What I Did to Teach About MLK, Jr.

Aloha! This past week has been cuh-razy!  Report cards went home last Thursday, my Quarter 3 weekly planner is currently past due, and my beautiful little sister was here all week.

Here she is on a little hike we took near my favorite beach.  The rock in the background is iconic for Lanai and is called Sweetheart Rock, or Pu‘u Pehe (you can read about the legend here). This was her first trip to Lanai and it was soooo nice to spend time with her!

In addition to some island sight-seeing and adventures, I did some fun MLK activities with my students.

First off, we started by reading our Scholastic News magazine.  This helped build some background knowledge.

I then read one of my many Martin Luther King, Jr. books.  

I chose March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed The World by Christine King Farris.

We then watched my FAVORITE MLK book on video, Martin's Big Words.  Watch it here on Teachertube. 

After learning all about Martin, we put our new knowledge to the test and created Simply Skilled in Second's MLK Flip Flap books.  They turned out so cute! Here is a student using his magazine to fill out the pages. 

I didn't copy the last two pages on legal sized paper to make them longer, so I just stapled the books across the bottom to make them match up.  Worked perfect!

I love this rainbow one!

 We then got to work on the Martin craft I have done for the past 3 years.  Check out this post for directions and a freebie template if you are interested.

Even the art teacher was impressed!  I had 3rd graders who were in my class last year stop by the room and reminisce over making these last year. Such sweet kids!

I love teaching about Martin Luther King, Jr.  He brings such a great message about peace and equality.  I shared this quote on my FB page last week:

Do you have a favorite quote or activity that you use each year to teach about MLK, Jr? Please share!