Martin Luther King Jr. FREEBIE

Martin Luther King Jr.  ~ Timeline Freebie

 

The life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is an important part of history.  WE all have the responsibility to teach our students about this amazing leader.    Often I hear teachers talk about how they can't fit in Social Studies as much as they would like - due to curriculum overload and simply not enough time in the day.  I am sure we all work very hard to try to squeeze it in ~ but at times we fall short of the mark when it comes to doing a man like Martin justice.  I hate hearing teachers say they touched on it for a day.  I spend the entire week immersing my students in the life of MLK Jr.  I find those teachable moments and run with it ~ this unit offers so much to learn  - not just the history - but life lessons that all children will benefit from. 

  

   In my 21 years in the classroom, I have found that integrating Social Studies and Science are the only way to fit it in.. so I have developed numerous integrated units to complement the units I need to teach.

Here is a preview of our unit that was just UPDATED this week ~ I love the clipart from Melonheadz and Creative Clips - it makes the unit so much better!!

Thanks to Nikki at Melonheadz and Krista from Creative clips for their amazing work!

 

 

To help you get started we want to share this FREEBIE with  you !

This is part of the larger unit shown above.   

Here is a peek at it - click here to download.

 

 

 

Let's take the time and teach our students about this amazing leader!   He deserves the recognition!

Honor Dr. King this year and every year!

 

SHARK WEEK FREEBIE

 

All teachers know that kids learn more when they’re excited and engaged. Today a team of bloggers come together to help your students take a BITE out of learning with a theme your students are sure to love!

 

The quickest way for my little learners to be involved in the lesson is when I start it off by asking a question or asking them to share their own experiences. Making real life connections with kids really helps them focus on what it is I will be teaching.

For example for my lesson on CLOSE READING using the SHARK FREEBIE below, I may say something like "How many of you have ever seen a real shark before?" or   "Turn and tell a friend one fact your know about sharks."  

Another way I help my students get excited about learning is to add their names into my lesson examples.   In math this lends itself nicely when we work on word problems.    This easy strategy helps spark their interest and sometimes I can show something I know about them (for instance, if I know Danny plays soccer, I can do a math problem about his minutes of soccer practice).

Of course, picking topics the students are interested in always helps, too!   The best way to teach your kiddos the more challenging curriculum is to USE material they are excited about.  ANIMALS are often a favorite topic for my students.  If you are teaching CLOSE READING and need a topic - animals might be your best bet. 

My Shark Week freebie is a shark-themed close reading passage from my Animal Close Read product. If you haven’t tried these out before, they give kids an easy, non-intimidating way to begin close reading.  Here are some sample pages you will find in this FINTASTIC FREEBIE!

 

 

 

You can read more about how to do a CLOSE READ with your class in our post from a few weeks ago.  Click here!

If you like our Freebie - you can find more of these engaging ANIMAL articles in our CLOSE READ packet. 

                      




Be sure to go for a swim in the linky party below. Every blog in the Shark Week Blog Hop features a fishy freebie for you and your students- but hurry!

Shark Week only lasts until Sunday, August 17th

 

You can grab more SHARK WEEK Freebies HERE!

     Don't miss out on our Diggin' In Series Giveaway- that is going on all week too!   ENTER HERE and win some great prizes!

ARE you READY??

HERE is a starter list JUST for TEACHERS to help you be prepared for setting up your classroom!

We hope this helps you feel a little more organized for

 BACK to SCHOOL! 

If you would like a copy of the checklists pictured above - CLICK HERE!

# 1  Must HAVE for Back to School

I am looking forward to setting up my Ultimate Teacher Binder that I got from my friend Joey Udovich ~ Talk about amazing !!  This binder has it all - and it really took some pressure off me!  I feel like I have everything at my fingertips to stay organized for the upcoming school year!  Thank you Joey!  

You can check out her binder in her TPT store!

She even has videos posted on HOW to assemble and use the binder so you get the most out of it!

               # 2  Must HAVE for Back to School

Bins for your leveled books in  your classroom library.  The ones pictured here are from Really Good Stuff or you can check out your local Dollar Store, Dollar Tree, Big Lots or Wal-Mart for baskets that are much less expensive.   You can see my book baskets in this picture.

               # 3  Must HAVE for Back to School

I use these tall bins in my classroom for various things.. MAINLY they are perfect for  my  Reader's Workshop.  The students store their Independent reading books here and their Reader's Workshop binders.  Then when it is time for Readers Workshop I call the group by colors.  I coordinate their book bins with the color of their take home BOOK BAGS.  (# 4 must have on this list)

                # 4   Must HAVE for Back to School

I used these BOOK bags for my students this year to carry home their books for the week. 

They were required to keep a Reading log and every Monday they would turn it in. 

Grab your copy of the Reading log here.  The children gained fluency and improved their comprehension because they read the same 6 books over and over throughout the week.  Find out more about this LOG in a future post.  (follow us on bloglovin')

READING LOG SAMPLE

Click HERE to grab a copy of this Reading log FOR FREE !

                                     # 5   Must HAVE for Back to School

 This Lucy Calkins inspired product will be just what you need to decorate your Writing area when setting up your room this year.   Included in this product:

You can grab this Writing product in our TPT store! 
Don't forget the SALE everything is 28% off so put it on your wish list and check one more thing off your TO DO list! 

WE hope you all have a wonderful BACK TO SCHOOL experience.  Please leave us a comment and tell your very own MUST HAVE for the beginning of the year.  WE would love to hear from you!