Martin Luther King Day With the First Grade

I was reunited with the first-grade class yesterday for an abbreviated schedule, which included a read-aloud illustrated biography chosen specifically for the day. I began: “Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 in Montgomery, Alabama...”

Amanda raised her hand before I could complete the first sentence. “My cousin’s birthday is in January,” she told us.

I nodded and then continued with the highlights, arriving at a moment in 1955: “Dr. King was arrested during the Montgomery bus boycott and his house bombed. Years later he led a civil rights march and rally in Washington, D.C...

“Wait,” said John, interrupting me, “How did Martin Luther King escape from prison?”

Well, no, it wasn’t like that, I explained. He was freed. There was no jail break. As a result of the boycott, a court ruling ended racial segregation on all public buses in Montgomery.  

Back to the story: “Over 250,000 people attended the rally during the summer of 1963 in the capital and listened to King’s famous ‘I have a dream’ speech.”

James, paying close attention to the illustrations, noticed the artist’s method of representing the thousands of people spread out across the National Mall for the event: “He really had to paint a lot of dots in this picture!”

It’s an effective way of showing such an enormous crowd from Martin Luther King’s perspective, I agreed. Now, does anything in the illustration give you a clue that the setting is Washington? I asked the children, thinking perhaps someone would recognize the reflecting pool or a more famous landmark.

No response.

What about this structure? I asked, pointing to the drawing of the Washington Monument. Does anyone know what this is called?

Nothing.

I’ll give you a hint—it’s the Washington...

“I know,” shouted James. “The George Washington Bridge!”