martin luther king :: essays research papers

History is indeed made up of significant events which shape our future and outstanding leaders who influence our destiny. Martin Luther King's contributions to our history place him in this inimitable position. In his short life, Martin Luther King was instrumental in helping us realize and rectify those unspeakable flaws which were tarnishing the name of America. The events which took place in and around his life were earth shattering, for they represented an America which was hostile and quite different from America as we see it today. Martin Luther King, Jr. catapulted to fame when he came to the assistance of Rosa Parks, the Montgomery, Alabama Black seamstress who refused to give up her seat on a segregated Montgomery bus to a White passenger. In those days American Blacks were confined to positions of second class citizenship by restrictive laws and customs. To break these laws would mean subjugation and humiliation by the police and the legal system. Beatings, imprisonment and sometimes death were waiting for those who defied the System. Black Americans needed a Martin Luther King, but above all America needed him. The significant qualities of this special man cannot be underestimated nor taken for granted. Within a span of 13 years from 1955 to his death in 1968 he was able to expound, expose, and extricate America from many wrongs. His tactics of protest involved non-violent passive resistance to racial injustice. It was the right prescription for our country, and it was right on time. Hope in America was waning on the part of many Black Americans, but Martin Luther King, Jr. provided a candle along with a light. He also provided this nation with a road map so that all people could locate and share together in the abundance of this great democracy. We honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. because he showed us the way to mend those broken fences and to move on in building this land rather than destroying it. He led campaign after campaign in the streets of America and on to the governor's mansion - even to the White House - in an effort to secure change.

Models of Teaching

1. (a) One of my unit plans major strengths is the way in which it utilized many different teaching strategies that are compatible with the different ways in which students learn. Visual learners are able to benefit from in class activities such as identifying vocabulary words on a blueprint and collecting magazine photos of items from the vocabulary list and making a collage. Students who learn best through physical activity will become more familiar with vocabulary words through activities like purchasing the vocabulary items at a simulated store and participating in role play activities. Students who learn by hearing will also benefit from role play activities and hearing and using the vocabulary in the dialogue that will be used and practiced in class. Another strength of my unit plan is the emphasis it places on combing individual learning activities with group work. Individual activities will allow the student to commit the daily lessons to memory at his or her own pace, and they will also allow an informal opportunity for assessment. Group activities will facilitate the development of the students’ social skill. (b) My plan focuses heavily on the Application level of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Students are required to use the newly acquired vocabulary words to describe items they may need for class. They are also required to use the words to describe items they have at home, and items they would like to have, thus allowing the students to apply the newly learned words to everyday life. The students will also apply the vocabulary in activities such as the simulated store setting and in group activities in which they will engage in dialogue and describe the items they have in class. (c) I would strengthen my plan by creating more interdisciplinary learning experience. Although my plan does somewhat incorporate interdisciplinary learning by including an activity in which students will identify vocabulary items that are needed for other classes (i.e. pencil, eraser, calculator for math), there are other ways in which different academic subject areas may be combined to facilitate learning in Spanish. 2. (a) Assessment will have two primary roles in my instruction. First, it will serve to help in gauging the different ways in which the students learn and their areas of strength and weakness. In this way, assessment will provide feedback regarding how lessons and teaching methods can be tailored to best meet the needs of each student. (b) Second, state standards will serve as a minimum target level of achievement that I would work to assist each student in meeting and exceeding. (c) An example of an assessment that I would use to gain feedback is the oral vocabulary test, which requires the students to listen to, spell, and define the word. Tests which focus on grammar and writing skills will not only be used to gauge the student’s skill levels, but they will also be used to ensure that the students are meeting state requirements in areas such as writing, grammar, and comprehension. 3. I would first look at the areas in which the students struggled as well are areas in which the students may have strengths. I would then determine the ways in which student is best able to learn (i.e. visually, orally, or by participating in activities). After determining the student’s learning style, I would focus on these students more during activities which incorporate the specific style in which the student is best able to learn. Finally, I would pair those students who struggle with stronger students during group activities so that the students who struggled on last year’s assessments may interact with their peers and be helped by them. B. I would like to incorporate a real-life example that focuses on the lesson (i.e. a Spanish-themed television show, video, book, or movie that focuses on the typical day of Spanish youth at home and at school). After presenting the material to the class, the students would report on their observations of a typical day in the life of the Spanish characters, and they would give their opinions on Spanish culture and how it compares to their own culture. This activity would help students improve their listening skills (in the case of a video, television show, or movie) or their reading skills (in the case of a book). The report that the students would be required to complete and present would allow students to develop their writing and presentation skills.

The Harsh And Lonely Characteristics Of Mice And Men By...

The harsh and lonely characteristics of crooks emphasize the loneliness theme shown throughout the book. The realistic fiction novella Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck explains the journey of two migrant farm workers. The main characters: Lennie and George are thrown at with many challenges they are forced to overcome, one being the time it takes place in. The story takes place during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression around 1938, which makes jobs even harder to come by because everyone wanted one. Lennie and George were kicked out of weed, and now work at a ranch in Soledad. At the new farm the friendship between Lennie and George becomes harder to maintain. The people on the farm are all different shapes, sizes, and are from different backgrounds, yet they all are very familiar with one concept: loneliness. The character most familiar with this concept is Crooks. In Of mice and men, John Steinbeck creates the isolated characterization of Crooks by describing how he looks, what he says, and his actions to emphasize the theme of loneliness that occurs throughout the book. In this time period, being a different color than everyone else was not a benefit. The color of skin is a simple aspect enough. However, it separates him in ways beyond imaginable, making Crooks very lonely. Steinbeck made it seem so important that he was a different color sets the scene of the prejudice in the time of the dust bowl. When Crooks is first mentioned, one of the first things mentionedShow MoreRelatedUnderdogs in of Mice and MEn1348 Words   |  6 Pages Analysis of ‘Underdog’ Characters in Of Mice and Men â€Å"A guy needs somebody – to be near him.† He whined, â€Å"A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (John Steinbeck 72). Love and belonging, is the third most important need in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. As human beings, being a part of something is crucial to our development as a person. People can go insane if they live a life of isolation. In John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, the characters of Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife are drivenRead MoreHow Does John Steinbeck Present the Theme of Violence in Of Mice and Men?1277 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿How does Steinbeck present the theme of violence in ‘Of Mice and Men’? John Steinbeck’s short novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ presents the desolate nature of 1930s America, in particular Soledad, close to where Steinbeck himself grew up and worked during this time. Notably, Steinbeck focuses on the life of migrant workers who were forced to travel from ranch to ranch in search of work as a result of the simultaneous occurring disasters ‘The Great Depression’ and ‘The Dustbowl’. 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