Martin’s Big Words Read Aloud Activities | Black History Month Book Companion

Item description

This picture book companion is an amazing supplemental resource for upper elementary and middle school. Martin’s Big Words, by Doreen Rappaport, is an ideal interactive read-aloud for any time of the year or for educating your students about influential leaders, the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., persistence, equality, standing up for what they believe in, kindness, being brave, and appreciating each other’s differences. Students will love the engaging and fun activities, and you will appreciate the time saved hunting for high-level resources to teach reading concepts that students frequently struggle with.

Click HERE to save 20% by buying the bundle, which includes the following winter book companions: The Sweet Smell of Roses, Let the Children March, Martin’s Big Words, and Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation.

With 30 print-and-go reading activities to choose from, this resource is ideal for customizing learning to your student’s specific needs and academic ability. Students will investigate characters, identify story elements, determine theme, research, explore and use new vocabulary, practice plotting story events, analyze quotes, and much more! 

This Resource Includes:

• QR Code Cards to Read the Story on Epic – Includes 3 different formats to implement the QR codes allowing students easy access to the story. Formats include; Whole Group- large projectable QR code; Station Cards – assign activities in stations, students can scan the QR code while remaining in their designated stations; Individual – students can glue the QR code card in a reading journal giving them easy access to work on any assigned activities at school or home.
• Making Predictions – Before reading the book, students will examine the front cover and describe what they see, make predictions about what the book is about, and the questions they think the book might answer.
• Story Elements– Students fill in the boxes with words and pictures to represent the story elements.
• Problem & Solution– Students identify the problem & solution in the story.
• Summarizing– Students complete the Somebody, Wanted, Because, But, So graphic organizer and write a summary of the story.
• Setting Influences the Plot – Students will answer the questions about the setting of the story to gain a better understanding of how a story’s setting helps to build the narrative’s mood, plot, and character development.
• Story Plot – Students organize the events of the story on the graphic organizer.
• Character Inside & Out – Students include details from the story to describe what the character says, thinks, does, and feels.
• Overcoming Obstacles – Students will fill in the T-Chart with physical, emotional, or mental obstacles the character faced and describe their response to those challenges.
• Traits of a Leader – Students determine qualities that strong and impactful leaders possess and provide evidence from the text to support their answers (ANSWER KEY INCLUDED).
• Character Development– Students describe how the character changed and developed throughout the story, state their opinion regarding which event impacted the character the most, and support their thinking with evidence from the text.
• Making Connections – Students make connections to an event from the story.
• Making Inferences – Students use clues and schema to come up with two inferences they made from the text.
• Theme #1 – Students answer the questions to determine which theme best fits the story and provide text evidence to support their choice.
• Theme #2 – Students answer the questions to determine the theme of the story and provide text evidence.
• Thematic Statements – Students choose the thematic statement that they believe best fits the story and include evidence from the text to support their choice.
• Reader Response Questions– Students will answer multiple-choice and short-answer questions to respond to the text (ANSWER KEY included).
• Symbolism Activity – Students will analyze and identify various symbols and the use of symbolism in the story (ANSWER KEY INCLUDED).
• Martin’s Big Words – Students explain what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. meant in each of the given quotes.
• Quote Connection– Students will give thoughtful responses to the questions below regarding the provided quote by making connections to the text, personal experiences & background knowledge.
• Nobel Peace Prize – Students will learn more about the Novel Peace Prize and use that information to make connections to the text (ANSWER KEY INCLUDED).
• 5-Writing Prompts– Students will respond to the writing prompts and provide evidence from the text to support their thinking when needed.
• Vocabulary Crossword Puzzle– Students will complete a crossword puzzle by matching words from the story to their definitions (ANSWER KEY included).
• Vocabulary Word Search Puzzle – Students will find the hidden words in the puzzle (ANSWER KEY included).
• Who Was Gandhi? – Students will research to learn more about Mahatma Gandhi.
• Book Review – Students rate how much they enjoyed the book, draw a new cover, and explain why kids should or should not read it.
• Design a Book Cover – Students design a new cover for the book.

The activities provided are designed to enable students to apply higher-level thinking skills, to encourage students to provide text evidence to support their thinking, and to challenge students to express their own thoughts and/or perspectives. 

This resource is for extension read-aloud activities only. The book is not included.

You may also like:

Black History / Civil Rights

• Black History Month BUNDLE of Read Aloud Activities
  
• A Sweet Smell of Roses Picture Book Companion | Black History
  
• Rosa Parks Black History Reading Activities for the Read-Aloud Boycott Blues
  
• Let the Children March – Black History Read Aloud – Questions & Activities
  
• Martin Luther King Jr., I Have A Dream Picture Book Companion for Black History

Click HERE to Build Your Own Custom Bundle of Resources From My Store!

Sign up HERE️ to receive emails about new and free products, themed book lists, and tips and tricks for teaching reading.

I’m so glad you stopped by my store and checked out this resource! Follow my store, Creatively Gifted, on Made by Teachers and TPT to be updated on new products and sales.