Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" demonstrates that even the smallest punctuation mark signals a stylistic decision, distinguishing one writer from another and enabling an author to connect with an audience. In this mini-lesson, students first explore Dr. King's use of semicolons and their rhetorical significance, then apply the lesson to their own writing by searching for ways to follow Dr. King's model and use the punctuation mark in their own writing. Class discussion provides an opportunity for students to analyze Dr. King's letter, review rules of punctuation, and make connections to their own writing. While this lesson refers to the "Letter from Birmingham Jail," any text which features rhetorically significant use of semicolons may be used effectively with the procedures of this mini-lesson. (author/ncl)

All students need to be able to use correct punctuation. This lesson shows how the semicolon can be effectively used to enhance meaning in letters and other texts. Shorter and longer samples of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s works are available to use as models and for practice.