MLK Assassination Reading Comprehension

Teach the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and the final Memphis sanitation campaign with this detailed non-fiction reading comprehension and historical thinking resource for Grades 7–8.

This no-prep pack combines a two-page informational text with 15 varied activities, 25 student worksheets and complete answer keys and model responses. Students examine King’s wider civil rights leadership, the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike, the ‘I AM A MAN’ campaign, the March 28 demonstration, the ‘Mountaintop’ speech, King’s assassination at the Lorraine Motel, public reactions, the Fair Housing Act and the movement’s continuing legacy.

The activities move beyond factual recall. Students analyse chronology, cause and effect, historical significance, misconceptions, numerical evidence and the relationship between racial equality and economic justice.

Reading Level

The text is approximately 1050L–1130L and best suited to Grades 7–8 / Years 7–9. Clear subheadings, historical photographs, captions and contextual vocabulary support make it accessible to younger or less confident readers with guidance.

What’s Included

Informational Text

• Two-page non-fiction text of approximately 890 words
• Historical photographs and captions
• Key vocabulary explained in context
• Coverage of the Memphis strike, assassination, Fair Housing Act and King’s legacy

Comprehension and Assessment Activities

• 12 written-response questions
• Big Ideas and Textual Evidence activity
• Misconception Correction
• Supported, Not Supported or Partly Supported analysis
• Chronology and Significance timeline
• Problem, Action, Response or Result classification
• Historical Tensions activity
• Careful interpretation of dates and numerical evidence
• 22-question multiple-choice assessment
• Mixed-format comprehension review
• Two differentiated 24-term vocabulary activities
• 30-statement True/False assessment
• 26-blank cloze summary
• 31-clue crossword with and without a word bank
• 21-word word search
• Complete answers and model responses