Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Martin Luther King and Black History Month

The Story of Martin Luther King Jr.A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Picture Book Biographies)Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground RailroadFreedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins
The Story Of Ruby Bridges: Special Anniversary EditionThe Other Side

January is quickly approaching!  Prepare for Martin Luther King Day and Black History Month (Feb.) with the following resources. The books pictured above are great resources for your classroom library. 
You can find a reader's theater for Freedom on the Menu by Carole Weatherford here.  It is about a child who wants to eat a banana split in a drugstore, but can’t because she is not white. The author offers a great lesson plan on her website.  She uses a Langston Hughes poem, photographs, and links to Jim Crow Laws.  This book is based on the Greensboro Sit-Ins of 1960. Check out her entire Website!

Sarah Chauncey developed a wonderful website that is now archived.  You will find reader’s theaters, Ebook links, poetry links, and much more.   Download The Grandview Library’s Reader’s Theaters ppt. for grades K—3.  These are short and perfect for shared  reading.  A more lengthy play (Martin Luther King, Jr.,THE STORY OF A DREAM, a play by June Behrens)  and perfect for a school presentation can be found here
Several Ebooks on famous African Americans, including Martin Luther King can be found here.
An activity for middle grades and high school, If You had a Dream, can be found here.  Students rewrite portions of the speech into their own words.

PBS has a lesson plan for grades 9-12 using MLK’s I Have a Dream Speech here.

You can find several days of lesson plans, including resources here at Teachers.net.  This is an oldie, but a goodie! Lessons adapt well to balanced literacy.

The following were simply typed and made ready for print.  I am not the author.  They are available on many sites.





Download Choral Reading by Joan Nichols

Download Speech by Joan Nichols

More ideas:
ReadWorks has grade level comprehension passages!
Preschool Ideas...Wonderful resource!
Using your read-alouds, create a timeline of MLK's life!
Listen or Watch to Dr. King's speech
Arts and Crafts activities to promote diversity
Great activities from KidsActivites.net
Black History Clipart...Free from Phillip Martin
TLC Writing and Art Display (archived) Makes a great Classroom display!  You can see an example over at "Chalk Talk" of this activity, as well as many others.
And finally.....

My Dream for K-2


Sandi











Saturday, December 17, 2011

Country Christmas


I love this Santa that a local farmer creates every year.

  

Santa wishes you a Merry Christmas!

Monday, December 12, 2011

Snowmen at Christmas Writing Prompts


Snowmen at Christmas

Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn and Mark Buehner is such a fun book for sparking imagination in writing workshop!
 What would your snowman do at night while you are asleep?  Do they enjoy Christmas as much as we do?  
Here are two writing prompts to use with your class after you read the book!


Sunday, December 11, 2011

Counting Fives and Tens Free Now!



 






Hope you are ready for this last week of school!  This week you can download the Counting Fives and Tens at my TPT store.  I like to use cookie sheets and this adapts well.  Students can put the presents in order, then practice!
Hope you can find a use for this!   Download here!
Merry Christmas!