Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Books and Activities

MLK Book Suggestions

I have read each and every single one of these books, and they are all good for different reasons. I’ll go into more detail below!

1. A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr.: This is a picture book biography of MLK with beautiful illustrations. It shares many important events from childhood to adulthood.
2. Martin’s Big Words: This is a picture book biography that weaves MLK’s words into a narrative form to tell the story of his life.
3. The Cart That Carried Martin: This is a beautiful story by beloved author Eve Bunting. It tells the story of the funeral procession as well as events in MLK’s life and legacy.
4. My Daddy: This story is written by Dr. King’s son. It gives a great view of Dr. King’s life through the eyes of his son.
5. Be a King: This is a story about a class that is studying Dr. King. It teaches a great lesson on how we can learn from Dr. King and improve our world today.
6. Martin Luther King Jr and The March on Washington: This picture book discusses the events that led up to the March on Washington.
7. Martin’s Dream: This is a great book for younger students. It is a simple read about the March on Washington.
8. A Place To Land: This book would be perfect for older students. It gives insight into the lesser-known details of Martin’s big speech. It discusses his preparations for the speech and the details from that day.
9. Martin Luther King, Jr: An easy-to-read biography
10. I Have a Dream: This book has the words to Dr. King’s famous speech paired with GORGEOUS illustrations by Kadir Nelson.

MLK Classroom Activities

There is so much to study about Dr. King’s life and words. Here are some of my favorite activities.

MLK Nonfiction Reader

In our nonfiction reader, we give information about the life of Dr. King. These can be printed off for students to access or displayed through your projector to read as a class. We also have book questions that allow your students to dig deeper into the text.

MLK Booklet

While we are learning about important people, I often want students to have a way to share information that they have learned. This booklet gives students a way to organize important details of Dr. King’s life. The booklet pages are stapled behind his suit jacket!

MLK Anchor Chart

While we are learning about Dr. King and reading several different books, we are often discussing his character. This anchor chart is used to describe Dr. King. Students jot down a description of Dr. King and stick it to the chart. You can also have students cite text evidence for the adjective given.

MLK Directed Drawing

Y’all know how much I love a directed drawing. For this directed drawing, students draw Dr. King and glue adjectives around that describe him. Then they write something they have learned about his life.

To find all of these activities and many more, click HERE!

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