Stories and Art: Learning About 9/11 Through "Fireboat"

  • Grades K to 2
  • Lesson Duration: One Class Period
  • Theme: Events of the Day

Essential Question: How did people choose to help each other on a very difficult day?

Learning Goals

  • Students will understand that 9/11 was an important day in history that affected many people.
  • Students will see examples of people responding to 9/11 with kindness and bravery.
  • Students will process their learning through a collaborative art project.

 

Vocabulary

  • Community: A group of people who live and work together in the same place.
  • Emergency: A serious situation where people need help right away.
  • Ferry: To carry people or things back and forth on short trips.
  • Fireboat: A special type of boat made to carry firefighting equipment and pump water to help put out fires.
  • Firefighter: A person whose job is to put out fires and help keep people safe.
  • Harbor: A safe place near land where boats are docked.
  • Rescue: To help someone get out of danger.

 

Materials

  • Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey by Maira Kalman. You will need access to this book to complete the full lesson.
  • Construction paper, pencils, crayons or colored pencils, and scissors.

Activity

Handprints cut out of blue, orange, yellow, and red construction paper. The handprints are decorated with children's drawings.

Examples of "helping hands" art projects.

1.  Tell students that they’ll be learning about a very important day in the past—September 11, 2001.
 

2.  Share with students that on September 11, 2001, many people in our country needed help. That morning, airplanes hit very tall buildings in New York City, called the Twin Towers. Other locations in our country were hit as well. The day became known by the date it happened: “9/11”.

Firefighters, police officers, doctors, and even regular people all rushed to help others, showing kindness and teamwork. We can remember this day by thinking about how important it is to help others and to be kind.

Note: for additional language and suggestions about how to discuss this with young learners, see How to Talk to Young Learners About 9/11.
 

3.  Tell students that they’re going to learn more about 9/11 through a story about a special boat called the John J. Harvey. This boat and its crew helped many people on 9/11.
 

4.  Read Fireboat by Maira Kalman with students. Ask:

  • What kind of boat was the John J. Harvey? What made it special?
  • On 9/11, the John J. Harvey and the people who worked on it did some very important things. What did they do? (helped bring people to a safe place, pumped sea water to help fight fires).
  • We saw many examples of people in the book helping others. What is one way you can help others? Make a list as a class.
     

5.  Tell students they will now make their own piece of art to show different ways they can help others. For this activity, you will need construction paper, pencils, crayons or colored pencils, and scissors.
 

6.  First, ask students to trace the outline of their hands with a pencil and cut it out. Then, ask them to decorate their ‘helping hand’ with pictures showing different ways they can be helpers. You can return to their list of ways they can help others for inspiration.
 

7.  Once everyone has finished their drawings, attach the hands to the wall slightly overlapping each other to create a chain of helping hands. 
 

8.  As a summative question, ask:

  • How can ordinary people make a big difference in their community?
     
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