Education, K-12, Social Studies, Teaching Tools, Videos, Websites

Martin Luther King, Jr. Resources

In the United States, many of us will be celebrating the life of Martin Luther King Jr. next Monday.  Here are a few resources that can help our students to understand the impact this great man has had on our nation:

A simple interactive timeline with quotes for younger kids (grades 2-5)

National Geographic for Kids Video – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Remembered

MLK Animated Video Below (can also be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=k6Au81aHuSg#!)  Choose full screen, so comments are not viewable by students.

[vodpod id=Video.15934148&w=425&h=350&fv=%26rel%3D0%26border%3D0%26]

The Orange County Register Interactive (one of the many links from Larry Ferlazzo’s Best Websites for Learning about Martin Luther King, Jr.)

Read Write Think – Lesson resources for MLK Day (scroll to the bottom to find more resources for various grade levels)

Behavior, Critical Thinking, Education, K-12, Motivation, Teaching Tools

Three Good Things

Larry Ferlazzo - Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day

I read this article on Larry Ferlazzo’s blog, and experienced the same reaction he apparently did when he first realized he was missing a key piece to student’s reflections in the classroom.  I have been trying to incorporate more self-reflection into the school day, and now I see that I’ve forgotten a vital part of this.  Read Larry Ferlazzo’s article to find out what you may be omitting, too!

Education, K-12, Motivation, Teaching Tools, Uncategorized, Videos

My Favorite Inspirational Videos for Students

UPDATE (6/23/15): You can find an updated version of this post with additional video suggestions here.

I thought this might be a good time of year to summarize and emphasize some of the most valuable resources I have reviewed so far.  Today, I am offering a list of my Favorite Inspirational Videos for Students:

#3:  The Power of Words – I also mentioned this in yesterday’s post of Inspirational Videos for Teachers.  It is good for everyone, in my opinion, to be more thoughtful about what we say.  If our communication is not having the effect we desire, we should reconsider the way we are choosing to deliver our message.

#2:  The Kindness Boomerang – I have never done a post on this one.  I read about it recently on Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day, and knew right away that I would like to add it to my blog.  Although it is somewhat simplistic, it does show how our actions can effect many more people than we will ever know.

#1:  Times of India Tree Ad – This is a powerful video that shows how important one person can be in effecting change.  It says a lot – without any words.

Here are links to my original posts on #3 and #1: The Power of Words and Times of India Tree Ad.

Also, you might want to visit my Pinterest board of Inspirational Videos for Students here.

K-12, Student Products, Teaching Tools, Web 2.0, Websites

Draw a Stickman

Larry Ferlazzo offered a new link on his blog for a site called Draw a Stickman that I think could be really fun for the classroom.  The key to this site is the “Share” option.  At the end of the interactive story, a message appears.  When you choose to “Share”, you can determine the message.  You can then e-mail it to yourself and/or others.  If you want to use this to introduce a topic, you can e-mail it to yourself, save the link, and have your students help you create the stickman that brings the message.  You could also create several different messages, differentiating for your students, and offer them as links on your student server or on a teacher website.  If your students have e-mail addresses, such as e-pals, and are corresponding with someone for class, this would be a fun message for them to create and send.

3-12, Independent Study, Research, Teaching Tools, Videos

TED

If you have not visited www.ted.com, or downloaded the app, please do so as soon as you can.  The site is full of inspirational, though-provoking videos on a plethora of topics.  Of course, it is always advisable to preview a video before you make it available to your students, but TED also includes interactive transcripts that you can skim for any objectionable content.  Larry Ferlazzo had a great post recently on his blog that included various resources to accompany the TED talks, including a wiki in which teachers share their ideas for using it in the classroom.