Coretta Scott King was born on this day in 1927.
Event Description
Born in 1927, Coretta Scott King was well-known as a courageous wife and widow, and for her personal commitment to civil rights across the globe, until her own death in early 2006. In 1970, Mrs. King lent her name to the Coretta Scott King Book Awards, established to honor African American authors and illustrators for outstandingly inspirational and educational contributions. The awards are presented annually by the American Library Association.
Classroom Activity
Use a list of current and past Coretta Scott King Book Award winners as a booklist for a book report assignment. The rich variety of literature offers something for all tastes, including nonfiction, fiction, short stories, biographies, and more. First have each student select a book from the list and then have students complete one of these book report alternatives from ReadWriteThink:
- Book Report Alternative: Writing Resumes for Characters in Historical Fiction
- Book Report Alternative: Character and Author Business Cards
- Book Report Alternative: Comic Strips and Cartoon Squares
- Book Report Alternative: The Elements of Fiction
- Book Report Alternative: Summary, Symbol, and Analysis in Bookmarks
- Book Report Alternative: Examining Story Elements Using Story Map Comic Strips
- Book Report Alternative: Hooking a Reader with a Book Cover
- Book Report Alternative: Creating a New Book Cover
Websites
This American Library Association page provides a brief history of the Coretta Scott King Award. There is information about the seal's design, a timeline of milestones and links to the list of current and past winners.
This resource from the Academy of Achievement includes a biography of Coretta Scott King, celebrating her civil right achievements. A transcript and video clips from an interview with King are also included.
The Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute offers this curriculum unit on teaching with African-American picture books. Suggested reading lists for both students and teachers are included.