Let There Be Peace

We read this book in class today.  The students enjoyed it and it was a great conversation starter.

     Martin Luther King Jr. has always been a favorite day of mine.  No presents, no gimmicks.  It's just a day to commemorate a great man who was not afraid to stand up for what was and still is right. "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter," said Dr. King.  His birthday is a great day to talk about the things that mattered to Dr. King.  Peace, and brotherly love were our topics today.

   Following our discussion of what peace looks like we made a chart recording our ideas about peace.  We shared the pen to write ing, ed, and s endings.  Then each student wrote about what they thought peace was while I worked with small groups to make doves, a symbol of peace.  I was pleased that most students did not copy the chart!  They came up with even more ideas on their own.  Here are a couple of their thoughts:

Peace is a quiet house. (Isn't that true...I like that kind of peace.  Although there's sometimes something
                                        suspicious about it!)

Peace is relaxing on my bed.
Peace is not being mean.
Peace is not calling people fat.
Peace is a happy heart.





   Here is a sample by one of my students who is a peace loving child!  Writing has not always come easily for him, so I was especially happy when he did the whole assignment without using the word "can't"!

Peace is a quiet room laying down and relaxing and a loving heart being nice not mean.  It is not yelling , not fighting, not hurting.  It is using kind words.

Finally I have to close with my favorite MLK quote:

“We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not yet learned the simple art of living together as brothers.”

The hand print idea came from The Mailbox Organize January Now!