THE ATTACKS OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001by Lauren Tarshis

I survived

This year marks the 11th anniversary of 9/11. For many of us, the last thing we want is to revisit the day of September 11, 2001, in New York City. As the school year opens, many of us in the education field across the United States, may feel the same way. But as one educator so aptly put it “we need to go down the hole of one of history’s darkest days in order to come up with some light to shed on it for our students this September.”

In 2001, some of our students were not even born yet and know very little about the day’s events. Even though it is a ‘current event’ for us as adults, it is ‘history’ for them.” For those of us in the field of education, September 11 may still be a raw experience, whereas for our students, it’s not even a memory. But regardless, we are the ones in position to preserve this part of history for them.

Here at Rodolfo Centeno Elementary, we tried to think about how to bridge teachers’ personal experiences with September 11 with students’ understanding of the event. To commemorate the day of September 11, we will be hosting Remembering 9/11: Tell your story. How did you witness history on September 11, 2001? What do you most remember and how has it affected your life? As role models, help us preserve this historic event by sharing your experience with our 5th grade students who have just finished reading and reflecting on I Survived: the Attacks of September 11, 2001 by Lauren Tarshis.

The Little Chapel that Stood by A.B. Curtiss

 

 

 

The Little Chapel that Stood by A. B. Curtiss, recounts the history and story of St Paul’s Chapel and its significance during the 9-11 tragedy. Dating back to the 1700’s, St. Paul’s Chapel, a place of hope and refuge, from the days of George Washington to September 11,, 2011, has stood the test of time enduring history, advancements, and tragedy all the while standing as a symbol of our great nation. Curtiss entwines the story of the chapel with the courage of the American people during this fateful day. A testament to the notion that “sometimes being little doesn’t mean being small.”

The Darkness Under the Water by Beth Kanell

The Darkness Under the Water by Beth Kanell

Set in Vermont in the 1930s, 16 year old Molly Ballou is not only haunted by her dead sister but by the looming threat of a governmental effort to rid the state of “unfit” people. More than a lesson in American history, though, this is a story of resilience and self-discovery. Molly finds a river of strength in her friendship with Henry Laporte, an Abenaki boy, who has remained true to himself and his people. The book concludes with an author’s note about the Vermont Eugenics Project. A haunting selection for historical fiction fans.

But you will have to wait until you are in middle school or high school to read this book. If you would like to visit Beth Kanell’s website go to http://bethkanell.com/

To read about the Vermont Eugenics Project read this archived article from the Boston Globe:
http://www.bigorrin.org/archive4.htm

To learn about the Abenaki Indians you can visit:
http://www.native-languages.org/abenaki.htm


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SOMEONE NAMED EVA by Joan M. Wolf

Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee for 2010

Joan M. Wolf’s novel, Someone Named Eva is a startling look at events that took place during WWII that very few people know about. It’s a perfect tie-in to the study of Anne Frank and the Holocaust.

Can Milada find her way home before all her memories slip away and her identity is lost to her forever?


The Lacemaker and the Princess by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

                                              The Princess and the Lacemaker                                   

     “I am glad to be Clochette,” I said. “You know that. But I am not one person here and another at home, I am one person only.”
     “You are two people, “Thérèse said. “But when I grow you will be one.”

 

When eleven-year old Isabelle meets Thérèse, the princess and daughter of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette the king and queen of France, she is thrust into a world that will test both her sense of self and sense of righteousness. At home she must work for a living. She is a lacemaker like her mother and grandmother before her, struggling to pay bills and buy bread, afraid of nothing but being able to make enough lace to keep her family from starving. The year is 1788, and while the king and queen and royalty live in luxury and decadence they ignore the rest of the people in the country, like Isabelle’s family, who are starving. When the queen chooses Isabelle to be companion to the queen’s daughter Thérèse, her convictions are put to the test. In the Palace of Versailles Isabelle is never hungry, the dresses made for her are of the finest cloths and she has a new fashionable name. Quickly she begins to fall prey to the self-indulgent life of royalty and starts to distance herself from her family. Clochette, as Isabelle is known in the palace, soon becomes dangerously close to forgetting who she really is.

Inspired by a true friendship, Isabelle and Thérèse are both well-developed believable characters. The way Bradley gives you glimpses of both their lives you can’t help feel for both characters and see their points of view. With the historical picture Bradley paints of the lives of the royal family and the regular citizens of the period you also receive a little bit of an education on the class system and need for equality that sparks the French Revolution. Bradley’s Notes at the end of the book are of special interest and will help clarify some of the events taking place during the time period.

If you would like to read more about the author and her books visit her site at http://www.kimberlybrubakerbradley.com/