Martin Luther King Day Reading Comprehension
METHODOLOGIE CE:
Anticiper : Savoir identifier le type de document (publicité, recette, poème, lettre, article, récit) avant de le lire, à l’aide du
paratexte (date, auteur, titre, images, mots soulignés, ponctuation…), et émettre des hypothèses à propos du contenu.
Relever les mots transparents et connus. On s’appuiera sur eux pour comprendre l’ensemble.
Se baser sur les majuscules afin de repérer les noms propres, et les classer par personne, ville, organisation…
Repérer tous les mots qui font référence au temps et au lieu (ce qui permet de situer l’action).
Apprendre à inférer le sens d’un mot inconnu à partir du contexte, à partir de la formation des mots.
Savoir trouver les noms auxquels les pronoms renvoient.
Résumer à partir des données repérées (éventuellement en français).
Martin Luther King Jr. - The Early Years
Martin Luther King Jr. was born on Tuesday, January 15, 1929 at the family home in Atlanta. He was the
first son born to the Reverend Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams King. At birth, he was given
the name Michael, like his father, but both names were soon changed to Martin Luther. Martin Luther Jr.
had an older sister, Christine, and a younger brother, Alfred Daniel.
M.L., as he was called, lived near the Ebenezer Baptist Church where his father was the minister. His
mother was a schoolteacher.
Martin Luther King Jr. began school at the age of five, one year before reaching the legal age of six.
When his age was discovered, he was not allowed to stay in school and did not restart until he was six.
He did very well in school and skipped both the ninth and twelfth grades. He had excellent scores on the
college entrance exams in his junior year of high school, and went on to Morehouse, an all-black college,
without formally graduating from high school. He was only 15 when he began college.
Throughout his childhood, Martin Luther King Jr. was very aware of the inequities between blacks and
whites. The two groups were unable to attend the same schools, play together, or eat in the same
restaurants. Martin Luther King's mother and father fought for African-American rights and taught him
something that would become an important part of his life - to treat all people with respect.
Questions
1. What was Martin Luther King Sr.'s original first name?
Luther
Martin
Michael
2. How many sisters did MLK have?
none
2
1
3. Where was Martin Luther King Jr. born?
It doesn't say in the story.
Montgomery, Alabama
Atlanta, Georgia
4. Which of these would you NOT see in Atlanta in
the 1930's?
blacks and whites at different restaurants
Both of the other points are correct.
black children and white children at the same
school
5. What was the first college that MLK attended?
Morehouse
Georgia State
Boston University
Martin Luther King Day Reading Comprehension
METHODOLOGIE CE:
Anticiper : Savoir identifier le type de document (publicité, recette, poème, lettre, article, récit) avant de le lire, à l’aide du
paratexte (date, auteur, titre, images, mots soulignés, ponctuation…), et émettre des hypothèses à propos du contenu.
Relever les mots transparents et connus. On s’appuiera sur eux pour comprendre l’ensemble.
Se baser sur les majuscules afin de repérer les noms propres, et les classer par personne, ville, organisation…
Repérer tous les mots qui font référence au temps et au lieu (ce qui permet de situer l’action).
Apprendre à inférer le sens d’un mot inconnu à partir du contexte, à partir de la formation des mots.
Savoir trouver les noms auxquels les pronoms renvoient.
Résumer à partir des données repérées (éventuellement en français).
Martin Luther King Jr.'s Family
Martin Luther King Jr. was in Boston working on a Ph.D. in Divinity when he met the talented Coretta Scott.
She was studying to be a concert singer at the New England Conservatory of Music. They were married in
1953.
After King completed his studies in 1954, he had job offers from colleges and churches in the North, but he
felt that his place was in the South, where he could do more for his people.
Coretta gave up her singing career and the couple moved to Montgomery, Alabama, where he became
pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. Here he helped lead the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott that
Rosa Parks set in motion when she refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus. It was as the leader of
that boycott that Martin Luther King Jr. first became famous for his philosophy of nonviolent protest.
