EP 124 Planning for January Part 1
Welcome educators! Before we get started I want to share with you the amazing resources I have available to you. To learn more and download some engaging resources go to myadventuresinesl.com/store.
Teaching at times can feel frustrating. I get it! I want to start this week’s episode with our weekly affirmation and a reminder. You are more than enough. You are a competent and hard-working teacher. You are patient and embrace the diversity of your classroom. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication.
Today’s episode aims to provide you with a weekly lesson plan for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Use this guide to assist and inspire the planning for your week.
Day 1: Before deep diving into any lesson, taking the time and deep diving is important. Day 1 of every lesson will be about building background knowledge. One of my favorite ways to build background knowledge is through videos. For Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday there are wonderful videos on Brainpop Jr. You can also access this video for free on the Brainpops YouTube channel. After having the students watch the video, you can review by having the students do a Blooket, Kahoot, Quizizz, or your class’s favorite review game.
Day 2: As you enter Day 2 of MLK Day, this will be a great opportunity to incorporate engaging activities. An example of an activity you can do is a diversity lesson. During this lesson, you can explain diversity through a read-aloud. One of my favorite picture books (perfect for all ages) is “I Am Enough” by Grace Byers. I will link a list of magnificent books that celebrate diversity. Before you spend any of your money, check the public and school libraries for these books.
Day 3: In every weekly lesson, I want to encourage you to include a skill
focus. This is a way you can ensure that you are teaching your students the critical reading skills that they need. This week’s reading skill focus is summarizing. Summarizing can be taught in a mini-lesson, and it is a skill that students will return to throughout the school year. I would also encourage you to incorporate anchor charts and graphic organizers to further support the students.
Day 4: The fourth day of this lesson will be a close read about Martin Luther King, Jr. I have a leveled Martin Luther King, Jr. close read lesson available in my Teacher Pay Teacher store. There are also various Martin Luther King, Jr. articles you can access.
Day 5: The last day of the lesson is a way for students to demonstrate what they learned. For this lesson have the students listen to a snippet of the “I Have a Dream” speech. Then, the students will write a paragraph (based on the WIDA standards) about a dream they have for their family, friends, and/or city. You can even have the students read the paragraph into an app like Flipgrid, and other students can provide feedback in the app. I also have this included in the Martin Luther King, Jr. close read lesson located in my Teacher Pay Teacher store My Adventures in ESL.
If you found value in today’s episode, go to myadventuresinesl.com/store to get the full detailed lesson plan mentioned in this episode. The lesson includes 2 full weeks of lesson plans and activities. Also, share this post with other teachers. Have an amazing week!
You can download the transcript here.
