Martin Luther King, Jr. | Civil Rights Champion

February is Black History Month. Perhaps the man who has had the most influence in advancing the cause of civil rights for African Americans and other minorities is Martin Luther King, Jr.

Born January 15, 1929, and assassinated on April 4, 1968, he was a clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African American civil rights movement. He is renowned for using nonviolent methods that followed the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.

A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, serving as its first president. King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech.

There, he expanded American values to include the vision of a color-blind society, and established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history.

ProQuest has created a BookCart learning activity to help students learn more about the civil rights movement and the work of Dr. King—"Martin Luther King and Civil Rights."

The BookCart includes all the resources and instructions that students need to complete this 21st Century inquiry-based learning activity. This BookCart learning activity also includes template models for both a written report and a presentation. Download both models from the Web Links section.

Teachers or librarians can copy "Martin Luther King and Civil Rights" using the following procedure:

• Logon to the eLibrary CE TEACHER EDITION.
• Click the BOOKCART ADMIN tab at the top of the Teacher Edition.
• Click the PROQUEST CARTS tab.
• Type "Martin Luther King and Civil Rights" in the SEARCH box.
• Click the COPY icon (middle one) in the ACTIONS column to the right of this title.
• Click RETURN TO MY LOCAL CARTS.

Librarians or teachers can edit this BookCart to customize it for their students:

• Click the new BookCart TITLE with the prefix "COPY OF".
• Delete "Copy of" and then type your name in the AUTHOR boxes and your initials in the EMAIL box (required info).
• Option: Edit any ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS for your students in the DESCRIPTION box.
• Option: Edit the existing STUDENT DIRECTIONS in the Description box to customize for your students.
• Scroll down and click SAVE.
• Click RETRURN TO MY LOCAL CARTS.

Assign students to write a report of at least 150 words or a presentation of at least seven slides. The report should cite at least three resources and address the following essential questions for critical thinking (you add or substitute others):

• How did Martin Luther King, Jr. contribute to the civil rights movement?
  
  
• What strategy did Dr. King use to propel the Civil Rights Movement?
  
  
• How did Dr. King's background prepare him for his civil rights leadership?
  
  
• What event do you think is most significant in Dr. King's success and why?

Your students can use our custom ProQuest models for written and PowerPoint-style reports.

Teachers may be interested in a ProQuest flexible rubrics model for evaluating inquiry-based learning activities.

Educators may also wish to employ the Quizinator Web tool (free, but registration required) for creating a variety of printed resources, including short assessments.

February is Black History Month. One of the most prolific eras of African American literature occurred during the Harlem Renaissance.

Assign students to select a Harlem Renaissance artist/author using the Pathfinder below. Students should write a report of at least 150 words or a presentation of at least seven slides that cites at least three resources. Students should address the following essential questions for critical thinking (you can add or substitute others):

• What is the literary criticism related to the work of this author?
• What overall themes does this author focus on and why?
• What background helped to develop this author's ideas and skills?
• Why was the period of the Harlem Renaissance so productive for African American artists and authors?

Click Literature > Select the Knowledge Notes tab > Type "Harlem Renaissance" in the Quick Search box > Select "More" Your students can use our custom ProQuest models for written and PowerPoint-style reports.

Teachers may be interested in a ProQuest flexible rubrics model for evaluating inquiry-based learning activities.

Educators may also wish to employ the Quizinator Web tool (free, but registration required) for creating a variety of printed resources, including short assessments.

February is Black History Month. History Study Center includes a variety of Study Units that focus on African American history, leaders, and events. Assign students to study the history of the American Civil Rights movement, using the Pathfinder listed below. Assign student to write a report of at least 150 words (or a presentation of at least seven slides) that cites at least three resources. Students should address the following essential questions for critical thinking in their reports (you can add or substitute others):

• What are three major events during the Black Power era and why are they significant?
• Which leaders initiated these events and what was their role?
• What was the motivation for the Black Power Movement?
• How do these events affect the human and civil rights of African American today?

Click History icon > Select the Study Units icon > Type "Black" in the Study Unit search box > Select "Black Power: Race and race relations 1968--"

Students can use our custom ProQuest models for written and PowerPoint-style reports.

Teachers may be interested in a ProQuest flexible rubrics model for evaluating inquiry-based learning activities.

Educators may also wish to employ the Quizinator Web tool (free, but registration required) for creating a variety of printed resources, including short assessments.