IN THE CLASSROOM:

Newport Beach Elementary School first-grade teacher Terri DeSouza faced a conundrum when it came to her students.

How do you get a class of mostly white children to grasp what the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was fighting for?

She gave them an example in a way they could understand. She asked the students how they would feel if the students with brown or blond hair were not allowed to go to that school simply because of their hair color.

“It makes them so sad,” she said.

“Martin Luther King has helped all the blacks have the same rights as all the whites,” said 10-year-old Emily Vaccaro. She said it must have been difficult living in the world the way it used to be. “They don’t get to know each other and be friends,” she said.

Last week, DeSouza’s students learned a lesson about King’s dream. Fifth-grade teacher Tiffany Lewis’ students partnered with the 6- and 7-year-olds to review the famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

“Usually it’s me talking at them all day long,” Lewis said. “It’s fun to see them take on that leadership role. Sometimes you have a kid, kind of like a goof ball. But then you see them with the younger kids and it’s like ‘look at you!’”

Teaming the older kids with the younger ones helps them learn the material more and really understand King’s messages, Lewis said.

“When we’re talking about responsibilities and respect, what does that mean?” Lewis said. “I think it’s beneficial for [the fifth-graders] to be in that leadership role.”

“Just knowing they look up to you and they think of you as someone to listen to and follow is kind of nice,” said 10-year-old Cole Cooper.

The 1960s seems like long ago for the students, DeSouza said. She reminds them that much of the activism happened in their parents’ or grandparents’ times.

“[King] did a lot of things to change laws and change the way we think,” Lewis said. “It’s fun to watch the kids try and grasp the concept.”

First- and fifth-graders read passages from King’s speech. DeSouza said there were plenty of misunderstandings about King she had to clear up, including that he was president. But the students understood what may be the most important part of King’s legacy: He was a good man who strove to change the nation.

The teachers then challenged the students to have their own dreams and to put them on paper.

With the war and global warming often capturing the headlines, students’ dreams expectedly fell in line.

Many dreamed of no more littering or no one smoking cigarettes. One girl said she wanted cars to stop relying on fossil fuels. Another wanted the Iraq troops to return home safely.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at joseph.serna@latimes.com.