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Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources for Martin’s Big Words

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Use Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport to strengthen your students' comprehension skills, build their vocabulary, and help them understand how words work.

Martin's Big Words is a picture-book biography that introduces early readers to the life of Martin Luther King Jr. and several other equal rights leaders. Using this book as an anchor, students will practice applying nearly every comprehension strategy while simultaneously learning about historically significant people and events.
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Explore lesson plans and activities to help you teach with Martin’s Big Words in the drop down below.

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Asking Questions with Martin's Big Words

This book and lesson plans are excellent resources for showing students how asking questions can improve their comprehension of a story. Most children have never experienced segregation as it is described in this book. They will naturally have questions regarding this time in history and the key people presented in this text.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RI.2.1,RI.2.7,RI.2.10,RF.2.3,RF.2.4,SL.2.1b,SL.2.1c,SL.2.2,SL.2.3,W.2.8,L.2.6
TEKS Alignment
2.7E,2.13G,2.13E,2.13C,2.13A,2.9D(iii),2.9D(ii),2.9D(i),2.8C,2.7F,2.1A,2.7D,2.7C,2.7B,2.6I,2.6E,2.6B,2.6A,2.1D,2.1C
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Identifying the Author's Purpose with Martin's Big Words

Readers who are growing in their ability to identify broad themes and messages while reading will clearly recognize the problems with segregation outlined in this book. They will have the opportunity to discuss the importance of MLK's and Rosa Park's actions to the movement for equal rights for all citizens, using evidence from the text to support their understanding.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RI.2.2,RI.2.6,RI.2.8,RI.2.10,RF.2.3,RF.2.4,SL.2.1b,SL.2.1c,SL.2.2,SL.2.3,W.2.8,L.2.6
TEKS Alignment
2.7F,2.13G,2.13E,2.13C,2.10C,2.10B,2.10A,2.9D(iii),2.9D(ii),2.9D(i),2.9C,2.8C,2.1A,2.7E,2.7D,2.7C,2.7B,2.7A,2.6I,2.6E,2.6A,2.1D,2.1C
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Making Inferences with Martin's Big Words

The complex themes in Martin's Big Words make this book ideal for developing readers who are practicing making inferences. In order to deepen their understanding of the setting and how African Americans might have felt during this time in history, students will need to make strong connections to other literature and their own personal feelings about leadership, exclusion and the desire to have equal rights.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RI.2.3,RI.2.4,RI.2.10,RF.2.3,RF.2.4,SL.2.1b,SL.2.2,SL.2.3,W.2.8,L.2.6
TEKS Alignment
2.7E,2.13G,2.13E,2.13C,2.9D(iii),2.9D(ii),2.9D(i),2.8C,2.8B,2.7F,2.1A,2.7D,2.7C,2.7B,2.6I,2.6F,2.6E,2.6A,2.1D,2.1C
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Retelling & Summarizing with Martin's Big Words

Martin's Big Words is an ideal book for readers who need additional practice capturing and retelling accurate facts to improve comprehension. This biography format clearly outlines Martin Luther King Jr.'s life, career and death, and students will be able to identify the distinct sequence, problems and resolution.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RI.2.1,RI.2.2,RI.2.4,RI.2.6,RI.2.7,RI.2.10,RF.2.3,RF.2.4,SL.2.1b,SL.2.2,SL.2.3,W.2.8,L.2.6
TEKS Alignment
2.7F,2.13G,2.13E,2.13C,2.9D(iii),2.9D(ii),2.9D(i),2.9C,2.8D,2.8C,2.8A,2.1A,2.7E,2.7D,2.7C,2.7B,2.7A,2.6I,2.6G,2.6A,2.1D,2.1C
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Synthesizing with Martin's Big Words

With simple language and beautiful artwork, Martin's Big Words introduces early readers to a very important time in our country's history as well as the people who influenced it most. Students will demonstrate their use of multiple strategies to derive full meaning about the setting, the problem and the people in this biography.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RI.2.1,RI.2.2,RI.2.3,RI.2.4,RI.2.5,RI.2.6,RI.2.7,RI.2.8,RI.2.10,RF.2.3,RF.2.4,SL.2.1b,SL.2.2,SL.2.3,W.2.8,L.2.6
TEKS Alignment
2.7E,2.13G,2.13E,2.13C,2.9D(iii),2.9D(ii),2.9D(i),2.9C,2.8C,2.7F,2.1A,2.7D,2.7C,2.7B,2.6I,2.6H,2.6B,2.6A,2.1D,2.1C
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Blends with Martin's Big Words

This word work lesson plan and set of teaching resources use Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport as a springboard for instruction focused on blends.

