Learning About Martin Luther King Jr. With Toontastic

One of the best ways for kids to learn is by telling stories. It gives them a chance to use new vocabulary and think through new concepts. This is one of the reasons why I love Toontastic. The app itself is free and comes with a few basic backgrounds and characters. You can add more backgrounds and characters through in app purchases or for $9.99 you can buy the all access pass. I bought the all access pass and it has been very worthwhile because you get all future backgrounds and characters and they seem to release a new one every few months.

This week my class will use the background and characters called “The Dream.” This includes the background in the picture above and the characters Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Thurgood Marshall. There are also two other great backgrounds they can use (see below) but those are not included in the Dream set. I will be reading books all week about Martin Luther King Jr and I look forward to hearing the stories my class creates in their literacy centers.

I only have two iPads in the class currently (both my personal iPads) and typically only one is used by the kids. For this center there will be one iPad and two kids will work together to create a story. I almost always have the kids working in pairs on the iPad and we use these headphones. Although finished and polished stories are always the goal during this center, I am always more concerned with the process than the product.

Sample Video