Powerful Words

Yesterday, Barack Obama was sworn in a president of America. He made a speech to the American people and the world from Washington. 45 years ago, very close to where Obama spoke yesterday, Martin Luther King made one of the most famous and powerful speeches in history. His speech has been called the 'I Have a Dream' speech. You can find a link to it (on video, audio and in written form) on the link list. How are the words of inspirational leaders powerful?

If you have problems with the video or audio read the speech. If you only read one part of the speech, read the end (from the line "Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.") This is the part where he talks about his dreams.

Here are some of his words from that speech:

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day . . one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

How is talking about your dreams powerful? How can dreams lead to actions that change society? What are your dreams? How can you make them true?

Big idea in Books...

Dear Grade 4’s,

In class we have had a lot of discussion about how words and actions affect us. We have looked at how positive words and actions lead to positive feelings and how negative words and actions lead to negative feelings. We have drawn upon our personal experiences and the experiences of characters in books we have read such as "ish" by Peter Reynolds and "Thank you Mr. Falker" by Patricia Pollacco. In our lives and in both books we have seen the power of words and actions. Can you think of any books you have read or are reading where the emotions of the characters were affected by the words and actions of others? Try to make a connection with the character and think of how you would feel if the same thing happened to you. Can’t wait to hear about what you are reading…

Ms. Panagopoulos