September is Library Card Sign-Up Month
Take a field trip to the local library, an excellent and useful American institution. Your students have the potential to bring the joy of reading to others through a Library Card Sign-Up service-learning project. Set up booths and pass out information about the library in your local community. Older students can volunteer to read stories to young children. With these projects, you can onvolve your students in our nation's literacy programs.

Useful Websites:

American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/
 
National Childhood Injury Prevention Week is September 1-7
This campaign emphasizes public education through individual and community involvement in raising awareness about preventable childhood injuries. The “As Safe As Possible Campaign” offers concrete strategies for reducing the incidence of such events. A service-learning project could research the common injuries in your school or community and develop an educational campaign to present to community members. Being a citizen means helping others live healthy lives.

Useful Websites:

As Safe As Possible Campaign
http://www.assafeaspossible.org/

Center for Injury Prevention Policy and Practice
http://www.cippp.org/

Walkability
http://www.saferoutes.org/
 
Labor Day is September 2
Learning about the history and purpose of Labor Day will teach students about the history of union organizing, a powerful force in the American workforce. Help students examine issues in their community to identify one for which they would like to organize a campaign. Students will discover the structure and functions of unions by forming a small union themselves and working for positive change in their community.

Useful websites:

AFL-CIO
http://www.aflcio.org/home.htm

Global Unions
http://www.global-unions.org/

Frederick Douglass escapes to freedom: anniversary September 3, 1838
Frederick Douglass freed himself from slavery and tirelessly helped millions more reach freedom. Celebrate the anniversary of his escape and educate your students about a part of the history of slavery in America. Debate about the state of race relations in America today and create a group vision about what still needs to be accomplished to correct current racial disparities. Give students the opportunity to create a service project based on this theme.

Useful Websites:
 
Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
http://www.nps.gov/frdo/freddoug.html

NAACP
http://www.naacp.org/

U.S. Department of State – Racial and Ethnic Diversity Information
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/race/
 
Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown September 6
Rosh Hashanah is a Jewish holiday that continues for 10 days of repentance and spiritual renewal. Discuss this religious holiday and invite Jewish speakers to explain its significance. Encourage students to respect the multitude of religions in America by sharing and serving with those different from them. Hold an event that gathers a variety of different people together and celebrate the diversity of American citizens.

Useful websites:

Facts on Rosh Hashanah
http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday2.htm

Jewish Net
http://www.jewishnet.net/
 
September 11: a day for reflection and service
The tragedy of September 11, 2001 has allowed many Americans to show their compassion for others. Plan a service day in honor of this anniversary to provide students with an opportunity to practice compassion toward and understanding of their fellow Americans. Organize a service project with youth from different religious, ethnic or national backgrounds, and let them discover their common ability to help others and give of themselves. For more information on building tolerance and understanding in your classroom, attend the PSLA Tolerance Workshop with the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh on October 15 from 9am – 3pm. Register on our website at www.pitt.edu/~psla or call Jessica Friedrichs at 412-0648-1480 for more information.
 
Citizenship Day is September 17
This holiday was created to celebrate the ratification of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787 and to promote individual citizenship. Building citizenship involves educating and questioning.  Let your students struggle with the moral questions of our nation. Hold a debate on current news issues regarding “good citizens”. Let students develop their own personal definition of "a good citizen" and discuss their responses to derive a consensus definition. 

Useful websites:

White House Proclamation of Citizenship Day
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010917-15.html

Madison Independent Media Editorial on Citizenship Day
http://madison.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=6974&group=webcast

PBS Kids: Learning Adventures in Citizenship
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/newyork/laic/
 
Banned Books Week: celebrating the freedom to read on September 21-28
To celebrate our freedom of speech, the American Library Association encourages libraries across the country to host “Read-Outs” during this week where citizens read commonly banned books such as Catcher in the Rye,by J.D. Salinger and To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. Have a lesson on banned books and examine a list of books banned or challenged in recent years. Have a lesson on great works of literature and educate students about their rights as a citizen at the same time!

Useful websites:

American Library Association: Read-Out and List of Banned Books
www.ala.org/bbooks/index.html

List of the most frequently banned books in the 1990s
www.cs.cmu.edu/People/spok/most-banned.html