Dinkelmeyer students inspired by Dr. King's message

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s contributions to the civil rights movement were the subject of several reading and writing assignments at John Dinkelmeyer Elementary School in the North Bellmore School District.

Kindergartners drew pictures and wrote responses based on Dr. King’s quote, “Love is they key to the problems of the world.” Students were asked to think of ways they could spread love.

After reading “Martin’s Big Words,” first-graders wrote “I Have a Dream” pieces about the ways in which Dr. King changed the world. They also drew pictures based on words associated with him, such as freedom, kindness and truth.

Teacher Judith Ciccone took Tootsie Roll pops and changed the wrappers so that when students opened one, it was a different flavor, to teach them that it’s more important to judge someone based on what’s on the inside.

In fourth-grade classes, students watched a Brain Pop Jr. video about Dr. King and analyzed a reading passage using the RAFT method — restate, answer the question, for example, and tie it up. They determined the main idea of each paragraph.

Teacher Jeanne Patterson said the project connected social studies with literacy, as students took a current topic and used it to improve their reading and writing skills. Sixth-graders wrote acrostic poems from the word “dream.”

- Bridget Downes