Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

Let me preface this post about my students by saying that the names listed in this and any further posts are not the real names of my students. I have devised some pseudonyms for them to protect their precious little identities. I’m hoping this won’t cause me to struggle when I address them in the classroom. I’m sure I will let you know.

My post today took place a little over 4 hours ago as my mentor teacher, Mrs. Porterfield, filled out a KWL chart on Martin Luther King Jr. For those of you who ask, “What is a KWL chart?” Let me tell you. The letters stand for three questions: What do you Know? What do you Want to know? And what did you Learn?

Since we taught the students a little bit last week about King, we wanted to see what they remembered before listening to the read-aloud.

Here’s what they said. If it seems boring at first, imagine second-graders saying these things, and keep reading… I promise it’s adorable!

What do you Know about Martin Luther King Jr?

>He was shot

>He had a dream.

>That white and black people would be friends

>He got an award.

>He was a friend of Rosa Parks.

>He got arrested.

What do you Want to Know about Martin Luther King Jr.?

>What he eats

>How good was he at basketball?

>What shoes did he wear? (Dominic responds: “We don’t need to ask that. You can just look at the picture in the book and see.”)

>Did he play soccer?

>How old was he when he died? (Molly: “That’s tricky.” Like answering the other questions was a simple feat!)

What did you Learn about Martin Luther King Jr.?

>He was 39 when he died. (Lynn: “That means he would have turned 40 yesterday.” Mrs. Porterfield: “No, he’s dead.” Lynn: “Then how old did he turn yesterday?” Mrs. Porterfield: “He didn’t turn anything. He’s dead.” Lynn: “Hmmm.”)

>He was a minister.

>He protested peacefully.

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day Everyone!