MLK: How are YOU helping others?

As relaxing as Christmas break is, it seems once you come back to school you have to hit the ground running. Well, we've been really moving in Room 238. As the birthdate of Martin Luther King is rapidly approaching, I wanted to do something a bit different in honor of this man. Many times students will write about their own dreams. While this is exciting and a fantastic way to encourage children, I wanted to have my students put themselves on the back burner and focus on...yes, you guessed it others.

We read a few books about Martin Luther King and the sacrifices he made during his lifetime and the goals he wanted to accomplish. We spoke on how he solved problems without the use of violence but through peace and example. I love that about him!

 

I took a picture of each student and had them create a ''thoughtful'' expression for the photo. They were to answer the question HOW DO I HELP OTHERS? I did an example on the board with guidelines on what I expected from their writing:

•  5 sentences
• CUPS {Capital letters, understanding or making sure the sentences make sense, punctuation, and proper spacing}
• Finally, their writing had to be NEAT!

 

These are a few samples that are posted out in our stairwell. Yes, I said stairwell not bulletin board. My classroom does not have a wall nearby to post student work but I quickly solved that problem. I took over a nearby stairwell and made it come alive with student work. The students get so used to seeing their work that when it comes time to take it down, they realize how plain and boring the stairwell becomes. :) Fantastic motivation to do even MORE writing projects!!

 

 

I love how the black and white photos pop with the bright colored backgrounds. They turned out fantastic and the best part was the students moved through the drafting stage FASTER than ever before!! Maybe break was beneficial in more than one way!!

 

How do you help others??

**All students posted have given their written permission to have their photograph published on this blog.**