This year celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. by writing a bio poem. It is a perfect way to integrate literacy and technology while learning about the iconic civil rights leader and his contributions to the American civil rights movement in the 1960s.
Here is a step by step guide to help you do this with your kids.
Table of Contents
Martin Luther King Jr. Websites for Upper Elementary
The first step in this research project is to learn more about Martin Luther King Jr's life and accomplishments.
To do this, the kids select from an array of articles to read. On the research slide, the articles link to different websites perfect for upper elementary students. The kids have the opportunity to pick and choose the text they want to read.
Their research is not limited to just articles; encourage them to look at other mediums such as videos and picture books. Here is the list of websites for the kids started on their research.
Martin Luther King Jr. Questions
The next step of the project is to answer the questions based on what they have learned about Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. Digital Activity
After researching Martin Luther King Jr.'s life, the culminating project is for the kids to write a historical person bio poem based on what they have read. This project is similar to the bio poem done at the beginning of the school year.
Related: Bio Poems Writing Project for Back to School
To complete the Martin Luther King Jr. bio poem, the kids add their answers to the table in the draft slide.
You can use this opportunity to show the kids the different features of Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoints has available.
The final step is to add images of Martin Luther King Jr. to finalize their famous person bio poem. You can download the digital Martin Luther King Jr. bio poem template and planning sheets in my shop.
Martin Luther King Jr. Poem Presentation
The last part of this project is to present the bio poems by sharing them with the class. One website that is great for this is Padlet!
To share their bio poem, create a Padlet board for kids to add their project. Padlet has the option for kids to record their screen using the free extension from Padlet.
You can find the extension in the Google Chrome store.
On the day of the presentation, they listen to each other's recordings.
A benefit to having the presentations in Padlet is family members can also participate. Since there are limited opportunities for family members to be involved in the classroom, this is an easy and free alternative.
Wrapping It Up
As Martin Luther King Jr. Day quickly approaches writing a bio poem about this historical figure is one way to celebrate this iconic civil rights leader. Besides, writing a bio poem about a famous person allows the kids to deepen their understanding of who he was by making inferences based on his character traits.
