September 11 Ideas

September 11 will be here next weekend.  Each year, I try to teach my first graders a little about what happened.  It's inevitable that they will see it all over the news, so I like to break it down in a way that's easy for them to understand.  I also focus on the GOOD that came with that horrible day...the way people helped one another, the emergency response members, the military, etc...Below are a few ideas that I use each year.

Online Resources--Scholastic has some information that you may find helpful.  You can find it by clicking HERE.  Brain Pop has a September 11 video.  Grab it HERE {only if you have a subscription}.  I haven't personally viewed this so I can't say if it's appropriate for 1st graders or not.  I use Brain Pop Jr. and this isn't on there. 

Books--I rely heavily on picture books to teach MANY things to my first graders.  They break information down in a way that makes it easy for kids to understand.  I have a handful of books that I read the day or two before September 11.  Below are the ones I like to use.  I have included links below in case you want to get some.

                     

Coloring Pages--Mel has had these freebies for many years now.  They are great to use after reading a book.

Book--I found this printable coloring book on TpT a couple years ago.  It's great for explaining Patriot Day.

Craft Projects--The firefights craft is part of a package I got off TpT from We Heart EDU.  The 9.11 twin towers is a free craft I found off TpT that you can get HERE.

Hope this gives you a few ideas.

xo
Megan

*This post contains affiliate links.  The books shown are books I have used for years and recommend.

5 for Friday 9.11.15

Hello, Everyone.  It's Friday and I'm back for 5 for Friday with Doodle Bugs Teaching.  I am glad it's Friday but every year on 9.11, I can't help but feel a deep sadness about what happened 14 years ago. It still seems like it was just yesterday.  For those of you directly affected, I am keeping you in my thoughts today.

I do teach my first graders about 9.11/Patriot Day, because it's history and I feel that when presented at an age-appropriate level, it is ok.  We began with a "Hero" anchor chart.  We came up with all the things we could think about for a hero {can-have-are}.  After, we read Hero Dad.  We decided that our original thoughts of hero didn't necessarily match what a hero truly was.  This led to good discussion.  We also read books about fire fighters and police officers.  We made cards for our local fire department.  All of this led nicely into our 9.11 discussion.  We have a Power Point that my teammate made and we share that and discuss what happened in kid-appropriate language.  They always have a lot of questions.  We colored some pages in remembrance as well.  You can get them from Seusstastic HERE.  Simply Kinder has a little freebie HERE, also.  Today, we'll be eating red, white, and blue Popsicles and painting flags in honor of America and all the lives lost.

Last night I went to Walgreen's for *Clorox Wipes.*  Their school supplies were 70% off......'Nuff said.

PS-I'm super excited to try the "Power Lines" markers from Crayola!!!

We had a cookout last weekend for Labor Day with my family.  I was so excited to see everyone, especially my cutie niece!  She is almost 16 months old and is walking, so it's really fun to see her!

We started centers!  I actually think we started last week, but I can't keep track of much right now! We are re-doing our guest room, having a garage sale, going out of town to celebrate my dad's birthday, and having hubby's mom in town from California all THIS WEEKEND!  Ahh!  Anyhow, centers are going amazingly well!  We began with my "Back to School BBQ" center pack...full of simple back to school centers {beginning sounds, syllables, sight words, color words, and much more!}.  We also had our first sight word center, which is "Just My Type."  It was a HIT!  Check both out below.

*My centers are bundled to save you money.  There are a year's worth of monthly/holiday centers included.

I'm having an online Stella and Dot show in a few weeks and you don't want to miss it!  I love jewelry and am obsessed with all things S & D.  If you join the party by clicking HERE, you'll be entered to win lots of free jewelry, TpT products, and TpT gift certificates!  Be there or be square!

Have a great weekend, friends!
xo
Megan 

September 11

We spent some time talking about 9/11 last Thursday.  I don't like to go into great detail but I do like to teach my kids that something bad happened to America that day.  We reflect on our freedom and what it means to be an American.  We remember those whose lives were lost and those families and friends who lost someone.

I usually read The Peace Book by Tod Parr and we talk about what it means to be peaceful.  I show a PPT of some photos of the Twin Towers {one of my besties' husbands went to NYU} and I explain a bit about what happened.  Then we watch a Brain Pop Jr. {typically the US symbols or the Statue of Liberty one}.  We make an art project to remember September 11.  This year, we made flags with the twin towers on them.  Thank you to Tammy Sivley for this craft!  The kids enjoyed making them and they will be a nice keepsake to take home.

As the kids finished up their flags, they could color a 9/11 coloring page.  I found this from Mel over at Seusstastic Classroom Inspirations.

The next day, we read September 12 We Knew Everything Would Be Alright.  The kids like seeing the pictures that other students had drawn.  We also read The Man Who Walked Between the Towers.  The kids LOVE this story every year.

September 11 is definitely a day we will never forget...

Have a nice weekend, everyone!
xo
Megan 

September 11

Each year, I do a little something to educate my first graders about 9.11.  I feel that it's part of our country's history {sadly} and that they need to know about it.  I obviously do not get into great detail when explaining what happened to them, but make it kid-friendly so they understand.

I start by showing them a Powerpoint of some pictures of NYC before/after.  I have a teaching friend whose husband went to NYU.  These slides obviously lead into discussion.  Next, I read September 12 We Knew Everything Would Be All Right.  This is a FANTASTIC book, written by 1st graders.  It's a must have for any K-2 classroom!

We talk more about what happened and heroes and bravery.  We discuss all the people that came to the rescue {police, firefighters, volunteers, the military, and regular people}.  This year, I had students do a writing activity titled, "My Hero Is..."  Because it's early in the year, and we are just now getting into Writing Workshop, I decided to have my students copy the same thing onto their papers: "My Hero is...everyone that was brave on September 11."  This writing page is included in a great pack, which can be found here.

After finishing the writing, students got to work on their firefighter crafts.  I feel like they all did their absolute best on this project because they knew it was important.

On September 12th, we did a little more discussing and completed a Patriot Day book, which can be found by clicking here.  I loved how simple and kid friendly it is!

We also watched The Man Who Walked Between the Towers {Scholastic DVD}.  Here are a few more books that I like to read on/around September 11th:

Although our little ones were born before this horrible tragedy occurred, it is something that we will never forget.

xo
Megan