Impromptu MLK Lesson Goes Off Without a Hitch

Today I brought in a recording of Dr King’s “I Have a Dream” speech- well, the last five minutes of it anyway. I just wanted to have it on hand in case the other teachers needed it, but I ended up teaching a 40 minute lesson twice, to both 1st grade classes. It went really well. First we met in a circle and shared what we knew about Dr. King- who he was, when he lived, why he is famous. We’ve been reading books about him, so this was just sort of review (and much needed, as one boy declared that Dr. King had ended slavery!) Then we talked about his famous speech- we looked at a photo of the event and marveled at all of the people in attendance. I told them about how he put down his notes and spoke from his heart, and how even now, many years later, his words continue to touch our hearts. Finally, I had them spread out around the room and lie down and close their eyes. I played them the excerpt, and both groups were enraptured for the full 5 minutes (a long time for 6 year olds!) They were silent and still, and afterwards they all agreed they’d gotten goose-bumps. We met again in our circle and talked about the pictures that grew in our minds as we listened- what we imagined. Then I gave them nice paper and they drew those images. It was like the classroom was bewitched. The kids worked really hard on their illustrations, and I felt so proud of them.