Every year my little ones are surprised and saddened when they are taught of the injustices that people of the past faced. They are inspired by the bravery that each hero had in their fight to make changes in our society. My heart melts to see the compassion in my students' eyes as I teach them about a topic that can sometimes be uncomfortable to discuss. Martin Luther King Jr. becomes a quick hero, Rosa Parks is instantly incredible and Ruby Bridges is almost like another student that is in our own class!
Here is the journey we took to learn about Martin and his friends...
We read lots of books.
We watched a simple BrainPOP Jr. {found here} and this youtube video.
Another online resource is this Scholastic News Magazine.
We learned about Martin's Rainbow of Dreams. The students got to create a bracelet to help remember Martin's dream. I loved how they wore the bracelet for the rest of the week!
We completed several activities and crafts from this unit.
We also did a Martin Luther King Jr. directed drawing...I always love how they turn out!
The students shared the dreams they have for making the world a better place too.
Another activity that we completed was inspired by lots of pins on pinterest and this book!
{Again, I can not take credit for this idea...I saw tons of pins on pinterest and I stole the idea.} We read the book and reflected on how things look so much better with lots of colors and diversity. The kids definitely got the connection!
{Idea inspired by Read Write Sing!}
Grab your free copy of the activity and the bulletin board pieces by clicking on the picture above! {This is an editable file (so you can personalize it with your own name) that you will open in powerpoint!}
Looking for more resources to teach about MLK? Check out these on TPT...
{FREEBIE}
Hope this post helps with your MLK plans! Happy Weekend!!