For Martin Luther King Day, students at Windsor Mill Middle School watched an excerpt of Dr. King’s historical speech delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and then shared their own wishes on a school-wide Padlet. Reading and Language Arts teacher, Chris Kosmides, was inspired to take the activity one step further. He culled themes from the students’ posts and launched a Slam Poem unit. Students watched videos of Slam poets’ performances, selected one of the identified themes, and put pen to paper to craft their own poems. “It was difficult but it was good, because I always want to let people know I want to help the world, said Sinaya Bowen. Kehinde Adelabu was equally enthusiastic about the project. “I want to make my parents proud and make the world a better place. The poem helps me to stick to what I want to do.” Students performed their poems on Voicethread for the class to see and provide peer feedback. View the VoiceThread here!