I’ve gathered ideas that I have used
with great success in my classes over the years to celebrate Martin Luther
King, Jr. Day. These are great activities to do in preparation for the
holiday, since we are not in school on this day!
It is always my hope that these
experiences will serve as a reminder to my students that the journey toward
better understanding and respect for one another is both worthwhile and
ongoing.
We make posters and complete the
sentence, “I have a dream that all the people in our country . . .” to
compliment the poster. We take these on a PEACEFUL MARCH around the
school campus. When we return we discuss how it felt to share our
message.
We learn the song “We Shall Overcome”
and the meaning of these words. We sing this song for our families at our
“Freedom Celebration Open House” in my classroom.
We collect seeds of all different
shapes, sizes, and colors and plant them in a giant pot so that they may sprout
side by side. Once these are large enough, we transplant them outside of
our classroom in a small garden. This is a great demonstration of the
beauty of diversity! It is an example of Dr. King’s dream to see people
of all races, colors, religions, and beliefs living together in harmony!
Each student creates a book in the
shape of a “Peace Sign” and fills each page with something they can do to make
this world a more peaceful place. Each child shares his/her book during
our “Freedom Celebration Open House” and receives a “Peace Prize” certificate
afterward! A very proud moment for my students!
I read aloud to my class a variety of
stories about Martin Luther King, Jr. Many of these I prepare for the
students to use as a Reader’s Theater. We perform these Reader’s Theaters
during our “Freedom Celebration Open House.” Click on each of the three
Reader's Theaters below to see a sample.
