Dreaming Big!

As we looked toward understanding and celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. a couple of weeks ago in class, I was trying to think of a simple way for my students to connect to Dr. King's message.  We began by watching a video version of one of my all-time favorite picture books, Martin's Big Words, which can be found here.  We also studied a timeline of his life in our weekly magazine, Time for Kids.

Then, students brainstormed what "dreams" they had for themselves and the world they live in.  We discussed inequalities in our world, needs, wants, etc.  Then, the students completed thought bubbles with their ideas for world change.  I took each child's picture in the perfect "thinking" pose and threw it all together outside our classroom.  This was a quick, simple activity that had a big, meaningful impact.  

The display is quite simple (there was no time for fancy border or die-cut machines today!), but the kids have really enjoyed seeing themselves "thinking" and reading their classmates' responses:

I've finally gotten parent-approval to post students' pictures, so I'm happy to share some up-close examples:

Like I said, this was a simple, but meaningful way to connect the legacy of Dr. King to my students' lives.  They really enjoyed the process and produced high-quailty work!

-KQ