Most secondary students are familiar with the speech, or at least the main idea, by the time they are in a secondary ELA classroom. And that’s actually an advantage. That means that additional study can scaffold on what they already know, or think they know, about the speech. Plus, secondary students can examine the speech in several ways, from medium to message, which adds depth and higher level thinking.
Here are some ideas for teaching King’s “I Have a Dream” speech in Middle School or High School ELA Courses.
1) Today I Also Have a Dream: this is a common type of project at the lower grades, but it can be modified to work for upper-grades as well. One was is to have students consider what dreams they have to improve the world at different levels– local, state/ province/ region, country, and world. Create slides/ mini-posters to hang in the hallways. But also add further depth by reflecting on the likelihood of that dream being achieved, and what obstacles it would face.
2) Research the history of the injustices Dr. King mentions in his speech and compare Then and Now. One project ideas is to focus on the section where he says “I have a dream”– such as research in what ways would Dr. King’s four children be judged by their skin in 1963. Often the injustices are only mentioned in passing in history books, but further research is illuminating to the scope and degree. The project can be broken up with jig saw method. A powerful conclusion is to evaluate if the dreams of Dr. King have been achieved yet.
3) Analyze the Analogies in the Speech: works great also as general practice for studying analogies and meaning. Students explain the phrases in their own words and consider the impact of the use of the analogy. Can be done in a single class period.(Available as a free item!)
4) Personal writing on an experienced or witnessed discrimination. Some students are more familiar with discrimination– particularly for some aspect they cannot change like race, or gender. A personal writing to reflect on a time they experienced or witnessed discrimination can be a thought-provoking writing assignment. (Minor situations can be included, as sometimes that may be all they know, or the student may not be comfortable writing about a more significant situation.) What can one learn from their own experience with discrimination?
5) Compare the often familiar “I Have a Dream” speech to another speech or text. Since students are often familiar with the text, having them dig into the content for comparison can help them engage. The speech can be compared with Dr. King’s early and similar speech in Detroit or his less positive Letter From a Birmingham Jail. Or compare to another civil rights speech, like Malcom X’s “The Ballot or The Bullet” speech of John Lewis’ speech from the same rally as King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
The “I Have a Dream” speech is a powerful speech. Studying it in the older grades allows students to return to this famous text with greater understanding of the world, of history, and of the message beyond “sound bites.”
All of these resources are available on TPT for purchase. You can also get them in a bundle with additional items, for a discount.
Studying the “I Have a Dream” speech is a good way to include analysis of non-fiction and informational text. Another good option is to read about the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre! Or check out my list of Winter Reading for some additional non-fiction ideas.