If the kids have already learned about Martin Luther King Jr. in first grade, you can now help them to appreciate his "I Have a Dream" speech. Lecture the students on the things that he did in his life, including his message of equality. Find a video of his "I Have a Dream" speech and have the kids watch it during class. When the video is over, have the kids write about what it means to them.
Set up your own version of Jeopardy with the theme of African American leaders and historical events. Come up with categories, like "Civil Rights Movement," "Rosa Parks" and "Harriet Tubman" and write them along the top of the white board or chalk board. Place cards with five questions below the categories and cards with the numbers 100 through 500. Split the class into groups to compete and remember to keep score.
Give the kids a lesson on traditional African storytelling and how the storyteller passed stories on to the younger generations. Find an African folktale, such as "Bimwili and the Zimwi" by Verna Aardema and read it to the class as you drum a beat. Make a homemade drum out of an empty oatmeal container, or make several so you can have some of the kids volunteer to drum along. Use a different voice for each character.
Explain to the children what segregation was and read "Don't Ride the Bus on Monday" by Louise Meriwether to the class to teach them about Rosa Parks, the bus boycott and the beginning of the civil rights movement. Discuss the difference between the unjust law of segregation and the laws that are enforced to protect people. Have the children talk about how they would feel if they couldn't sit where they wanted on the bus because of the way they look.