( CNN Student News ) -- Students will examine Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 's famous `` I Have a Dream '' speech . Also , they will compose responses to Dr. King in which they compare his historic vision of racial equality in the United States to the reality of present-day life . Procedure . In class discussion , have students define the following terms : racism , prejudice and discrimination . Have them give examples of each . Inform students that , on August 28 , 1963 , Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. shared his vision of racial equality in America in his historic `` I Have a Dream '' speech . Then , point out that in his speech , Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of being judged not by the color of one 's skin , but by the content of his or her character . Direct your students to read or watch Dr. King 's famous `` I Have a Dream '' speech and discuss its content in class . Then , challenge each student to compare Dr. King 's dream to the reality of life in the U.S. in the year 2009 . Direct each student to compose a response to Dr. King , explaining what life is like in the U.S. today and to what extent his dream has been realized . ( Encourage students to be creative in their responses . For example , students could write a letter , a speech , a song or a poem , or produce a brief video . ) After students share their responses to Dr. King , pose the following questions for class discussion : . Correlated Standards . Social Studies . II . Time , Continuity and Change Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the ways human beings view themselves in and over time . X. Civic Ideals and Practices Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the ideals , principles , and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic . The Curriculum Standards for Social Studies ( http : //www.socialstudies.org/standards/strands/ ) are published by the National Council for Social Studies ( http : //www.socialstudies.org/ ) .
Students will examine Reverend Martin Luther King , Jr. 's ` ` I Have a Dream '' speech . Students will compose responses to the speech based on life in general .