K. Merriott's Book Selection

                                                                                                      


 K. Merriott said...

“Martin’s Big Words” is a beautifully written and illustrated book about the life of one of history’s greatest leaders and speakers, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The author of the book is Doreen Rappaport and the illustrator is Bryan Collier. This book won the Best Illustrated Children’s Book award by the New York Times in 2001. This particular book also lends itself well to a K-3 audience because the words are simple and easy to understand. I chose to review this book because it tells the story of a gifted leader and speaker who taught people to fight back with nonviolence instead of violence. It tells the story of how Dr. King suffered from segregation in the Deep South, and eventually grew into a key player in ending racial segregation. For ten years, Martin led nonviolent protests in order to end segregation. People threatened to kill him and his family. His house was bombed, and his brother’s house was bombed. He still refused to stop fighting for what he believed in. His hard work paid off when The Civil Rights Act was finally passed on July 2, 1964. Sadly, nearly four years later, Dr. King was assassinated in April 1968. Our society, however, still reaps the fruits of his words and works even today.

All too often, we look forward to certain holidays as being a vacation day without knowing the significance of the holiday. Martin Luther King Day is one of those holidays whose significance should be discussed with our students. After reading “Martin’s Big Words”, ask students to try to imagine what our society would be like today if Dr. King had not fought for desegregation. Engage students in accountable talk by posing such questions as, “Do you think that there would still be segregation amongst blacks and whites?”, “Do you think that segregation now would affect other races besides blacks and whites?”, “How would our personal lives possibly be different if segregation still existed?” You could also ask students questions such as, “Have you ever been treated differently or been left out because you were different from others?”, “How did it make you feel?”, “What supposedly made you different from others?” Point out to students that skin color is not the only thing that can segregate people. Ask students if they can think of other factors that can lead to segregation. Examples could include age or social status. Students could also create a timeline of Dr. King’s life as a great extension activity.