Virginia SOL K.2.h

Social StudiesKindergarten

The Standard

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Virginia Standards of Learning for History and Social Science

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students identify Martin Luther King Jr. as a leader who worked peacefully for fairness and equal rights. They explain that the holiday honors his life and work.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students recognize his picture and name the reason he is remembered. They can give one example of peaceful action, such as marching, speaking, or helping others.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think the holiday celebrates a president or only marks a birthday. They may also think Dr. King changed unfair rules by himself or used violence.
How to Assess It: Show a picture of Dr. King and ask, “Who is he, and why do people honor him?” Listen for peaceful work toward fairness and equal rights.

Lesson moves

Make a paper classroom peace chain, with each child drawing one peaceful way to solve a problem on a link.
Ask, “What does fairness look like in our classroom?” and record each child’s example on chart paper.
Play a picture-card sorting game with peaceful actions, unkind actions, and ways people can work together.
Find the holiday on a classroom calendar, then plan one kind action the class can do to honor Dr. King’s work.

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