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Who was he? Why is he still important? Better yet, is he still important in Today's day and age? Seemingly, with so many advances being made for equality, do men such as King need to rise up today?

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. ": Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 1963

Introduction and Purpose: This learning web is designed to bring awareness and understanding to the role that Martin Luther King Jr. plays in everyone’s life today. Students will discern from this project that everything about life in the twenty-first century is historical. They will appreciate the progress made in the social arena to advance the cause of civil liberties in the United States.

Problem: Your high school is one of the largest high schools in your city. Yet, the school building itself is old and deficient. Your school also has one of the largest percentages, if not the largest, of African-American students in the school system. A new building needs to be built or purchased. What can you do as a student to help bring awareness to this problem? Going even further, what steps and methods can you take, using Dr. King as a model, to help in the actual procurement of a modern facility that meets the needs and standards of education in the twenty-first century? You will present your results in PowerPoint format to the school board.

Standard Number 1.0 – Investigate the effects of desegregation, the Civil Rights Movement, and the turbulent 1960s upon America

Standard Number 4.0 – Understand the causes, course, and impact of the Civil Rights movement

Before you can begin solving the problem, you need to know what you need and how to use what you need. Listed below are links to help you in that process. Simply look at the materials Needed and then complete each scaffolding activity, print them, and turn them in.

Activity 1
To be taken seriously by the school board you must have knowledge about the history of segregation and inequality in America. This first activity will aid you to that end. Using Excel you will create a timeline of the Civil Rights movement. Focus on the major events. Events like the life of Dr. King, major marches and demonstrations, and different rulings by courts regarding equality in education are the most important things to include. Put these events in chronological order in your excel spreadsheet. There is no limit to the length of your timeline, just be thorough enough to be thought of as serious by the school board. Make a column for the dates of the events, an events column, and a reasons for the events columns. Print this off and turn in. A link to the Excel document you will use is below

Activity 2
The next step you must take is to synthesize the information you have gained through the excel worksheet. Using Microsoft Word reflect on three of the events that were included in Excel. Make sure that you include your own reflection on the importance of these events then, as well as now. Begin by summarizing what happened and progress toward the importance of these events now. Focus on education equality and Dr. King's influence in bringing about that equality. You will use this information in developing the PowerPoint you present to the school board, as well as information used in your Excel timeline. This activity should not exceed three typed pages, double spaced. Print this assignment and turn in. A link to the Word document you will use is below.

Activity 3
The final step you will take will be the formation of a PowerPoint presentation. Using the knowledge and facts you have gained through Activity 1 as well as the reflections, analysis, and synthesis you developed in Activity 2, create a PowerPoint presentation that will convince the school board that you are willing to take the necessary steps to procure a more modern and suiting facility. This presentation should be 6-8 slides long. The first two slides should be introductory in nature. They should present the issue at hand as well as a brief history of education equality as it relates to the civil rights issues you have studied. The next 2-3 slides should present the information researched in Activities 1 and 2. Do not simply copy and paste what you did in those activities to PowerPoint; instead, paraphrase that information in a bulleted fashion. The final 2-4 slides need to focus on actual steps you will take in order to bring about your goal. Use methods you have researched and strategies used by Dr. King himself. For one of the final slides create a timeline that will list the steps you will take, steps like marches, rallies, petitions, and non-violent protest in chronological order. This will show the board you have put thought into achieving your goal, and it should prove to them that you have actually researched the history of equality in America. Open PowerPoint and develop your presentation.

Listed below is information you need to read regarding how you will be graded and information regarding websites that will aid you in all of your research.