Found Poetry from "I Have a Dream"

Last week, to honor MLK Jr., the 3/4 class did a found poetry assignment based on the "I Have a Dream" speech.

First, we watched a creative video that incorporated the audio of the "I Have a Dream" speech. Next, each student was given a copy of the speech and a highlighter pen. As a first step, I asked them to use their highlighter to flag any words or phrases they found powerful, moving, or interesting. Next, I asked them to edit their list by cutting their word list in half and finally down to only ten words. At this point, I asked them to take the ten words, read them, and determine a theme or emotion they wanted to communicate in their poem. The final step was to write their poem with their ten words, adding any word or phrases to make the poem flow smoothly or make sense.

They were enthusiastic about this project from the start. In the end, they took the speech's message to heart and created a beautiful reflection in their creative poetry piece.