This project started out as a quick idea and turned into a real community building experience. I was out to breakfast with my two year old, and browsing through a nearby bookshop when I noticed Talk Peace by Sam Williams. As always, it was the colorful collage that grabbed my attention. I was instantly touched by the message, and decided to use it to celebrate Martin Luther King Day with my classes. I printed out some of the lines from the book and then prepped some simple backgrounds to accompany the text. My students were free to add anything they wanted to help make the mural illustrate the message. The students really enjoyed the freedom to create, and were inspired by the book's illustrations.
The kindergarten class cut out and created people of all different colors to celebrate our diversity. After discussing MLK's quote "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character", the 2nd and 3rd grade classes traced and cut out their handprints. They chose a character trait that they were most proud of, and wrote the trait on their handprint. It was great to see what each child was proud to share! I used both the people and handprints to surround more text from the book.
Finally, I painted a huge heart and put the mural up in our gallery space. All were invited to take a pledge to "talk peace" by signing the heart. This is one of my most favorite projects of the year so far. So many people helped create it, and many more signed the pledge!
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