My
Dream of Martin Luther King, by Faith Ringgold,
shows one child's understanding of Dr. King's life through an imaginary
dream. This story,
accessible to middle and late elementary school aged children, is a
great starting place for a discussion about U.S. history or social
justice. It can also be used to inspire a discussion of ethical philosophy
or social philosophy addressing such issues as freedom, equality, race,
and heroes. The goal of this discussion is to help the students clarify
for themselves what these abstract terms mean.
Deepening children's understandings of social and ethical
philosophy, as we aim to do with these philosophical discussions,
is important because it equips them to form their own opinions about
social issues based on critical thinking and sound reasoning. Discussing
the values of Dr. King in a philososphical manner will help a child
later in life to defend his or her own ethical position if it is
challenged by others, or to reassess his or her own assumptions if
he or she begins to see that they are flawed.
Freedom is a complex issue that must be addressed in
any society and in any form of governance. Children often feel that
freedom is an ideal that they can accept but cannot achieve because
they are children. The goal of discussing this issue is to open up
a broader perspective and let the children see how their need for
freedom fits into a larger social and historical picture. Doing this
should allow the children to see for themselves why freedom is an
issue that philosophers have been arguing about since the first formation
of government.
Equality is another topic that children are taught
to believe is a necessity in our society but may never have actually
thought about. Elementary school children are often preoccupied
with the concept of fairness and equality in their everyday lives
but probably have little understanding of the complexities inherent
in accepting this value. The questions in this set are intended to
ask children to think more about what equality is, why some things
are not equal, and if people can be different and equal at the same
time.
The third set of questions deals with the issue of
race. These questions try to get at what things make people different
and
what makes people the same and what role, if any, race plays in this.
These questions should offer children the opportunity to talk openly
about race in a way that they might feel uncomfortable doing in other
situations.
Children are fascinated by heroes, both real and imaginary,
and it is important for them to question what makes a person a hero.
Thinking about a real life hero such as Martin Luther King is a useful
way of addressing issues of good versus bad and right versus wrong.
Moral philosophy is a huge field but the questions here will help
teachers or parents start into this broad topic. This book also includes
difficult emotional material such as images of police brutality.
The corresponding set of questions approaches this difficult subject
with the children so that they can discuss the role of violence.
Understanding the complexities of social issues will
help children to see why our society, and our global community,
has struggled with issues of justice, freedom, and equality over
and over again. These questions will help children develop insight
into these historical issues and see their relevance in everyday
situations and current politics. In a democracy, these skills of
critical thinking and forming connections across varying situations
are essential.
Continue
to question set for this story
