Martin Luther King, Jr. is honored on the third Monday of January every year. For years a man by the name of John Conyers, a congressman from Michigan, worked to honor MLK with a national holiday. It wasn’t until 2000 that every state finally recognized this day. Teacher friends, we still have so much work to do on the topic of racial reconciliation and I believe we can start in classrooms with this Martin Luther King, Jr. poem.
If you are unfamiliar with shared reading, you can check out all the details here in this blog post where I share what to do and how our shared reading schedule would work.
Use the poem during your shared reading time and tie it to your social studies lessons for the week. This Martin Luther King, Jr. poem is a simple way to teach who he was and what he stood for as you honor him in your classroom.
CLICK HERE to grab the Martin Luther King, Jr. poem FREE!
After you are done using this for the week, be sure to give each student a copy to put inside their Song and Poem books to read and re-read during independent reading time.
When teaching about Martin Luther King, Jr. there are countless things to teach about his life and big topics as you discuss what he stood for, fought for, and ultimately died for.
Friends, your students are not too young for these topics. Of course, you want to teach them about who Martin Luther King, Jr. was, but you also can’t ignore really talking about what he stood for.
And you shouldn’t.
Talking about things that are true, even if they make you uncomfortable, is worth it! Kids can do great things and are capable of taking what we feel is complex and breaking it down to simplicity in a way that only kids can do.
If you are looking for a resource that will help jump-start your important conversations as you honor Martin Luther King, Jr. this print and digital flip book is perfect for you!
Use this to teach about a few of his historical life events and how students can learn from him to work towards racial reconcilation.
CLICK HERE to grab this in my shop!
If you are unsure of where to begin as you bring up these topics, start with sharing your own feelings. Kids can empathize well. They can relate to “I’m feeling sad.” or “I feel sad when I see _____.” They get that, friends. They do.
If you have any favorite read alouds or activities to do for this topic, leave a comment and let me know!
Want to use the latest research to boost your readers during small groups? This FREE guide is packed with engaging ideas to help them grow!
I’m a K-1 teacher who is passionate about making lessons your students love and that are easy to implement for teachers. Helping teachers like you navigate their way through their literacy block brings me great joy. I am a lifelong learner who loves staying on top of current literacy learning and practices. Here, you’ll find the tools you need to move your K-2 students forward!
9 Responses
This poem is adorable!! Thanks so much for sharing! I love that you connected it to a phonics concept:)
Kristy
The Phonics Phenomenon
I would like a copy of the MLK Jr. poem.
Simply click the link in the blog post above! It will make a copy for your Google Drive folder!
This is such a cute poem! Definitely will use for shared reading. We have been doing cvce words, so this is perfect timing. Thank you!
Wonderful, Euni!!
The poem is simple and the sweet message young kids can understand.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it with your kids, Erin!
I love this simple poem put to a familiar tune. My three year old class will love it!
We talk about being kind and taking care of our environment.
Thanks!