As I was set to deliver a lesson about September 11th, this past Friday, I was surprised with a resource that one of my colleagues let me borrow. It was a journal my students wrote in regarding their thoughts/feelings of that day…EIGHT YEARS AGO! This teacher taught fourth grade in our district at the time (she has since moved to the high school). I found time in each of my classes to share the journal with my students.
With the permission of each student, I read some of their thoughts and showed the pictures they drew expressing their feelings as 8-9 year olds in 2001.
The journal sparked some great conversation and questions about September 11th, and the last eight years in general. I concluded class by paying tribute to the victims of 9/11 and our troops, with a slideshow to Darryl Worley’s “Have you Forgotten” and Toby Keith’s “American Soldier”.
My students and I will remember last Friday’s class for years to come. The journal was an excellent “teachable moment” and has given me an idea; a journal project of my own. I will choose an issue/event and have students that cooperate (from a designated grade level) write about it. Topics I may choose from include the economy, health care, immigration or maybe something more optimistic like last year’s Presidential election. The journal will be saved until I see the same students when they are in grade 12. If I do this project each year, eventually, I will have a class journal to share each year.
I am excited to talk to elementary teachers in my school district about this.
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Be sure to check out the “idea of the week” and “website of the week” at www.energizetheclassroom.com .
-Paul Richmond
E.T.C.
