This is one of my favorite handouts to promote peace in the world. I often use it with material about the Civil Rights Movement or at the beginning of the semester, especially the spring semester, which begins right after MLK Day. It went very well with the Rosa Parks book I used this semester. First, I elicit what students know about MLK and ask them what was different about his kind of protest marches. Who did he learn his peaceful resistance from? Usually a student notices Gandhi’s photo in the picture. Then I read the poem. We discuss the meaning. There are always some questions about vocabulary, so I encourage the students to guess the meaning from context.
The second poem, a Chinese proverb, is a great example of the “if / will conditional” and lends itself to more practice of that grammatical structure. The Yin / Yang symbol symbolizes harmony and balance. It is also great for practice of opposites: yin / yang , male / female, peace / war, light / dark, order / chaos, etc. In groups, challenge the students to think of as many opposites as they can and write a list. Then, see which group has the most, Or For a hands on activity, hand out a stack of note cards in two different colors and ask the students to write each pair of opposites on the cards. (Blue card: wet /Red card: dry). Then groups exchange their cards and match the opposites.
HANDOUT: Two Poems to Promote Peace : >> MLK poem Excellence plus Chinese proverb <<
Extra activity to get the students up and moving:
If you know some Tai Qi or Chi Gong exercises, that’s a great way to show students how these exercises always come back to center, creating unity and a sense of balance in our bodies (up / down, right / left, front / back , expand / contract, open / close, forwards / backwards, etc). This not only releases tension, but also gives you a sense of harmony and peace. I find that students who are under a lot of stress from from juggling their jobs, their families and their college classes really appreciate doing a few minutes of stretching and stress reduction exercises in the middle of class. Sitting for 2 or more hours requires the opposite: standing & stretching, to relieve tension, promote movement, with deep breathing to bring oxygen to their brains and stimulate their minds.
I started teaching EFL in Mexico in the 1970s and stayed for 11 years! My BA is in Latin American Studies, which I did at La Universidad de las Americas in Puebla, Mexico. After moving back to the U.S., I got my Master’s at SFSU in TESOL and American Literature. I’ve taught ESL in to refugees and in community colleges in CA since 1987. I’m currently teaching at ARC, WCC and Davis Adult School.