Dreams, Snow, and the Beach

New Year's Resolution...FAIL!  I missed my post last week.  First of all, I forgot to take pictures of my Martin's (below). Friday was a two hour delay and I was working diligently to fit everything in before the long weekend.  To the left, a pic of the snow that got us a two hour delay: 34, chilly. Secondly, I took MLK weekend and enjoyed myself; I thought nothing of school. To the right, a picture of what I did the very next day: 60, beautiful.  I figure I'll do two this week and that will make up for it? 

To celebrate Martin Luther King Day, before we left for the break, we wrote essays.  These essays weren't about MLK, but we used him as our inspiration.  We watched some Brainpops, read some stories, and had some discussions about what Dr. King did to make our world a different place.  We talked about his dream.  THEN, we talked about our dreams.  Where did we see the world in five years...ten....twenty?  How could they help make a difference?  They wrote about the dreams they had for the community, the country, and the world.  My kids are going to stop bullying, feed the hungry, run football camps, be role models to younger children, help refugees, teach adults how to read, etc.  The list goes on and on.  They have some big dreams, and MLK left some pretty big shoes to fill.  (Literally and figuratively...supposedly he wore a 10.5, according to ChaCha) :)  Not only did they write essays, but my favorite part....the MLK portraits.  Gotta love some 5th grade art!!!  Here are some of our final products:

If you didn't get a chance to do something to honor MLK, it's not too late. Black history month is coming up next month.  Tie this activity to anyone who helped change our world. Make sure your students know they can make a change, no matter how big or small! Happy MLK! 

Write on.