Martin Luther King Art Lesson FREEDOM MLK Art Project MLK Art Activity

This MLK Day Art Project invites students to honor Martin Luther King Jr.'s message of peace, kindness and equality through a lesson built on realism and symbolism. Students draw a realistic "Freedom Hand", shade it with oil pastel and create a soft rainbow background with chalk pastel.

The hand can stay black and white, or be filled with a mosaic of colors or a skin tone of the student's choice, which leaves room for personal expression and identity. The project fits MLK Day, Black History Month and conversations about freedom, respect and diversity, while teaching shading, blending and mixed media techniques.

WHAT TEACHERS ARE SAYING

★★★★ “Such an amazing product! We used this for our school's art show and received so many compliments. Thank you!” Teaching w.

WHAT'S INCLUDED (27 PAGES, NON-EDITABLE PDF)

• About the Resource
• Lesson Plan (2 pages) with materials, learning outcomes, goals and "Teacher Does / Student Does" instructions
• MLK "Freedom Hand" Step-by-Step Drawing Handout for students
• Art Piece Demonstration Step-by-Step: 16 slides with images and descriptions
• Example of the Completed Art Piece to show students before they begin
• Rubric for the art piece

HOW TO USE IT

Check the lesson plan for materials and gather them in advance: pencil, eraser, black felt, card stock or blank paper, soft or chalk pastels and oil pastel (black and gray only). Photocopy the step-by-step handouts and rubrics, and consider making a sample yourself first. Print the example in color and show it as your hook.

Project the step-by-step pages on a projector or document camera, or use them as your guide while you demonstrate. Every step has a visual and a text description, so it is easy to follow. The finished hands make a strong bulletin board or hallway display.

FAQ

Who is it for?

Teachers and homeschool educators planning an MLK Day or Black History Month art lesson.

What materials do I need?

Pencil, eraser, black felt, card stock or blank paper, soft or chalk pastels, and black and gray oil pastel.

How do I teach it?

Project the 16 step-by-step slides for students to follow, or use them as your guide while you demonstrate.

Is it editable?

No. It is a non-editable PDF.

ALL TEACHER REVIEWS

★★★★ “This resource was very helpful for my t3rd grade class. The activities were clear and easy to use.” Zuly A.

★★★★ “Great resource! Students loved it and were engaged.” Shauna C.

★★★★ “Perfect art project that turned out awesome to hang in the hallway for MLK Day” Heidi W.

★★★★ “My students really enjoyed this!” Kendra Z.

★★★ “Great product! Thank you!” Lucky in Fifth

★★★ “awesome” MaggieDavisVisuals

★★★★★ “Love it! Thanks” Rhonda C.

★★★★★ “Thank you!” Catherine A.

Get free, classroom-ready art lessons and printables in my Free Art Lesson Library.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathleen McGiveron (Ms Artastic) is an artist who has been featured on NBC LX News and designs art lessons for kids and educational resources for teachers. She is the founder of Ms Artastic and hosts the Ms Artastic YouTube Channel and Podcast.

TERMS OF USE

Images and lessons are copyright products.

YOU MAY: use this in creative ways and have as much fun with it as you like. Any clip art may be used as clip art, website graphics, binder covers or bulletin board decorations. Additional licenses are available for school use.

YOU MAY NOT: share it with other teachers, administration or districts (admin can buy additional licenses), sell it, give it out for free or photocopy it for others.

Sincerely,

Ms Artastic