MLK

Last week and this past Monday, we talked about Martin Luther King, Jr. As with most of our Science and Social Studies topics, we started by watching the BrainPOP on MLK.

It took us about a day and a half to get through our BrainPOP. We also split into groups to see what segregation would be like. The kids were split into boy/girl, hair color, eye color and height. They were then told they could only talk to people in their group. They quickly saw how unfair that was!

After we watch the BrainPOP, we watched a Reading Rainbow (because they're awesome and informative!) about MLK. I used to love Reading Rainbow day in the library when I was a kid. I think Gregory the Terrible Eater was my favorite.

Thursday and Friday the kids wrote about MLK and made the paper craft to hold him together. I wasn't there to snap pics of them working, but I saw their work when I got back. The did great!

{picture upload to come soon!}

Monday, when I got back, we did an MLK science/diversity activity with different colored eggs. Each of the 5 or 6 tables in the room had a different colored egg at it. Each student also had their own paper to record on.

Egg 1 was whichever egg was at their table. Egg 2 was the egg at a table next to them. The kids colored their eggs first, then their egg 2's. 

The fun part was when they got to crack the eggs open!

Once the eggs were cracked open the kids compared the egg insides and colored them.

Even though the eggs were different colors on the outside, they were the same on the inside ... just like people!

I'm proud of the conversations I heard going on at tables during this activities and the kids' responses. I'm glad I have gotten to work with some amazing kiddos this year!

School Wide Election Day!

Last month, our school held an Election Day just like the real one! (Ours was also November 8th, I'm sorry I'm so far behind!) The week before, the kids watched a couple of animated stories about elections. They watched Duck for President and Grace for President. We talked about what an election is, how your vote is a personal decision that you have, how to be respectful of others if  you talk about who you vote for, and the voting process. Each student filled out a voter registration application and a voter registration card the Monday before our election. We talked about how when you vote as an adult, you have to be registered to vote. We also talked about what the ballot was going to look like so they would be familiar with it.


Pre-K voted on their favorite snack from snack day (pickles, popcorn, pixy stix and Hi-C), Kindergarten voted on who they wanted to win the Duck and Grace election (from the 2 books we watched) and 1st and 2nd Grade voted on the National Presidential Election.

After Voting, everyone received an "I Voted Today!" sticker!

Tuesday, the kid brought their registration cards into the hallway and lined up to get their ballots. They took their ballots to a voting booth, colored in their vote, and placed it in their grade level's ballot box!

During the school day, 2nd grade students made the announcement for who the winners of each grade level's election was.