Today, we all spent some time learning about and reflecting on the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. I started by reading a few books about MLK to the younger kids. Airon had already read a couple of biographies on the subject. The reading sparked an interest in MLK's speeches. All of us watched his famous "I Have a Dream" speech on YouTube. We followed that with the last speech that he gave the day before his assassination. I got goosebumps when he said, "Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will." The fact that he was killed the very next day makes it seem so prophetic.
After some excellent discussion, I asked the boys to create a project of their choosing that would demonstrate their individual understanding of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life. Armed with art supplies and a load of new vocabulary, they went to work.
Soren created a mini pop-up book out of index cards. It's not quite finished or I would have taken a photo. He is waiting for a print picture of MLK. Our printer is not working right now.
Airon took a traditional approach. He wrote a timeline of the modern Civil Rights movement. He did an excellent job, and he showed a wonderful understanding of all of the new vocabulary.
Spencer created this original "fact snake"
I really loved the creativity of his design. Much of his text was copy work. However, he did dictate the last panel to me. My favorite part of his fact snake was the little drawing of MLK giving his "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
Maya decided to make her own drawings of Martin Luther King, Jr.:
We ended up reading, researching, and creating for over 2 hours! The activity naturally flowed from the start to the gradual end. They were all very excited and energized by their projects. I am continually proud of their compassion and respect for humankind.
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