Middle School (6-8)
Lesson Plans

NEA Guidance for Teachers and Education Support Professionals

Lesson Plans and materials are divided into five sections. Click on the link below to go directly to to the desired section or scroll down through the entire list.

Facing Personal Feelings

Facts About Terrorism and War

Do Something!

In Addition..

Suggested Reading and Music Lists

Facing Personal Feelings

To obtain the desired Lesson Plan, click on the title.

(* indicates a Lesson Plan that is located on another site such as the American Red Cross. You may be asked for your name, email address and other information to obtain access to these plans. All materials listed are available for free.)

Kindness Towers Here (n50)

To reinforce the concepts that each of us has an impact upon one another and that each of us can make a difference....To remind all members of the learning community that each person has a story to share...To practice all components of the writing process.

Using Poetry to Commemorate September 11 (n46)

This lesson is designed to use poetry as a vehicle for discussing and recording student reactions to the events of September 11.  As part of this lesson students will read and respond to poetry written by students following 9/11 and discuss their own reactions both at the time of the tragedy and one year later.  Students will also write and revise their own poems, using peer conferencing and response techniques.

Facing Personal Feelings (rm01)

To help students understand their personal feelings following a tragic event and to see that a wide range of feelings is normal.

Stress and Relating to Others (rm02) *

To help students understand others' reactions to a tragic event, express ways to support each other and deal with their own feelings.

APA & Discovery Health Forum: Alliance to Renew American's Sense of Hope (n10)

To provide teaches, students, parents and all other Americans with the tools needed to regain a new sense of hope via a co-produced one-hour documentary "Aftermath: The Road to Resilience" and accompanying information kits.

Smithsonian Commemorates American Experiences on Sept. 11 (n11)

To permanently archive everyone's experience on September 11 in the September 11 Digital Archive, available online on the anniversary of the tragedy in conjunction with the exhibit, September 11: Bearing Witness to History.

Media Literacy (rm03) *

To help students process what they saw on television, heard on the radio, or read in the newspapers or other media sources about the tragic event. Also to give students an opportunity to talk with one another about what happened and how they are feeling.

Have We Felt This Way Before? Reacting to Tragic Events (rm04) *

To have students compare reactions to tragic events in the past with reactions to this event and to help students understand that feelings of uncertainty and sadness will gradually subside.

One Year Later: Remembering Sept. 11 (n20)

To make sure that students and staff understand the anniversary effect, its corresponding reactions, and that they prepare for it and memorialize it.

Remembering Sept. 11: Tips for Students (n21)

To provide a list of ways in which students can protect themselves from emotional distress around the anniversary of September 11.

Tolerance in Times of Trial (n26)

To explore the problems inherent in assigning blame to populations or nations of people by looking at contemporary examples of ethnic conflict, discrimination, and stereotyping at home and abroad.

Everybody Needs a Hero (n28)

Provide opportunities for students to discuss the concept of a hero in light of the events of September 11. Students will be able to reflect on questions raised by this exercise in future study of literature and history.

Circle of Feelings (n29)

Give students the opportunity to discuss and have validated their feelings about the events of september 11 in a non-judgmental discussion circle.

Memorial to 9/11 (n33)

Give students the opportunity to express creatively their feelings toward the events of 9/11.

A Just World (n34)

The events of September 11 have certainly caused many people to reassess the way they live their lives. Some things that seem important in the past don't seem as important today. This activity asks students to examine some important historical documents to see the common approaches to the type of society envisioned. Students will understand the values that define the American sense of justice and consider what characteristics would be important in a world that operated just and fair.

Power Play (n41)

Elicit discussion on use and effects of power and compassion on a personal and social scale as well as an international scale.

Remember to Laugh (n42)

Identify humor as means of social criticism and healing.

Kindness Towers Here (n44)

To reinforce the concepts that each of us has an impact upon one another and that each of us can make a difference. To remind all members of the learning community that each person has a story to share. To practice all components of the writing process.

Facts About War and Terrorism

To obtain the desired Lesson Plan, click on the title.

(* indicates a Lesson Plan that is located on another site such as the American Red Cross. You may be asked for your name, email address and other information to obtain access to these plans. All materials listed are available for free.)

Communicating the Facts (rm05) *

To identify and communicate students' perceptions of an act of terrorism or tragic event. To reach to correct misconceptions. To determine what further information is needed to form rational opinions about the event.

Be Media Savvy (rm06) *

To compare and evaluate news stories based on point of view, the use of fact, opinion, and bias.

