The Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike and the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

A Lesson Plan for Grades 5-8

By: Katie Hickey Snyder

AHTC Memphis Trip 2010

 

Unit: Civil Rights

Abstract:  Students watch a mini documentary on the Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike and explore local Memphis newspaper articles, in an effort to understand the events in the Civil Rights Movement that lead up to the assassination of MLK.

Essential Questions/Enduring Understandings: How were Worker’s Rights in Memphis in 1968 related to the Civil Rights Movement? How did the intersection of both of these movements bring MLK to the place and time where he would be assassinated?

Assessment:   Individual and Whole Class Created Timeline

Setting the Purpose: Martin Luther King Jr., as the leader of the nonviolent Civil Rights Movement was asked to be in many places to champion many causes related to the movement. What were the unique aspects of the events in Memphis in the spring of 1968 that led to MLKs visit and subsequent assassination?

Analysis of local primary source:

In pairs, students will choose one article to analyze from the local Memphis newspaper to explore the events that brought MLK to Memphis and his death in 1968.

In pairs, students will use this document to explore the local newspaper articles.

http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/document.html

Ties to national primary source:

http://www.afscme.org/about/17418.cfm    Short (10 min. documentary by AFSCME about the Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike as it related to Civil Rights and the Death of MLK.

Suggested Procedure:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3  

Day 4

Day 5

Lesson Extensions for Differentiation Opportunities:

Students wishing to further explore the topic may be interested in reading the transcript of the speech MLK gave the night before his death  

http://www.afscme.org/about/1549.cfm

Or they may choose to listen to the Story Core Interview of a Sanitation Worker and his wife who were at the speech and at the march

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5155687

Annoted list of materials and resources for the lesson: