.