Impact of the Facts (rm07) *

To identify the impact of terrorism and tragic events on the family, community, nation, and the world.

Facts About Terrorism and War (rm08)

To recognize that people help people during all types of emergencies.

The Day the World Changed (n31)

Students will learn different types of articles that comprise a newspaper and write examples based on the events of September 11.

Do Something!

To obtain the desired Lesson Plan, click on the title.

(* indicates a Lesson Plan that is located on another site such as the American Red Cross. You may be asked for your name, email address and other information to obtain access to these plans. All materials listed are available for free.)

Let It Begin With One (n05)

To use math in understanding the scope of the Sept. 11th tragedy and how the world could be a better place if ONE person does a good thing for two people and then asks each one to do one good thing for tow OTHER people.

9/11 Memories (n08)

To record student memories of that day. To write a history of that tragic day that becomes a personal narrative for students to read in the years ahead.

Family Disaster Plan (rm09) *

To help students and their families learn about family and community preparedness.

Community Preparedness (rm10) *

To give students and opportunity to "experience" the community planning and decision-making required to prepare for, respond to, and recover from an emergency, and to gain an appreciation for those in the community who respond when disaster strikes.

Do Something! (rm11)

To have students clarify their understanding of tragic events through verbal and nonverbal expressions and to have students communicate their gratitude and concern for community helpers such as fire and rescue workers, and police officers.

Healing Tools, Routines and Rituals (rm12) *

To help students understand that they can help themselves feel better by taking care of themselves, by following their established routines and by identifying activities that make them feel better.

A Day in Time (n30)

Consider what items would be placed in a time capsule to represent different time periods. Compare the items that would best represent September 11, 2001 and September 11, 2002.

A Lesson of Hope - Hope Quilts (n36)

Diversity awareness and safe school initiatives.

Building a Memory (n38)

To design/build a memorial to 9/11.

Moving Forward (n40)

Building a "moving" memorial to 9/11.

Celebrating Freedom (n43)

Identify American symbols that represent freedom.

In Addition..

(* indicates a Lesson Plan that is located on another site such as the American Red Cross. You may be asked for your name, email address and other information to obtain access to these plans. All materials listed are available for free.)

Crisis Management Institute's Sept. 11 Guides*

In the following guides you will find suggestions for working with staff on preparedness for fall, for the 9/11 anniversary, and on setting school climate that fosters trust.

Peaceful Tomorrows from the Families of Sept. 11 Victims*

Peaceful Tomorrows is an advocacy organization founded by family members of September Eleventh victims.

Round Robin Memories (n35)

Many teachers will want to acknowledge September 11, but will not spend an entire class period discussing the events. This activity allows for that acknowledgment and then provides a connection to whatever typically has been planned for the day.

Smithsonian's National Museum of American History Exhibit on Sept. 11 (n12)

On the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, Behring Center will open a commemorative exhibition, "September 11: Bearing Witness to History," containing artifacts, images, and personal stories. The 5,000-square-foot exhibition opens on Sept. 11 and closes Jan. 11, 2003.

TIME presents September 11, 2002. A Nation Remembers One Year Later (n14)

Following the magazine's excellent coverage of the events, the anniversary edition will include similar reporting reflecting back on the past year and showing how Americans are moving forward.

Journey for America: A Living Memorial (n16)

To remember the 4000 lives lost on September 11 in a cross-country walk in which a flag is carried for each fatality, ending in New York City on the anniversary of the first year anniversary of the tragedy.

Suggested Reading and Music Lists

Suggested Reading 
(contributed by the American Red Cross)                                                  

Jennifer Armstrong, Dear Mr. President (series)

Miriam Bat-Ami, Two Suns in the Sky

Eve Bunting, Smoky Night

Sharon Creech, Walk Two Moons

Michael Foreman, War Game

Anne Frank, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

Sherry Garland, Silent Storm

Marc Harshman, The Storm

Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston, Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Internment

Lois Lowry, The Giver

Ken Mochizuki, Heroes

Thomas Yezerski, Together in Pinecone Patch

J.R.R.Tolkien, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings

Many books that are, on the surface, written for young children suggest themes that are important for the older child and adolescent to consider. Below are several such books.

