Overview
Books with a peace theme motivate children to talk about how each
author uses writing to demonstrate peaceful strategies. Students brainstorm
occasions when they are peacemakers. After writing about these times,
they make a We Are Peacemakers anthology and share their book with
school and community. |
For more about Special #2 from
Big Hearts, Little Hands Reach for Peace , e-mail
Vera Johnson, author and AT&T
Teacher Disseminator. |
Learning
Standards
Make connections between what is read, personal experiences and
the experiences
of others.
Engage in effective discussions.
Use focused, coherent and well organized writing.
Make effective presentations.
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Classroom
Activities
Students continue to contribute to the peace dialogue as they:
Read and verbally respond to books with peacemaking themes.
Brainstorm instances when they are peacemakers.
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Arrange ideas into a Graphic Organizer (sun burst, web, etc.).
Use Graphic Organizer to write about and illustrate their own
peacemaking experiences.
Read How A Book Is Made by Aliki.
Follow bookmaking directions and include peacemaker stories in
a class anthology.
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Community
Activities
Share collaborative We Are Peacemakers anthology with other
classrooms. Display it in the school library and the local library. |
Careers
Students talk about careers as authors and illustrators of children's
books. |
Materials
Sadako by Eleanor Coerr; For Every Child A Better World
by Louise Gikow and Ellen Weiss; The Big Book of Peace by Ann
Durrell and Marilyn Sachs; Swimmy by Leo Lionni; Angel Child,
Dragon Child by Michele Surat; The Meanest Thing to Say
by Bill Cosby; How A Book Is Made by Aliki; Graphic Organizer,
bookmaking and illustration materials |
Technology
Children word process stories with Clarisworks and research the Internet
for more peacemaking ideas. |
Assessment
Teacher checks students as they: use a Graphic Organizer; write about
their peacemaking experience; follow bookmaking directions. |
Web Sites
Martin Luther King Jr. Day at http://www.holidays.net/mlk/
Ten
Web Sites for Exploring Conflict Resolution in the Classroom.
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