Kindness and Justice

January was a cold, cold month, with freezing temperatures and a snow day or two along the way.  But it was also a warm, warm month inside the walls of our school, as we celebrated Kindness and Justice Week(s).  Every class was immersed in learning about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., understanding his message, and  the meaning and the importance of practicing kindness and justice every day.

There were opening and closing assemblies to share, celebrate, and build community.  The presentations, music, and stories all reinforced the message of peace, caring, and respect that Dr. King preached.  Heartprints were scattered through all of the halls, evidence of small kindnesses that even the littlest pre-schoolers demonstrated toward one another. 

In our classroom, we read Heartprints and revisited a favorite story, One, from Respect Week.  We watched the video of  Martin's Big Words, and used Katie Knight's amazing American Heroes Unit to research MLK, just a little bit more. {Check out Katie's blog and resouces at Teacher to the Core!}

Here are a few samples of an activity I created for my students, to accompany our Kindness and Justice theme.  We brainstormed and charted ways to show kindness in school each day.  Then each student chose one example to record and practice during the school year.