EnglishClub

Pre-listening vocabulary

• activist: a person who works to achieve political change
• discrimination: the act of treating a person poorly for reasons such as race or gender
• segregation: the act of keeping people of different races apart
• outlaw: to make something illegal
• commemorate: to remember and show respect for something or someone

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:17 — 1.2MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | More

Gapfill exercise

Famous activist Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1929. Like most black Americans in the South back then, King faced discrimination growing up. At age 15, he spent a in the North. He was surprised to see that in northern states, people of all races could go to the same churches and eat in the same restaurants. This inspired him to fight against segregation in the South. Nine years later, King moved to Montgomery, Alabama, where he became the of a civil rights organization. He led several peaceful , which eventually led to the Civil Rights Act. This act outlawed public discrimination. King was killed in 1968, but his accomplishments allowed black Americans to keep fighting for . He is still commemorated today.

Comprehension questions

[wp_quiz id=”19259″]

Discussion/essay questions

1. Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired many people to stand up for the civil rights movement. Can you think of a time that you stood up for something you believed in?

Transcript

Famous activist Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1929. Like most black Americans living in the South back then, King faced discrimination growing up. At age 15, he spent a summer in the North. He was surprised to see that in northern states, people of all races could go to the same churches and eat in the same restaurants. This inspired him to fight against segregation in the South. Nine years later, King moved to Montgomery, Alabama, where he became the leader of a civil rights organization. He led several peaceful protests, which eventually led to the passing of the Civil Rights Act. This act outlawed racial discrimination. King was killed in 1968, but his accomplishments allowed black Americans to keep fighting for equality. He is still commemorated today.