Help your students gain a perspective on history with our bundle of writing prompts for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

What does he share with Apostle Paul? Did he advocate the use of violence? And what was his original name?

Use these five prompts on Martin Luther King Jr. to spark an interest in this important historical figure and his life.

Suitable for students in grades 5 – 12.

5 Prompts for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

1. Not his real name?

The man we know today as Martin Luther King Jr. was not born with that name. His original name was Michael King Jr., and he was known as Little Mike when he was young.

It is not known for sure how Little Mike became Martin Luther King, but the story goes that after his father visited the Holy Land and Europe, he legally changed his name and his son’s name to Martin Luther King to reflect what he had just learned about the reformer Martin Luther.

Now it’s your turn: If you were to change your name to reflect something important you’ve learned or to reflect something of importance to you, what would your new name be? Write your idea and explain it in a paragraph or two.

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2. Did he advocate the use of violence?

What did King write about violence? Learn about it here and imitate one of his paragraphs.

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3. What was his dream for America?

What was King’s dream for the future in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech? Read it here and write about your own hopes and dreams for the future.

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4. What does he have in common with Apostle Paul?

Martin Luther King Jr. and Apostle Paul have a few things in common. One of them is that they both were thrown into prison and wrote letters from their cells. Read about them here and write your own letter.