Martin Luther King Craftivity

I knew just the sort of craft I wanted to do for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  Basically, I wanted to do the same style as the "No David" craft I attempted at the start of the year and struggled with.

Part of the reason I wanted to do this was to redeem myself.  I've gotten better at dealing with first graders in general and I know my students.  But also I knew that they have made so much progress since September.  I knew this was going to go much better.

And it did.

I used a template that I "inherited." It was a hard copy so I don't have a store link, but the copyright information says it's from "A. Munroe" (does anyone know this person so I can give a link?).  I tracked down the author and found that Amber Monroe's blog is School is a Happy Place.  Her unit is called Make Way for MLK and at time of writing you can get it free from her blog!  Thanks, Amber! 

I modified her template to simplify the process.  First, we didn't using tracers.  The head and hands were printed onto brown construction paper (did you know you can run construction paper through the copier?  I don't recall exactly how many years ago I learned this, but it's a top tip!).  I also drew his hair, nose and mouth for them.

Then I drew eyes on white paper, all on one sheet, and simply gave each kid a strip with 2 eyes on it so they could cut them out.  The eyes had no detail except for the shape.

Then I demonstrated which parts they needed to draw:  Mustache, eyebrows, pupil, and eye color.  I asked if they knew what color EVERYONE'S pupils are.  Some didn't realize we all have black ones.  It was fun watching them all lean over their desks and stare at each other's eyes trying to see if it's really true!

After our deep discussion on why Martin Luther King was important, it was nice having an attractive craft for the hallway to draw attention to what we've been learning.  This activity is a keeper!


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