Tag Archives: read 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.

May4

Interview with Belle Brown

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In these hard times during the corona virus, it’s nice to read to your little one(s) about hugs. Here is a great picture book that tells of a cuddly porcupine that has to overcome the obstacle of his quills. Belle Brown is the author of the fabulous book, Porcupine Hugs. She wanted to bring the power of learning through storytelling with her writing. Each of her books develop children’s cognitive abilities, help parents bond with their child, and nurture a love for reading. I had a chance to talk to Belle Brown about her childhood reading memories, writing process, and future projects.

  • What is your favorite memory from reading as a child?

Belle Brown: When I was a child, my grandmother, a retired teacher, would bring us hand-me-down books from my older cousins when she would visit us every summer. I remember getting excited just knowing that I will have new books to read. I had no favourite books, back then, but I would re-read all the books that she brought home for us. I distinctly remember reading Green Eggs and Ham, though, when I was six.

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

Belle Brown: My favourite author is Dr. Seuss, and so I love to make silly rhymes and rhyming stories.

  • What subjects would you like to write about in future books?

Belle Brown: I would like to write more about learning books which introduces important concepts to toddlers and preschoolers. I would also like to add more to my learning series, Patrick the Piglet’s Learning Adventures Series.

porcupinehugscvrPorcupine Hugs is a picture book written in rhyming verse and illustrated to bring your child into the world of Perry the Porcupine. This persistent porcupine loves to give hugs. But he’s got one problem. His quills. What is a porcupine to do? Inspiring in the way he solves this problem, Perry will warm your heart as much as teach about positivity and positive thoughts for everyone. Filled with high frequency sight words, this picture book will uplift your child’s day as well as help them learn the building blocks for reading.

Porcupine Hugs is available at: Amazon.com as a Kindle Unlimited title.