March on Washington & Malcolm X (1963–1960s) Readers Theater Script (Grades 11-12)

Contrast nonviolent mass protest with Black nationalist critique as students interpret oratory from the March on Washington, Malcolm X’s ‘Ballot or the Bullet,’ and the era’s calls for power and dignity.

Focus: Students compare goals, rhetoric, and strategies within the civil rights movement.

Summary:

• Organizing for Jobs and Freedom.
• Lincoln Memorial speeches and reactions.
• Malcolm X advances self‑determination.
• “Black Power” reframes aims and tactics.
• Commissions and communities debate outcomes.

What’s Included

(a single PDF with links to Google Docs/Slides; if print format is preferred you can download from your Google Drive to Word/PDF/PPT/etc.)

• Readers Theater script (~9 pages, 10 scenes, ~15 characters, editable Google Doc/PDF)
• Teacher Guide (10 pages) with scene summaries, primary‑source context, CCSS alignment, discussion questions
• Student Worksheet deck (25 Google Slides) covering vocabulary, short‑answer, analysis & extension tasks
• 20‑question self‑grading Google Forms quiz

Skills Addressed

• Rhetorical analysis of speeches
• Performance‑based comparison of viewpoints
• Evidence‑driven discussion on strategy
• Academic vocabulary: nationalism, coalition, nonviolence

Primary Sources

• MLK, “I Have a Dream” (1963)
• Malcolm X, “The Ballot or the Bullet” (1964)
• Stokely Carmichael, “Black Power” (1966)

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Cold War & Civil Rights Bundle | 8 Readers Theater Scripts | SAVE 40%

1. The Iron Curtain & Truman Doctrine (1947)
2. The Korean War (1950–1953) [FREE DOWNLOAD]
3. The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
4. The Vietnam War and Protests (1955–1975)
5. Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
6. Montgomery Bus Boycott & Civil Rights Act of 1964
7. March on Washington & Malcolm X (1963–1960s)
8. Nixon and the Watergate Scandal (1972–1974)

Standards (CCSS)

• W.11-12.2
• SL.11-12.1
• SL.11-12.4
• L.11-12.4
• CCRA.R.2
• CCRA.W.2
• CCRA.SL.1
• CCRA.L.4
• RH.11-12.1
• RH.11-12.2
• RH.11-12.3
• RH.11-12.6
• RH.11-12.7
• RH.11-12.8
• RH.11-12.9