SYCSD Students Honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with Lessons

To commemorate the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., students within the Southern York County School District are studying his legacy, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement.

From elementary through high school, students are reading about King’s life, his work, and interpreting his I have a Dream speech, in which he called for equality and an end to racism. They are also exploring the speech’s effect on social change in the nation, learning about freedoms, equality, and justice, and how these ideals may be applied 52 years later to present day United States.

At Southern Elementary School, Sue Thomas’ fourth grade students read a biography about King. Within the book, King brings his life and the nature of his message to young children through his own words, including quotes from some of his speeches.

“We read a book about him and a letter written to the President of the United States and Congress in 1993 and the reason this man should be honored,” Thomas said.

Students then applied the information to events that are happening in today’s world. “Martin Luther King took a stand with other African Americans to be equal,” Isabel Roppert said. “We need to stand up for equality.”

Students also said it is important to love and not to hate. “We honor his beliefs and need to pay tribute to him,” Braden Potts said.

In Kristi Krause’s third grade class, students read a book and used chronological order to write about important events in King’s life. “We related the book to his dream for the American people,” she said.

At Shrewsbury Elementary School, students in Erica Allen’s first grade class are reading biographies about King’s life and work. They will also complete a writing activity and an art project. Elementary students also discussed participating in various community service projects during the holiday and in the future.

In addition, As part of their unit on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, eighth grade students at Southern Middle School are researching the role that the First Amendment played in the Civil Rights Movement, while also making connections to this historical time period. Heather Shoemaker’s students discussed King’s speech and the issues that remain. Although stereotypes continue, Shoemaker said she believes “students today are more tolerant and accepting of others.”

To further exemplify the importance of King’s actions, middle school students will be watching the movie, Selma, at an upcoming after school event.

At Susquehannock High School, students are incorporating King’s work to various subjects. In Timothy’s Groth’s English class, students are examining the goals and motivations of King’s speeches and comparing it to others. Stephanie Myer’s French students are researching and discussing his life and accomplishments in various French language tenses. They will also compare the decolonization of French speaking colonies and how this time period was similar to that of King and the United States.

In social studies classes, students are discussing historical events which paved the way for the Civil Rights Movement as well as King’s impact on the Civil Rights Acts of the 1960’s.

“We will also address the role that King played in advocating for the concerns and injustices being forced upon African Americans,” AP Government teacher Kevin Lawrence said.

In addition, 10th graders in Bob Cousineau’s U.S. History II class will read, listen, and also interpret King’s speech through activities in their classroom. “We will analyze the messages as a class and connect them to the overall Civil Rights movement,” Cousineau said.