Global Citizenship and Civic Responsibility
Before you read:
What do you know about Martin Luther King? What did he fight for? Why is he famous?
[PHOTO of Martin Luther King giving a speech at a march or rally]
Martin Luther King made a positive contribution to society. Do you agree?
“We must meet hate with love!” The man who said these words and fought against
racism and injustice was a man who made a great difference to society. He was Martin
Luther King. He definitely made a positive contribution to society as he was a leader
who helped provide equal opportunities for people today.
Martin Luther King's famous speech, 'I have a dream', shows his passion and beliefs in
equality. During this speech, he spoke about his dream for the future where there
would be no prejudice against people because of the colour of a person's skin. He
wanted to stop segregation (white and black races being separated), give everyone the
right to vote and create more job opportunities for African Americans. He made a
positive change with his words.
Additionally, Martin Luther King believed in non-violent protest. He led many nonviolent marches as a way to get people to listen to his message. The aim of the
marches was to have the state leaders listen. They walked for the right to vote and
they also wanted an end to police violence. This started the discussions for the signing
of the Civil Rights Voting Act of 1964, which gave African Americans the right to
vote.
The effects of Martin Luther King's actions can be seen in society today. There are
many African American role-models. The success of Oprah Winfrey, Denzel
Washington, Condoleeza Rice and Shakeel Oneil is because of the work of Martin
Luther King. By challenging society, he brought about real changes. What an amazing
man!
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Reading comprehension: Skim and scan the text and answer the following questions.
1) What is the purpose of this essay?
A. to inform
B. to advise
C. to persuade
D. to describe
2) What were Martin Luther's aims?
He believed in ________________ and he was against ____________________.
3) What were his achievements?
He helped to get _____________________________________________________________.
4) What was different about his method of protesting?
He believed in the power of ________________ and ____________________.
5) What can we infer/ understand about his personality?
He was brave and __________________.
6) Who are the role models mentioned in the essay and why are they famous?
__________________________________________________________________________
Vocabulary:
Scan the text and circle the words on the vocabulary list. Then match the word with the
correct explanation.
1. racism ___
2. segregation ___
3. individual ___
4. prejudice ___
5. dream ___
6. opportunity ___
a. laws that separate people of different races
b. unfair treatment of people because of their ethnic origin
c. irrational dislike of certain groups of people
d. chance
e. person
f. vision
Grammar:
A. Rearrange the words to make sentences.
1) march / asked / people / peacefully. / to / He
____________________________________________________________________
2) the Civil Rights Voting Act. / He / to / persuaded / sign / leaders
____________________________________________________________________
3) influenced / differently. / society / think / He / to
____________________________________________________________________
4) African Americans / become / inspired / He / to / leaders.
____________________________________________________________________
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5) everyone / to / He / equal. / wanted / be
____________________________________________________________________
6) encouraged / rights. / to / He / their / people / stand up for
____________________________________________________________________
B. Complete each sentence writing the correct preposition.
about
for
of
on
to
1) He had a huge impact ____ society.
2) He made an enormous contribution ___ society.
3) He was passionate ____ his cause.
4) He was convinced ___ the need to act peacefully.
5) He motivated people to fight ___ their rights.
Critical Thinking:
1) If Martin Luther King were alive today, what causes do you think he would be fighting
for?
2) What injustices are there in our society that we could try to improve?
3) How could you make a contribution to society in the future?
Writing:
1. Choose a famous person that you feel has made an important contribution to society.
2. Use the Internet to find out about the person chosen: date of birth, place of birth,
family, study, work, etc.
3. Write a persuasive essay explaining how this person made a positive contribution to
society.
Write the essay in your notebook.
Extension:
“Everyone has the responsibility to make a positive contribution to society.”
Work in groups of no more than four. Two students will argue in favor of this statement and
two students will argue that it isn't true. Make notes in the table.
Reasons why this statement is true
Reasons why this statement isn't true.
Reason 1 ________________________________
Example ________________________________
Reason 2 ________________________________
Example ________________________________
Reason 1 ________________________________
Example ________________________________
Reason 2 ________________________________
Example________________________________
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