Using Famous Quotes in the Common Core Classroom

Martin Luther King Jr Day is just around the corner, so I'm busy working hard to prepare a BUNCH of creative and meaningful {MLK Day Materials} for you to use in your Common Core classroom! As I've been working and reading about MLK, I've been inspired by the endless wonderful quotes that he bestowed upon his listeners.

Quotes are a great tool. They give us insight into the minds and character of historical figures, bring inspiration to our daily lives, and also provide teachers with meaningful, cross-curricular activities for our classrooms!

Today I wanted to share with you some ideas for using quotes in your classroom! You can use quotes you've collected yourself, or use my compilation of {MLK Quote Posters}! Either way, I hope you enjoy using some of these ideas in your classroom!

Point of View
Practice identifying the point of view of the speaker as well as their possible audiences. {CCRA.R.6} {CCRA.SL.3}

Writing Inspiration:
Students can use the quotes as a basis for writing their own speeches, essays, or journal entries. Hang the quotes around the room or in a writing center for students to choose, or try putting the quotes in a jar to pull randomly. {CCRA.W.1} {CCRA.W.2} {CCRA.SL.6}

Design Inspiration:
Let your students get creative by using the quotes to inspire a design. They can design anything to portray the meaning behind the quote. Some ideas include: a poster, sticker, bumper sticker, tattoo, or license plate. Then of course, students will need to explain their design! {CCRA.SL.5}

Rewrite:
Have the students rewrite or expand on the quote in a creative way. The can write a song/rap, poem, tweet, short story, interview, etc. {CCRA.SL.6}

Wordle: 
Students can input entire quotes or important words from it to create a Wordle. Use just the quote or have students add their own thoughts, feelings, opinions, reactions, etc. You can also do this in reverse! Show students a quote Wordle and have them decode what the quote originally said! {CCRA.W.6}

Memorize Them
Encourage students to know important aspects of history, and utilize this information and inspiration in their everyday lives! {CCRA.SL.6}

Quote Them!
Obviously, you can practice using quotation marks. Another idea is to make a game out of incorporating famous quotes into every day classroom conversation! {CCRA.SL.6} {CCRA.L.2}

Class Discussion
Have a meaningful conversation about the quotes. Some aspects you might discuss are: meaning, emotions evoked, impacts on history, effects on our culture, word choice, life application, and context. You may even want to break out the java (or hot cocoa) for these conversations! {CCRA.R.4} {CCRA.R.6} {CCRA.SL.1} {CCRA.SL.3}

Rhetorical Devices
Practice identifying metaphors, similes, hyperbole, etc. {CCRA.R.4} {CCRA.L.3}

Character Analysis
Think about what these quotes tell you about the speaker. Consider comparing and contrasting this character with others you've studied, with current famous figures, or yourselves! {CCRA.L.3}

Word Work
Identify unknown words using context clues. Practice using some new words in your own writing assignments. {CCRA.R.4} {CCRA.L.3} {CCRA.L.4} {CCRA.L.5}

Author's Purpose
Identify why the speaker said this quote in the first place. What was his purpose & who was his audience? {CCRA.SL.3}