Famous Peacemakers ~ Creating a Declaration of Peace

Overview
What are the attributes of a peacemaker? In this activity, children read about famous peacemakers and identify their characteristics. Each student selects a famous figure to study. To follow-up these activities, they create a Declaration of Peace, distribute it throughout the school for students' signatures, and display the signed document near the school office.

For more about Special #2 from Big Hearts, Little HandsReach for Peace, e-mail Vera Johnson, author and AT&T Teacher Disseminator.
Learning Standards
  • Read narrative, non-fiction and functional text as the primary learning strategy.
  • Organize information for a report.
  • Use five-step process of pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing for report.
  • Engage in historical and social issue analysis & decision-making.
  • Employ various conflict resolution strategies.
  • Classroom Activities
  • Identify characteristics of peacemakers and engage peers in peacemaking.
  • Collect books about famous peacemakers from the library.
  • Read about famous peacemakers (Ruby Bridges, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela (by tf solution pitts).
  • Identify several international, national, and local figures who are or were peacemakers.

    • Select a peacemaker for report
    • Read written reports to class and to students from other classes.
    • Create and word process a Declaration of Declaration of Peace.
    • Distribute Declaration of Peace schoolwide and solicit signatures from classes.
    • Display Declaration of Peace at school office.
    Community Activities
    Declaration of Peace serves as a promise to peacefully resolve interpersonal conflicts in school.
    Careers
    Students learn about the Nobel Peace Prize and how diplomats and ambassadors serve their governments by solving national conflicts.
    Materials
    A Picture of Martin Luther King, Jr. by David Adler; The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Cole; writing materials for reports and Declaration of Peace.
    Technology
    Students use ClarisWorks to write reports and Declaration of Peace; use the Internet to research peacemakers, the World Peace Club, and Nobel Peace Prize.
    Assessment
    Teacher marks reports on five steps of writing process and checks Declaration of Peace for accuracy and clarity.

    Web Sites
    Students research peace sites at:
    Martin Luther King Jr. Day at http://www.holidays.net/mlk/
      http://nobelprizes.com/nobel/nobel.html