Classroom Resource

Exploring the Power of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Words Through Diamante Poetry

Subject Area

English Language Arts

Grade(s)

9, 10, 11, 12

Overview

This lesson asks students to explore the ways that powerful and passionate words communicate the concepts of freedom, justice, discrimination, and the American Dream in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. Students read, listen to, or view King's speech and pay close attention to his word use and use of literary devices. They analyze King's definitions of freedom, justice, discrimination, and dreams as demonstrated by the details in his speech. After a thorough exploration of the power of the speech, students choose powerful words and themes from the text and arrange them into original diamante poems.

While this lesson focuses on the "I Have a Dream" speech, it could be adapted to any of King's speeches, as well as to famous speeches by others, such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "Day of Infamy" speech, Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address," or Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman?"

English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 9

ELA21.9.18

Analyze a speaker’s rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices in order to determine point of view and purpose.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.9.18

Vocabulary

  • Rhetorical choices
  • Aesthetic choices
  • Organizational choices
  • Point of view
  • Purpose

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Speakers organize their speech to indicate the point of view and purpose of the presentation.
  • Listeners can assess a speaker's rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices to determine the point of view and purpose of the presentation.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify and describe a speaker's rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices.
  • Evaluate a speaker's rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices to determine the point of view and purpose of the presentation.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Speakers make rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices that affect the overall effectiveness of their presentations.
  • Active listening is critical to evaluating the rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices of a speaker's presentation.
  • The language of a speech is affected by a speaker's purpose and point of view, which then affects rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices.
    • English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 10

    ELA21.10.18

    Analyze a speaker’s rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices in order to determine point of view and purpose.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.10.18

    Vocabulary

    • Rhetorical choices
    • Aesthetic choices
    • Organizational choices
    • Point of view
    • Purpose

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Speakers organize their speech to indicate the point of view and purpose of the presentation.
    • Listeners can assess a speaker's rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices to determine the point of view and purpose of the presentation.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Identify and describe a speaker's rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices.
    • Evaluate a speaker's rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices to determine the point of view and purpose of the presentation.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Speakers make rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices that affect the overall effectiveness of their presentations.
    • Active listening is critical to evaluating the rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices of a speaker's presentation.
    • The language of a speech is affected by a speaker's purpose and point of view, which then affects rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 11

    ELA21.11.21

    Analyze a speaker’s rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices in order to determine point of view, purpose, and effectiveness.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.11.21

    Vocabulary

    • Rhetorical choices
    • Aesthetic choices
    • Organizational choices
    • Point of view
    • Purpose
    • Effectiveness

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Speakers organize their speech to indicate the point of view and purpose of the presentation.
    • Listeners can assess a speaker's rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices to determine the point of view, purpose, and effectiveness of the presentation.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Identify and analyze a speaker's rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices.
    • Evaluate a speaker's rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices to determine the point of view, purpose, and effectiveness of the presentation.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Speakers make rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices that affect the overall effectiveness of their presentations.
    • Active listening is critical to evaluating the rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices of a speaker's presentation.
    • The language of a speech is affected by a speaker's purpose and point of view, which then affects rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 12

    ELA21.12.16

    Analyze elements of audible communications and evaluate their effectiveness in terms of subject, occasion, audience, purpose, tone, and credibility of digital sources.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.12.16

    Vocabulary

    • Analyze
    • Audible communications
    • Evaluate
    • Effectiveness
    • Subject
    • Occasion
    • Audience
    • Purpose
    • Tone
    • Credibility
    • Digital sources

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Active listening skills.
    • Digital audible communications have various subjects, appropriate occasions, intended audiences, purposes, and tones.
    • Digital audible communications can include effects like words, music, and sound effects that impact the source's effectiveness.
    • A credible source is free from bias and supported with relevant evidence.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Listen and analyze elements of a digital audible communication source, including its subject, occasion, audience, purpose, tone, and overall credibility.
    • Evaluate the effectiveness of elements included in a digital audible communication source.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Actively listening can help analyze and evaluate important aspects of a digital audible communication source including its credibility, intended audience, and overall subject, occasion, purpose, and tone.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 12

    ELA21.12.21

    Analyze a speaker’s rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices in order to determine point of view, purpose, and effectiveness.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.12.21

    Vocabulary

    • Rhetorical choices
    • Aesthetic choices
    • Organizational choices
    • Point of view
    • Purpose
    • Effectiveness

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Speakers organize their speech to indicate the point of view and purpose of the presentation.
    • Listeners can assess a speaker's rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices to determine the point of view, purpose, and effectiveness of the presentation.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Identify and analyze a speaker's rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices.
    • Evaluate a speaker's rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices to determine the point of view, purpose, and effectiveness of the presentation.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Speakers make rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices that affect the overall effectiveness of their presentations.
    • Active listening is critical to evaluating the rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices of a speaker's presentation.
    • The language of a speech is affected by a speaker's purpose and point of view, which then affects rhetorical, aesthetic, and organizational choices.
    Link to Resource
    http://readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/exploring-power-mart…

    CR Resource Type

    Lesson/Unit Plan

    Resource Provider

    ReadWriteThink
    Accessibility

    Accessibility

    Text Resources: Content is organized under headings and subheadings
    License

    License Type

    Custom

    Custom License Type (URL)

    http://www.readwritethink.org/util/legal.html

    Comments or Notes

    ReadWriteThink is a free resource with links to additional resources including videos, interactives, and instructional materials.

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