As the first anniversary of September 11th quickly approaches, there has been much discussion in the media about how to remember September 11th in the classroom. Since President Bush has asked that September be known as a month of service, the White House will be producing a CD-rom that will help teachers promote volunteerism during the month of September. In Pennsylvania, teachers and students can honor the memory of those who died last year on September 11th and promote community service via service-learning.

With service-learning, lessons in citizenship, tolerance, civic virtue and character can continue long after the September 11th rememberance activities and the "month of service" are behind us. Service-learning can keep the spirit of service to others alive in the classroom and community throughout the school year.

Here are a few project ideas that might spark some interest in your classroom and community during the month of September, as we all begin to rethink what it means to be an American and a global citizen:

Adopt-a-Fire-Department Project

Grade Level: Elementary
Curriculum: Art, Math, Civics
After September 11th, more and more citizens began to recognize the importance of local fire departments. Consider having your elementary students adopt a local unit of the fire department in your community. Throughout the school year, students and firemen can address important fire safety issues, such as smoke alarms, carbon minoxide detectors, fire escapes/escape routes, fire extinquishers, etc. Teachers can easily tie these projects into the curriculum. For example, students can host a "Penny Drive" in the school to raise money for the purchase of smoke alarms that will be donated to low-income residents of the community. Adding up all those pennies can be turned into a great math lesson. Students could also develop a poster contest in the community to spread the word about fire safety. Lastly, any lesson that ties in with the efforts of the fire department would be a great opportunity to discuss citizenship and the spirit of volunteerism that fire departments exemplify.

Heroes Project

Grade Level: Middle School
Curriculum: Writing
Many people are referring to those who died at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Shanksville as "heroes" of our time. During this time of national reflection, encourage your students to reflect upon what it means to be a hero, who their heroes are and perhaps even what it is like for many citizens around the world to be "unsung heroes." As a service-learning project, have the students write essays about their heroes.  Have them interview local heroes so that those community members are recognized. Contact a local newspaper and see if they will publish some of your students' essays!

Good Neighbor Project

Grade Level: High School
Curriculum: Family and Consumer Sciences
An important part of the process of developing a better sense of community in post-9/11 America is the act of becoming a better citizen. Encourage high school students to start in their own back yards by being good neighbors and setting positive examples.  Have your students determine who their neighbors are in the community. For some, a neighbor might just be the person who lives next door, and for others, a neighbor might be a patient in a local hospice, a community agency or a local shut-in who is without family or friends. Once the students have determined who their neighbor will be for this project, have them plan and develop a service project for each of the upcoming curriculum units this semester. For example, if students will be learning about food and nutrition, they could bake or prepare some healthy snacks for their neighbors, collect and share coupons for nutrious food items or publish brochures that highlight healthy eating habits and provides a guide to local restaurants that offer healthy items. In addition to being a good neighbor during each curriculum unit, students can visit local elementary schools and encourage younger children to practice being good neighbors.

Visit any of these websites for more information and service-learning inspiration:

Pennsylvania Department of Education
Some great September 11th resources have already been compiled for teachers in Pennsylvania!
http://www.pde.state.pa.us/svcs_students/cwp/view.asp?Q=82239&A=141

Resources for Coping with the Events of September 11th
http://www.lib.msu.edu/corby/ebss/september.htm

Newspapers in Education
http://www.usaweekend.com/partners/nie/nie.html

NEA: Remember September 11th
http://neahin.org/programs/schoolsafety/september11/materials/lessonhome.htm