Kindergarten Unit Five: Being a Good American Sarah Blascovich Brown Teacher on Assignment
Unit Five Highlights
Available as a video presentation, with archival footage of Dr. King’s I Have a Dream speech, at – enter “martin’s big words” in the search bar. Discuss the events in the story that help us remember Dr. King today. Discuss why we celebrate Dr. King’s birthday as a national holiday. Students can create collages of symbols/objects representing Dr. King’s legacy or life. Teachers can help students create a class book about Dr. King’s legacy. Students can share their work with second grade students, who are also learning Dr. King, and the second graders could share in return. Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport
Kid-Friendly MLK Biography from the Library of Congress: Slide Show from later in MLK’s life at Scholastic: ndex.asp?article=previews# ndex.asp?article=previews# Lesson Plans from the MLK National Historic Site in Atlanta: _guides.htm _guides.htm Timeline of Dr. King’s life by a class in Oregon (great model for a similar activity): c/pages/buckman/timeline/kingframe.htmlhttp:// c/pages/buckman/timeline/kingframe.html Corporation for National & Community Service’s Kids Ideas for MLK Day – some could be adapted for classroom use: MLK Day Home Page: Website Resources
Literacy Resources: I Have a Dream M. L. King, Jr. My Brother Martin Christine K. Ferris Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Margaret McNamara My Drem of Martin Luther King Faith Ringgold Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King Jean Marzollo Martin Luther King, Jr. Wil Mara
Ideas from Math and Nonfiction, by Jamee Peterson Great book for integrating math & social studies Help students match presidents, coins, & values. Have students figure out what combinations of coins would equal a quarter, using an object with a value of a quarter. Help students see that with a given amount of money, they will have to choose what to buy. Discuss ways that people earn money (examples in standard KE1). Discuss ways that people spend money, and that most people work to earn an income to buy the things that they need – this could also be part of a token economy or class store! The Coin Counting Book by Rozanne Williams The Coin Counting Book by Rozanne Williams
Interdisciplinary Washington, Lincoln, & President’s Day activities: Multiple resources for President’s Day, including list of interactive websites & webquests: entsdaymuseum/pages/teachact.htm. entsdaymuseum/pages/teachact.htm List of President’s Day sites compiled by a Kindergarten teacher in California: President’s Day information from the White House: Another teacher site, including a virtual museum, literature list, and bibliography: Website Resources
Literacy Resources: President's Day David Marx President's Day David Marx President's Day Anne Rockwell President's Day Anne Rockwell Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books Kay Winters Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books Kay Winters Abe Lincoln’s Hat Martha Brenner Abe Lincoln’s Hat Martha Brenner Abraham Lincoln Wil Mara Abraham Lincoln Wil Mara George Washington Wil Mara George Washington Wil Mara George Washington & the General’s Dog Frank Murphy George Washington & the General’s Dog Frank Murphy
Teaching Unit Five: Individuals, Groups, & Institutions Need for rules/laws. Importance of Dr. King, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, & current president Role of Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, & White House Identify good citizenship Importance of being a good citizen Why we celebrate some citizens
Teaching Unit Five: Scarcity Compare different choices in different settings Review money as currency, how people earn money, and how people spend money Discuss choices of Dr. King, Lincoln, Washington Discuss “choosing” good citizenship, & the consequences of that choice