Raymond V. Jr. Hand

Martin Luther King is best known for his speeches on equality and "I have a dream." Dr. King was a pastor at the Dexter Ave. Baptist Church in Montgomery and believed that there was a peaceful way to resolve problems, no matter what. Boycotts and protests were the most popular way for him to express his views of the issues of inequality and those were often met with violence. Dr. King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. In 1986, Martin Luther King day became an offical holiday and is celebrated around the United States.

Amazingly, growing up in a city where I was the minority, I had never really heard about Dr. King. But having said that, I really didn't notice the difference in race until I reached the Middle School. I was brought up to have an open mind and not to be prejudice towards others because they are different than me. It was amazing to read about Dr. King's struggles and his victories.

As a classroom extension I would have several other books on Dr. King for the students to choose from to read during independent reading time and have them write a brief summary of what they read. I would also have materials on other famous civil rights activists from Dr. King's era, like Rosa Parks, so that the students could get a true view of what it was like for people back then compared to what it is like now.… (more)

Helen Keller was a deaf and blind woman who lived many years ago. Although she did not start off deaf and blind, she fell very ill and lost her hearing and sight. As a young girl she was very wild and proned to fits and temper tantrums. Her parents hired a teacher, Ms. Sullivan, to help teach young Helen to communicate. Ms. Sullivan was successful in teaching Helen how to communicate and Ms. Keller eventually graduated from Radcliffe College with honors.

I have never experienced what it is like to be deaf or blind, but have had the opportunity to babysit a young lady that was deaf when I ran my own daycare in North Carolina. This was a great learning experience for me and I got to experience first hand the difficulities and the rewards of communicating with a person with special needs.

As a classroom extension I would bring in a book of Braille and teach the students a few letters of the alphabet that the blind use. As a second extension I would bring in a handout illustrating the alphabet in sign language and we would learn it together as a class.… (more)

Louisa May Alcott is the famous author who wrote "Little Women." She also wrote poetry and two other books about the March family that were published. Ms. Alcott wrote "Little Women" after working as a nurse during the Civil War and falling ill.

As a girl, I read "Little Women" several times. It's a great story that takes the reader on a wide range of emotions and is very easy to relate to. When I was a small child my family also struggled with financial problems as Ms. Alcott's family did and much like her characters did in her first book.

As a classroom extension I would read passages from Ms. Alcott's books and locate some of her poetry to read to the students as well. I would then have the student's choose a book from the library with a simiar theme, or they may choose to read one of Ms. Alcott's books, for independent reading and make reading log entries each day.… (more)

This is the story of Araminta or better known as Harriet Tubman who was born into slavery and worked for white families from the age of five. On the road to freedom Harriet Tubman learned about the Underground Railroad, which was a group of people who knew that slavery was not right (this group included whites as well as blacks.) She worked with them to help free many slaves and later on during the Civil War, worked as a nurse and a scout with the Union Army.

I can relate to this story on a very personal level as my family has letters from family dating back to the Civil War from both the Union and Confederate Armies. I am also a descendent of Mary Todd Lincoln. I grew up in the North and have studied and toured many of the Civil War historical sites across the North and South.

As a classroom extension I would have the students write a short story about how they have or would help someone else as that is what Harriet Tubman was best remembered for. I would also do this particular story during February, which is Black History Month as a way to teach students about discrimination and a different culture.… (more)