Level 3: Martin Luther King: Martin Luther King (Pearson English Graded Readers)

by Coleen Degnan-Veness

Martin Luther King had a dream. He wanted blacks and whites to live together happily. But in America in the 1950s and 1960s, all men were not equal. King led peaceful protests against the government and won changes for the blacks of America. But has King's dream really come true today?

Genres: Biography

56 pages, Paperback

Published June 11, 2008

About the author

Coleen Degnan-Veness has been writing English Language Teaching materials including grammar books, readers for adults and children in both British and American English, and English language assessment tests for Macmillan course books for the past fifteen years. She writes online activities for her readers published by Pearson Education, which can be downloaded from the Penguin Readers and Penguin Kids websites. Her latest publications include "Our Changing Planet" published in 2013 by Pearson Education, and "The United States of America" published in 2013 by Macmillan Readers, co-authored with Chantal Veness.

Reviews

[Noriho Motokawa · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. Penguin readers level3
2. 6/8＝20 6/9= 30 6/10=30
3. dream blacks whites live happy America equal
4. a) Dexter Scoot King wrote, ''My father died at ce thirty-nine. But he lived a life fuller than most people. This life is gone but not forgotten.''
b) Martin Luther King could not realized his dream while he lived but I think it will never be forgotten.
5. I knew him and his famous speech. In this book, his childhood and his family are introduced. I think we have to make peaceful world which he wanted.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

using this in a class I am teaching. Great version for ELL class to give not only information on the man but on how we got to the civil rights movement.

[Ana Silvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple, basic and informative.

[Space Panda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book for people who are learning English like me as a second language :D

[Yuki · Rating 5 out of 5]

His words and his passion moved the hearts and bodies of many people. Even as now, a lot of conflicts and wars has lasted. I wonder how he thinks if he looks them.

[Emi Kanada · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book was really easy to understand about his real story!! I have read some books about him but this is more understandable than before.

12/4 30min 12/5 35min

1. More and more African-Americans were against King's peaceful protests. What do you think about it?
Actually, I didn't know that information. I was surprised. However, he didn't give up them. I was moved.

2. I would like to ask for Mat. In America, there is a national holiday. It is "Martin Luther King Day". How do you celebrate that day in your state? According to this book, schoolchildren in New York city prepare a march every year to important places of the civil rights years.

7-words summmary
Dream Agaist Violence Voting-Rights Riot Today National-Holiday

[Mayuko Ono · Rating 5 out of 5]

- Penguin Readers; level 3
- 85 minutes
- Time: 11/4=30 minutes. 11/6=55 minutes
- 7-words summery: discrimination - segregation - wife - love - Gandhi - JFK- never give up 
- Discussion questions: 
1 Have you ever given up anything?
I don't remember, but the motto of my high school was Never give up until the end. 
I liked this phrase. 
2 Do you think that J.F.Kennedy was good?
Yes I do. Because I learned about him in Boston. There was a JFK museum. 

I liked this book. King was really brave. He was arrested and went to the Jail many times, but he never have up. I wanted to be like him. 

[Naoya · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. Penguin Reader Level3
2. 190 min
3. 1 Dream 2 speech 3 slave 4 Blacks 5 discrimination 6 campaign 7 bus
4. Have you ever done speech in front of many people?
Yes, when I was high school student, I paricipated with speech contest, and I got first prize. I was very nervous, but it was so good experience.
5. I know Martin Luther King, because when I was highschool student, my English teacher told me about his speech, and campaigns. As I read this book, I had a strong impression. That is campaign about bus. I can feel they wanted to treat as same, and their cohesiveness. But King was killed. It was so sad. I like his thinking, so I feel sad.

[Anri · Rating 5 out of 5]

-PENGUIN, level 3.

-Time: 10/29 = 60 minutes; 10/30 = 60 minutes; 10/31 = 5 minutes.

-7-word summary: segregation - equal - Gandhi - black - white - arrest - KKK

-Discussion questions:
1. Do you think African-Americans have equality with white Americans nowadays?
-I don't think so. It's difficult to break a bad habit, so some segregation exists.
2. Carmichael used violence to stop segregation. Can you agree with him?
-No, but I can understand his feeling. African-Americans were oppressed for a ling time, so he may not have been able to put up with it any more.

[Ryota Kato]

1. Penguin Readers level3
2. 110min
3. dream, slave, black, arrest, America, King, African
4. a, On May 15, a Freedom Ride bus was attacked by about 200 KKK men.
b, I think Ku, Klux and Klan are cruel group for black. I never thought this group appeared on even this time.
5. He is very famous person in American history, but I didn't know his detail before reading. He had strong brave to speach in front of American. If he was not killed, he might more change American life.

[Hideki Makimura · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. Penguin readers/ level 3

2. 06/24= 20 minutes, 06/25= 20 minutes, 06/28= 20 minutes, 06/29= 20 minutes

3. dream, America, leader, equality, civil, rights, speech

4. I have a dream
I had known this sentence. But I didn't know contents of the dream. It was good to know it.

5. I didn't know that Martin Luther king had had other name, Michael when he was child. After a trip to Germany, his father changed his name Martin. Besides, I could know about him in detail.

[Yun Porthos · Rating 5 out of 5]

He fought peacefully for blacks' rights. I really admire him 'cause whenever KKK destryed, burned, and bombed somany things that related to blacks, he just ignore it and fight peacefully again. That's what I like about him, but unfortunately, he was murdered when he was 35 years old.

[Tenzin · Rating 5 out of 5]

this guy is realy peaceful and try so hard to get his peoples freedom by nonviolence.He inspired all of the nation.He got assasinated.Thats sad =(

[Ahmad · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is inspiring how he made a white boy plays with a black boy, and merged the two races in one nation.

[Salah DADDI NOUNOU · Rating 5 out of 5]

Among this book, I learned more about this icon of resistance, Martin Luther King Jr was the leader of African-Americans' rights campaign in the last century, he struggled a lot to offer his compatriots a dignified life, he was sent 29 times to jail, and his life of only 39 years ended with a murder, this book let me note some important notes:
- Not so far from now, even the called well-developed nations were not allowing innocent children go to school because of their color!
-For the same reason, blacks have to enter theaters and restaurants from the back doors, to sit on the back of the bus,...
-But the thing that blew my mind is that all these segregations were done in the name of law, and there was no political will to change.
-Nowadays, even that things are better, but still not enough, a black American earn 57 cents for each dollar that a white person earns,...
King was a hero, he got a Nobel prize, his birthday is a national day in the US.
I have a dream...