I Have a dream......

During my very first week of (picking up classes) Student Teaching, I took the writing block. I have completed several writing prompts, creative ideas, etc... with my students. The week before Martin Luther King Day, I looked around for many different pinterest pins/blogs/etc... for a very cute MLK Creative Art/Writing Activity. Thanks to the teacher at this blog, for inspiring me and giving me this cute idea:
Awesome Teacher Blog

Materials Needed: 
-Brown Construction Paper
-Manilla/tan colored construction paper
-Long Construction paper 
-Heart Dicuts 
-Writing Prompt 

To begin my lesson, I discussed Martin Luther King with my first graders a little more. This gave them an appropriate understanding. This is the social studies content our first grade teachers chose to focus on that week, so the students already had some background knowledge.  I explained there are many things that we would LOVE to help change for the better for OTHERS (not just ourselves). For example: "Some students bring sad attitudes to school everyday.......I HAVE A DREAM THAT ALL STUDENTS WOULD COME TO SCHOOL EXCITED TO LEARN EVERYDAY!" 
I gave my students the procedural directions for the next step AFTER writing, these will be found further down. 

I sent my friends on their way to writing, while checking/helping with SOME spelling, making sure there were capitals, punctuation marks, and all that jazz!  When my students were done writing, and it was approved by my master teacher, the coteacher, or me THEN THEY SHOULD: 

1. Go to the back table and get 1 piece of long construction paper (black), 1 brown construction paper, 1 tan paper, and 1 heart dicut (and outline) with the words "I have a dream" wrote on it. 

2. The student took these items back to their desk, and traced their hands/wrist on the brown and tan construction paper. (NOTE: you often learn after your first time of implementing something, that children may have a hard time seeing their lines on the brown paper, so you may want to trace it in marker). 

3. The students would then cut out their arm/hands as well as any excess from their writing prompt.

4. Next the students were required to glue their writing prompt to the top of the long paper FIRST!!!

5. Then the students should glue their arms/hand in the bottom corners of the long paper, overlapping the fingers of the hand. In the middle of the hands, the students will glue their "I have a dream" heart dicut. 

6. Let these dry....we all have these students (my self sometimes included; can't be a hypocrite) who overload their cuttings with TOO much glue, or place it on the paper in the wrong spot, and the glue smears :)!!

Basic Prompt and Heart Dicuts:

FOUND BELOW ARE SOME OF MY Students' work....ENJOY: 

Mr. Haggard's Example 

I have a dream that we would clean up Ocilla to make it a beautiful place to live!

I have a dream that everyone would have peace!

Although MLK Day has passed, I hope this post finds you having a great day!

Bless,

Mr. Haggard