by Joan Inong

Created on: September 24, 2009

Children should be taught about tolerance as early in their childhood as possible. To do so, teachers must also do their part in the classroom. Using bulletin boards is a great way to spread information, and making a bulletin board with your students is another great way to encourage development of teamwork and research skills. The following article will show you how to create a bulletin board that will teach your students about Martin Luther King Day.

Martin Luther King Day is more of a cultural and social holiday than it is a government one. For example, a government holiday would be Labor Day, but Martin Luther King Day (like Cinco de Mayo) is a cultural holiday. At any rate, to start making your Martin Luther King Day themed bulletin board, you should first start dividing your class. Making your students work in smaller groups will facilitate the project, and will help them learn how to work together.

After you have divided your class into groups, you can then assign groups to particular sections. Think about the different components of Martin Luther King Day. How was it started? Who are some of the most well-known, important figures who brought about this celebration? Why is it important to people today? These questions can be turned into sections, and groups should be assigned to certain sections.

Once your groups have their sections, they are ready to start researching. Whenever they find important information, they should be encouraged to write it in their own words. Paraphrasing is an important skill that all students should have. When each person has finished paraphrasing the information, the group can come together again and then rewrite the information so that it is as complete as it can be. They should also give you all of the bibliography information.

When your students are finished researching and have all of the information that they will include on the bulletin board, you can start putting up eye-catching borders on the board. Then, use double-sided tape to put up pictures about Martin Luther King Day. After that, you can glue the various pieces of information onto colorful construction paper, and glue or staple them to the board.

After you have finished the bulletin board, go over the information with the whole class. Then, ask them how they felt about the activity. What did they learn? How did they work together? You will find that your students may either love or despise working in groups.

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