Teaching Literary Analysis with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Springboards for Writing and Thinking

One of the best activities I've found to encourage higher-level thinking and analysis is the Insight Garden by Gretchen Bernabei. My students could elaborate well in a class discussion, but they froze when writing essays.

I discovered the Insight Garden in Gretchen Bernabei’s book, Reviving the Essay: How to Teach Structure Without Formula. Using the Insight Garden model, I adapted the activity to various literary essay lessons.

I needed a way to encourage my middle school students to think beyond the plot. They could tell me what happened in a story and give examples, but they needed help explaining why something happened, or how a character changed, or how the author developed a theme. I wanted them to elaborate, interpret, and dig deeper.

I also needed my students to practice writing multi-paragraph essays for a timed writing assessment test.

Written in 10 minutes or less, these activities encouraged higher level thinking in small doses.  They produce thoughtful, multi-paragraph essays, and it's painless!

Although my 8th grade students were a bit baffled the first time we did one, after two or three, they enjoyed these writing activities. Because the prompts are divided into chunks, their pieces were well-organized. Students felt a sense of accomplishment when saw their finished product—a multi-paragraph essay written in 10 minutes.

Managing the Paper Load: Write 3; Choose 1 for a Grade

After each prompt, I would choose a few to show as examples the next day. Then we would do another prompt. After they completed three or so different prompts, they would choose one for me to grade. All of the samples went in their writing portfolios.

The finished product also made great pieces for bulletin boards.

I often wrote alongside my students.

This activity fostered higher-level thinking and improved my students’ writing skills. It was one of the most effective strategies I used!

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Literacy Toolbox: MLK Writing Prompts

Another Great Idea for Teaching Literary Analysis with Dr. King's Work

Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech is a great way to introduce students to literary analysis. I found this wonderful, free, online activity from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.