Tag Archives: read aloud at home

Jan15

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Activity: Close Reading Activity for Distance Learning and Home School

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Photo by LeeAnn Cline on Unsplash

With the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday fast approaching, I thought I’d let all my readers know about the FREE close reading lesson available to download. I’ve had it on my teacher store on Teacherspayteachers for a couple years now, but would like to make it available for families and people teaching at home for this weekend. I know people like to do activities on MLKjr. Day, and it may be hard to go out and do community service this year due to the pandemic. But you can still participate by doing an activity at home to help your child understand why this holiday is important.

I developed this lesson in my classroom to specifically be taught around this time. I had noticed children were coming up from the grade before, 2nd or 3rd grade, without clearly understanding what his dream was. When asked about Martin Luther King Jr, they would respond that “He had a dream.” It was mostly due to the fact they were concrete thinkers and didn’t understand the abstract notion of what MLKjr’s Dream symbolized. I also would have a week of reading material on the civil rights movement using my district’s available reading books. So, this is a great lead into civil rights studies.

I would read the speech as a guided reading/read-aloud in my classroom. I’ve included a link to one book that is available like this. There are others, or you may already have one in your class or home library. Reading it before this downloadable lesson is recommended. It’s to show where the context is for the “I Have a Dream” references. Plus, focus on why he repeats the phrase, “I Have A Dream”, and discuss why he may have done that.

“I Have A Dream (Book & CD)” Link to purchase. There are other books like this available, but this is one that can be used with the downloadable lesson or another similar book with the speech text illustrated.

So, that is how I used this lesson in my classroom. I offer it now for use for other classrooms, online studies and of course, at home for families to discuss what Martin Luther King’s Dream actually was. And of course, talking or reading material about the civil right movements will help with this. I’ve included some links below.

All this will help children understand what is currently going on in our own country right now, with the current protests and BLM protests. Please let me know if you found this useful or general feedback in the comments below.

Download FREE Martin Luther King Jr. Dream Speech PDF Below!

22i-have-a-dream22-speech-close-reading-acitivtyDownload

Other Reading Material links for Children on the Civil Rights Movement:

“If You Were A Kid During the Civil Rights Movement”

“The Civil Rights Movement for Kids”

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend! Stay safe out there, and please, wear a mask!

-Tiffany Turner

Tiffany Turner is a children’s fantasy writer of the Crystal Keeper Chronicle series. She is the head writer and editor of the Indie Children’s Authors Connection blog.

Apr3

Interview with Yolanda Avery

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authorphoto Yolanda Avery

Yolanda Avery is the author of the book “The Adventures of Granny Fannie”.

I hope you are staying safe with your family, and have started a routine for your quarantine life if you’re area or state is in lockdown. Hopefully, over the next few weeks, I can find some more fabulous books and authors to interview along with more tips for distance learning. I’m proud to lend my 20 years of teaching experience to help out the parents finding themselves teachers all of a sudden during this pandemic crisis. I’ll try my best to support you.

This brings me to my next author I’d like to introduce to you. Yolanda Avery grew up in Louisiana with the dream to run her own business and to make a difference. She has been a screenwriter, writer and business entrepreneur. Her book, The Adventures of Granny Fannie, creates a unique, inspirational character that uses her rhyming conversations to inspire others during her adventures. I had the chance to talk with Yolanda about her memories of reading as a child, what authors influenced her and what writing means to her.

1) What is your favorite memory from reading as a child?

Yolanda Avery: My favorite memory from reading was from my dad. I can remember when I was about 6 or 7 years of old. My dad woke me up early in the morning, and he had prepared a tea party for the two of us. He had placed all of my stuffed animal friends around this white table I had in my room. It was during the holiday season because I remember that was my first taste of eggnog. He had all the cups at the table filled with this tasty beverage and chocolate chip cookies on each saucier.

Then he pulled out one of my favorite books. Of course, it was the book of nursery rhymes. The book was filled with so many of my favorite short stories. We spent hours at the table drinking and reading from my favorite nursery rhymes stories. This is a memory that I continue to share with my family.

2) Who was your favorite author and how did they influence you?

Yolanda Avery: Beatrix Potter was my favorite children’s author. As a child, I can remember dreaming that I lived in an imaginative world creating fantasies out of many daily tales. My mind often wondered in a world of “what if”. I love how her stories of Peter Rabbit seemed so real to me.

3) What is writing to you in one sentence?


Yolanda Avery: Writing to me is exhilarating!

granniefannycvrThe Adventures of Granny Fannie is a collection of short stories involving a grandmother character called Granny Fannie. Each story includes inspirational adventures all told through the enjoyment of rhyme. Granny Fannie will bring a hip and fresh look into many educational and life lessons told through the point of view of her unique personality.

The Adventures of Granny Fannie is available at: Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com.

For more information on Yolanda Avery, please visit her website at: https://yolandacavery.com/.