Lesson Plan Title : Eyewitness Accounts of the March on Washington

Age Range: Grade 6 through grade 8 (Middle School)

Overview and Purpose: In this writing activity, students describe what it would have been like to attend the march on Washington and listen to Dr. King's speech.

Objective: The student will be able to write a first person account of Dr. King's famous march on Washington.

Resources:

Internet access for each student or materials describing the march on Washington

Activities:

Have students research and map out the march on Washington. Have them look for details that include how it felt to be there, what it looked like to the people who were there, and what it sounded like to them. After they have done their research, have the students write a first person narrative of what it was like on that day.

Wrap Up:

You could assign students to write from different points of view, e.g., black Americans attending the march, white Americans who were protesting the civil rights movement, or white Americans who supported it.