Guthriegabs: Analyzing Claims, & Evidence- MLK Jr.'s Speech, "I Have a Dream"
In this two-day English reading and writing course we read, analyze, and write an essay about the famous "I Have a Dream," speech by Martin Luther King Jr. Analyze the theme, write a claim, and commentary in this CEC class.
Kim Guthriegabs M. Ed
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4.9
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What's included
2 live meetings
1 hrs 50 mins in-class hoursHomework
1-2 hours per week. Class 1: Research themes and supporting evidence Class 2: FInalize essayAssessment
Completed essayClass Experience
US Grade 8 - 11
Most people are familiar with the famous speech of Martin Luther King Jr., "I Have a Dream," but have you ever stopped to analyze the stanzas of the speech? As a piece of literature, the speech stands alone as an example of a perfectly written speech. In this class, we'll look at the different themes that are woven into the speech. After discussing the themes and how they are presented, students will choose one theme to write about in an essay. The essay will follow the CEC format: Claim-Evidence-Commentary. Students will be provided with guided notes and a template for writing their essays. I will model how to write an exemplary claim and decide on a theme in the first class. After the first class, students will research their theme and find quotations and text to support their claims in both the speech and outside sources. In the second class, students will use their evidence to develop a commentary about the speech. Students will receive a copy of the speech, a link to the original audio of the speech, and suggestions for themes. The class instruction is a combination of a discussion aided by visual slides and references to the teacher's handouts provided to students.
Learning Goals
Analyze a speech to find a theme.
Write an exemplary claim based on a literary theme.
Find evidence to support the claim.
Write a commentary connecting the evidence that supports the student's claim.
NCTE/IRA NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
3.
Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
4.
Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
5.
Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
The speech, "I Have a Dream," is often cited as an exemplary piece of literature. Literature writing and claims are the focus of this class. I expect all students to focus on the purpose of the class, which is writing a claim. Students will not write about the controversy surrounding the events that led to this speech. Students who wish to debate the statements and ideology of the speech will be redirected back to our topic. Having lived in different areas of America, I have seen how people have different personal experiences and background relating to the 1960s and the Civil Rights Era. Students may come to class with different family stories relating to this time period.
Students are not writing an argumentative essay. This class is not a debate class and I will expect all students to keep their comments focused on the purpose of looking for themes; such as (repetition, alliteration, emotion, patriotism, intellect, freedom, and history).
I expect all students to conduct themselves in a respectful manner with each other when analyzing this writing. As this class is not about the purpose or intent of the speech, this should not be a problem. Students who lose sight of the focus of the lesson will be asked to refocus, if students continue to act in a manner that is disrespectful to other students they will be asked to leave the class.
Supply List
Teacher templates Copy of speech
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Joined April, 2020
4.9
423reviews
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Teacher expertise and credentials
South Carolina Teaching Certificate in Elementary Education
2 Degrees
Master's Degree in Education from Southern Wesleyan
Bachelor's Degree in Education from Limestone University
I am a licensed teacher of English and history. I have taught analytical writing for years in a public school classroom. I understand that this speech deals with civil rights in the United States of America. This class is not designed to debate the rights of people, but to analyze the writing and literary devices used throughout the text of the speech. Students will be provided with the contextual background of the era in the United States that led to this speech being delivered in 1963. This speech is non-fiction writing and will be analyzed as a primary source and an example of exemplary speech writing.
There will be a discussion of the imagery used in the text. This class is not designed to be a place to argue the purpose or aftermath of events following the speech. Students will be directed back to the focus of the class: which is to make a claim about the literary themes used throughout the speech. Reviews
Live Group Class
$30
for 2 classes1x per week, 2 weeks
55 min
Completed by 1 learner
Live video meetings
Ages: 13-17
3-6 learners per class
This class is no longer offered
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