By anchoring word study to the text, students will benefit from seeing how beginning blends are used inside of the text before engaging in both guided and independent practice with words.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
RF.2.3,RF.2.4
TEKS Alignment
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Vocabulary Connections with Martin's Big Words

This set of vocabulary development resources for Martin's Big Words highlights the words that are most important for students to know and understand while reading the book. Through engaging in fun word games, matching words to definitions and pictures, and practicing how to categorize words, students will develop the vocabulary necessary to comprehend this story and many others.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
L.2.4a,L.2.5a,L.2.6
TEKS Alignment
2.7E,2.7F,2.3A,2.3B,2.3D
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Comprehension Assessment with Martin's Big Words

Use this Common Core aligned comprehension assessment to evaluate students' comprehension of Martin's Big Words.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment
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Running Record with Martin's Big Words

Use this Running Record to assess oral reading fluency with Martin's Big Words. Track meaning, structure, and visual accuracy using the first 100 words of the text to determine whether or not this book is a good fit for the readers in your classroom.

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TEKS Alignment
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Cause and Effect Matching with Martin's Big Words

Read Martin's Big Words then have some fun matching cause and effect sentences from the book. By using these cause and effect cards, students will demonstrate both their comprehension of the text and their understanding of cause and effect relationships in hands-on and interactive way.

This resource includes matching/sorting cards and a sorting mat for four cause and effect sentences in Martin's Big Words. Each cause card is marked with a square and each effect card is marked with a circle, making it easy to support students who struggle with matching cause and effect relationships.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment
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Cause and Effect Sentence Stems with Martin's Big Words

Understanding cause and effect is a key comprehension and language skill. The text structure of Martin's Big Words includes several examples of cause and effect relationships, making it easy to use as a springboard for modeling or independent practice.

This simple resource includes four sentence stems. Each sentence stem presents an effect. Students will use what they know about the book to fill in the cause of the effect.
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True or False with Martin's Big Words

The BookPagez extension activities are a great way to push student engagement beyond the pages of the text. Try using this activity with early finishers, with students who show a deeper connection with the text, or as a center activity.
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Asking Questions with Martin's Big Words (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
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Identifying the Author's Purpose with Martin's Big Words (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
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Making Inferences with Martin's Big Words (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
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Retelling & Summarizing with Martin's Big Words (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
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Synthesizing with Martin's Big Words (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
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True or False with Martin's Big Words (Spanish)

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About the Book

The cover for the book Martin's Big Words
Title: Martin’s Big Words
Author: Doreen Rappaport
Genre: Nonfiction, Biography
Themes: Martin Luther King Day, Black History Month, History
ISBN: 9780786825912
Publisher's Summary:
Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport is a captivating picture book biography that introduces young readers to the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Through a unique blend of the author's own narrative and carefully selected quotes from Dr. King's speeches and writings, the story traces his journey from childhood to becoming a leader of the Civil Rights Movement. The book highlights the power of words—both those that hurt and those that heal—showing how Dr. King's message of love, justice, and peaceful resistance inspired change. Bryan Collier's striking watercolor and collage illustrations add emotional depth and help bring key moments to life.

Teachers will find Martin's Big Words a valuable classroom resource for sparking discussion about history, social justice, and the enduring impact of Dr. King's vision. The book's accessible language and bold design make it approachable for students, while the inclusion of Dr. King's actual words offers authentic insight into his beliefs and leadership style. Without detailing every event, this book provides a strong foundation for lessons on civil rights, persuasive language, and the importance of standing up for fairness. Its structure also invites students to reflect on the meaning behind "big words" and to consider their own power to effect change through what they say and do.
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