Coretta and Martin Luther Jr. had four children: Yolanda (1955), Martin Luther III (1957), Dexter (1961), and
Bernice Albertine (1963). All four children followed in their parents footsteps and became civil rights
activists. As of January, 2011, all were still alive except for Yolanda who passed away in 2007.
Coretta Scott King was always a great support for Martin Luther Jr., and after his death in 1964 she became
a national leader, carrying on his work. Coretta died in January, 2006.
Questions
1. In what year did Martin Luther King Jr. die?
2006
1964
It doesn't say in the story.
2. How old was Coretta when she married MLK?
It doesn't say in the story.
21
25
3. Why did MLK accept a job offer in the South?
The churches in the South paid him more.
He wanted to be with more black people.
He liked warmer weather.
4. What was Martin Luther King Jr.'s profession?
minister
schoolteacher
It doesn't say in the story.
5. In what state did MLK and Coretta raise their
family?
Georgia
Alabama
Massachusetts
Martin Luther King Day Reading Comprehension
METHODOLOGIE CE:
Anticiper : Savoir identifier le type de document (publicité, recette, poème, lettre, article, récit) avant de le lire, à l’aide du
paratexte (date, auteur, titre, images, mots soulignés, ponctuation…), et émettre des hypothèses à propos du contenu.
Relever les mots transparents et connus. On s’appuiera sur eux pour comprendre l’ensemble.
Se baser sur les majuscules afin de repérer les noms propres, et les classer par personne, ville, organisation…
Repérer tous les mots qui font référence au temps et au lieu (ce qui permet de situer l’action).
Apprendre à inférer le sens d’un mot inconnu à partir du contexte, à partir de la formation des mots.
Savoir trouver les noms auxquels les pronoms renvoient.
Résumer à partir des données repérées (éventuellement en français).
The March on Washington
Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the leaders of the so-called "Big Six" civil rights groups who organized the
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, which took place on August 28, 1963.
At first President Kennedy opposed the March because he thought it might turn some politicians against the
passage of civil rights laws. The organizers insisted that the March go on, and Martin Luther King Jr. was one
of the people who talked with the March leaders and the politicians to make the March happen.
Despite the initial disagreements, the March was a huge success. More than a quarter million people of
different backgrounds attended the event. It was the largest gathering of protesters in Washington's history.
From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream"
speech. The crowd was electrified. This speech is regarded as one of the finest speeches in history.
The March on Washington, and especially King's speech, helped put civil rights at the top of the political
agenda in the United States. In the following year, 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed.
Questions
1. What was an outcome from the March on
Washington?
The Civil Rights Act was passed the next year.
The president was voted out.
It doesn't say in the story.
2. Where was MLK when he gave his speech to the
marchers?
on the Mall
at the Washington Monument
on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial
3. What does "MLK electrified the crowd" mean?
He made the crowd sleepy.
He inspired and thrilled the crowd.
He used a lot of lights.
4. What was the theme of MLK's "I Have a Dream"
Speech?
that there should be more jobs in Washington
that all people are equal, regardless of their skin
color
that the war in Vietnam should end
5. Who negotiated with rights groups for a more
peaceful march?
Martin Luther King Jr.
the vice president
the Pope
Martin Luther King Day Reading Comprehension
METHODOLOGIE CE:
Anticiper : Savoir identifier le type de document (publicité, recette, poème, lettre, article, récit) avant de le lire, à l’aide du
paratexte (date, auteur, titre, images, mots soulignés, ponctuation…), et émettre des hypothèses à propos du contenu.
Relever les mots transparents et connus. On s’appuiera sur eux pour comprendre l’ensemble.
Se baser sur les majuscules afin de repérer les noms propres, et les classer par personne, ville, organisation…
Repérer tous les mots qui font référence au temps et au lieu (ce qui permet de situer l’action).
Apprendre à inférer le sens d’un mot inconnu à partir du contexte, à partir de la formation des mots.
