Friday, February 16, 2007

Fireboat: The Adventures of the John J. Harvey by Maria Kalman


Summary: Fireboat is the real-life story of the John J. Harvey, which was first launched in 1931. After many years of service fighting fires along the Hudson River, the boat was finally retired. In 1995, several New Yorkers bought and restored the old fireboat. This inspiring book tells how, and why, the Harvey was called into service again on September 11, 2001.

Activities:
1)Students write a poem describing the characteristics of a hero
2)Students make appreciation cards for people who have jobs that impact the students' lives
3)Characteristics of Heroes: Write a list of character traits on the board (like bravery, intelligence, etc). Go through the character traits one at a time and discuss whether each particular trait would make a person a hero. Then have the group write down which of those traits they see in their friends and in themselves.
4) Empathy and Peace Building Activities
5) "If I Were a Hero, I Would…" Will they care about their friends, help their parents, be kind to people, say hello to neighbors? This exercise encourages students to think of themselves as heroes and feel good about it.

Social Justice Education: Covers all areas
Through the activities listed above, students will learn about self-love and acceptance, in addition to respecting and loving other people.

This book can also be used to discuss what happened on September 11th, andthe children can generate ideas on how the protect their country. What would they do if they were the President?

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