Norah Dooley, Everybody Cooks Rice

Dr. Seuss, My Many Colored Days

Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You 'II Go

Dr. Seuss, The Sneetches and Other Stories

The following books were compiled by staff of the American Library Association's Booklist and are intended to focus specifically on the issue of terrorism. With such a difficult topic, the books include information that can be scary and may evoke difficult images. These books are for more mature readers, ages 12 and older. The nonfiction is well-written and solidly researched, intended in most cases to inform rather than inspire direct social action or "explain" why such terror exists. The fiction books give readers lots to think and talk about without giving simple answers. We can only hope they will open the way for discussion so older children and teens can confront their fears with the help of parents, caregivers and educators.

Non-fiction

• "Political Violence and Terrorism" ed. by Mary Hull. A worldwide perspective on the problem of terrorism.
• "Terrorism" by Anne G. Gaines. The focus is on the Middle East with some insight on how the United States is affected.
• "Silent Death" by Kathlyn Gay. This focuses on chemical and biological weapons and warfare and terrorism.
• "Why Do They Hate Me?" by LaurelHolliday Accounts of children caught in conflict in Northern Ireland and Israel/Palestine.
• "Caught in the Crossfire" by Maria Ousseimi. Words and pictures of children around the globe whose lives have been altered by civil war, terrorism and violence.
  

Fiction

• "The Machine Gunners" by Robert Westall. England in WWII is the setting for this novel, in which a group of youngsters find a machine gun and decide to use it to defend their city.
• "Flight of the Raven" by Stephanie Tolan. A serious message about two young people who come together in the face of terrorist violence in the United States.
• "After the First Death" by Robert Cormier. Hijackers take a busload of children; the action unravels through the perspectives of the terrorists, the children, and others involved.
• "Samir and Yonatan" by Daniella Carmi. In the midst of violence in the Middle East, a young Arab boy from the West Bank becomes friends with a Jewish boy. "Samir and Yonatan" received the 2001 ALA Batchelder Award for most outstanding children's book originally published in a foreign language and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States.

For more than 90 years, ALA's Booklist has been the librarian's leading choice for reviews of the latest books and electronic media. Every year we review nearly 4,000 books for adults, more than 2,500 titles for children, more than 500 reference books and electronic reference tools, and 1,000 other audiovisual materials.

Copyright© 2000, American Library Association.
Last Modified: Friday, 14-Sep-2001 11:11:50 CDT

American Library Association Home Page

Suggested Music

Music has the power not only to express difficult and deep emotions but also to draw people together. To complement the Facing Fear curriculum, you may find some of the following music useful. In addition, we suggest asking your school music specialist for titles of appropriate CDs or tapes for your class. MENC: the National Association for Music Education is also a good resource for appropriate music titles. Visit the Web site at www.menc.org and look for the section titled "0 Say Can You Sing."

Expressing Grief/Mournful

Dona Nohis Pacem by Bach

Finlandia by Sibelius

Funeral Ikos by John Tavener

"Pas de deux" from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake

Pavane for a Dying Princess by Ravel

Symphony no. 3, Eroica. second movement, by Beethoven

Calming/Soothing

Adagio in G by Tomaso Albinoni

"Make Our Garden Grow" from Candide by Bernstein

Danses Sacre et Profane by Debussy

Harp Concerto in C major, third movement, bv Francois-Adrien Boidldieu

Irish Blessing and numerous other pieces for chorus by Rutter

La Mer by Debussy

Lux Aeterna by Skip Lauridsen

'The Moldau" from the symphonic poem Ma Blast

by Bedrich Smetana

Prelude to (he Afternoon of a Faun by Debussy

Performances by pianist George Winston

Recordings of nature sounds such as rainforest, rushing water, birds, rustling trees

Changing Your Mood

Folk dances

Grand Canyon Suite by Grofe

Klezmer

Scott Joplin rags

Strauss waltzes

Tchaikovsky ballets (Swan Lake, Nutcracker Suite)

Uplifting

Appalachian Spring by Copland

Cuban Overture by Gershwin

Eine Kleine Nachtmuzik by Mozart

Fanfare for the Common Man by Copland

Symphony  no. 9, Ode to Joy, by Beethoven

Symphony no. 2, London Symphony, by Ralph Vaughan Williams

"The Promise of Living" from the Tender Land by Copland

Choral pieces by Ralph Vaughan Williams

Energizing

"Spring" from The Four Seasons by Vivaldi

Latin and tango selections

American in Paris by Gershwin

Selections from West Side Story like "America" by Bernstein

"Entrance of the Queen of Sheba" from the Solomon oratorio by Handel

Sousa marches