Savoir trouver les noms auxquels les pronoms renvoient.
Résumer à partir des données repérées (éventuellement en français).
Martin Luther King Wins the Nobel Prize for Peace
s reported in the New York Times, October 15, 1964:
Oslo, Norway, Oct. 14 -- The Nobel Peace prize for 1964 was awarded today to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr.
The 35-year-old civil rights leader is the youngest winner of the prize that Dr. Alfred Nobel instituted since
the first was awarded in 1901.
The prize honors acts "for the furtherance of brotherhood among men and to the abolishment or reduction
of standing armies and for the extension of these purposes."
The Norwegian state radio changed its program schedule tonight to broadcast a 30-minute program in
honor of Dr. King. In a broadcast from Atlanta, Ga., Dr. King said that he was deeply moved by the honor.
Dr. King said that "every penny" of the prize money, which amounts to about $54,000, would be given to
the civil rights movement.
"I am glad people of other nations are concerned with our problems here," he said. He added that he
regarded the prize as a sign that world public opinion was on the side of those struggling for freedom and
dignity.
The award to Dr. King will be made in Oslo Dec. 10.
Questions
1. When was the official awards ceremony?
October 14, 1964
October 15, 1964
December 10, 1964
2. In which year did MLK win the Nobel Peace Prize?
1968
1964
It doesn't say in the story.
3. Where was MLK when he heard of the award?
Oslo
Atlanta
Washington
4. What was MLK going to do with the prize money?
donate it to the Baptist Church
share it with his family
donate it to the civil rights movement
5. How much money was the prize?
$100,000
$54,000
It doesn't say in the story.
Martin Luther King Day Reading Comprehension
METHODOLOGIE CE:
Anticiper : Savoir identifier le type de document (publicité, recette, poème, lettre, article, récit) avant de le lire, à l’aide du
paratexte (date, auteur, titre, images, mots soulignés, ponctuation…), et émettre des hypothèses à propos du contenu.
Relever les mots transparents et connus. On s’appuiera sur eux pour comprendre l’ensemble.
Se baser sur les majuscules afin de repérer les noms propres, et les classer par personne, ville, organisation…
Repérer tous les mots qui font référence au temps et au lieu (ce qui permet de situer l’action).
Apprendre à inférer le sens d’un mot inconnu à partir du contexte, à partir de la formation des mots.
Savoir trouver les noms auxquels les pronoms renvoient.
Résumer à partir des données repérées (éventuellement en français).
Martin Luther King Jr. - His Final Day
At 6:00 p.m. on April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was standing on the balcony of his hotel room in
Memphis, Tennessee. One minute later he was shot. He was rushed to hospital and the doctors tried
emergency surgery. The wound was too serious and Martin Luther King, Jr. was pronounced dead at 7:05
p.m. He was 39 years old.
Not until June 10 of that year was James Earl Ray arrested and charged with the crime. Nine months later, in
March 1969, Ray pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 99 years in the Tennessee state penitentiary.
Martin Luther King arrived in Memphis the day before he was assassinated. His flight was delayed because
of a bomb threat. That evening, King delivered his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech to a small crowd
that had braved the bad weather to hear him speak.
In the speech, King spoke about civil rights, nonviolent social action, and his own life and death. He
discussed the earlier bomb threat, the time he had been stabbed, and concluded the speech with the words
above that many feel "foreshadowed" his death the next day.
Questions
1. What do you think "foreshadow" means?
come after
cause something bad to happen
suggest in advance
2. What was MLK referring to when he said he's been to
the mountaintop?
He's been praying.
He's been near death.
He's been hiking.
3. When did MLK give his famous "I've Been to the
Mountaintop" speech?
April 4, 1968
August 28, 1964
April 3, 1968
4. When was MLK assassinated?
April 4, 1968
April 3, 1968
January 15, 1968
5. Why was MLK delayed getting to Memphis?
The bad weather delayed the flight.
There was a bomb threat on his plane.
It doesn't say in the story.