Deepen Your MLK Lesson With 40 Vocabulary Words

What words come to mind when you think of Martin Luther King, Jr.?

Freedom, equality, and peace—these are just a few that remind us of Dr. King’s activism and his commitment to social justice for all. 

Our Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Word Wall includes vocabulary that will be immediately recognizable, and words meant to stretch your students’ language skills. 

In this way, you’ll nurture a classroom full of thoughtful, articulate speakers and writers. 

Your download includes the following MLK Day vocabulary words:

Test your students’ knowledge of their new MLK vocabulary words (or any words) with this set of 13 writing task cards! 

What Else Can You Do With This MLK Word Wall? 

Word walls are a fantastic way to expose students to the broader world of language with comprehension activities like:

📣  Daily Oral Language and spelling word of the week exercises

📣  Identifying phonemes—blends, digraphs, vowel teams, silent final-e

📣  Counting syllables 

📣  Recognizing parts of speech (noun types, verbs, adjectives, compound words)

📣  Creative writing 

📣  Alphabetical ordering

📣  Games (Charades, 20 Questions, Swat, etc.)  

You can use your word wall before, during, and after reading with your whole class, in small groups, or with individualized instruction. 

Here’s how to create a fun Word Search too! 

Discover more about the legacy of Dr. King with these activities and teaching resources: 

teaching resource

'Everyone Belongs' Vocabulary Flip-book

Define and discuss vocabulary words associated with diversity and equality using this flip-book writing activity.

teaching resource

MLK Day Task Cards

Challenge students to think about the work of Martin Luther King, Jr. with this set of 13 writing task cards.

teaching resource

MLK Writing Prompts - Sentence Starter Task Cards

Reflect on the concepts explored near Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with these 15 Martin Luther King writing prompts.