HELPING EDUCATORS TEACH PEACE
We offer these seven documents as starting points for your exploration. We welcome your comments of how you have made use of these resources and your contributions of further resources. Email: events@peaceweekdelaware.org
- FACT SHEET FOR PLANNING A SCHOOL PEACE WEEK EVENT
- IDEA BANK FOR BRINGING PEACE TOPICS TO STUDENTS
- PEACE QUOTATIONS FOR PROMOTING DISCUSSION
- PEACE WEEK EVENT PLANNING: ON-LINE RESOURCES
- PEACE EDUCATION BIBLIOGRAPHY
- HOME SCHOOL LESSON PLANS
- PRESCHOOL LESSON PLANS
- ELEMENTARY LESSON PLAN: MAKING PEACE MENTORS PART OF AN ELEMENTARY CURRICULUM
FACT SHEET FOR PLANNING A SCHOOL PEACE WEEK EVENT: INFORMATION FOR DELAWARE EDUCATORS
What can schools do during Peace Week Delaware? Schools can use Peace Week Delaware to teach students about how they can contribute to a peaceful culture in our society. By holding an Event for students, faculty, student families and other members of the community, you engage students in learning about and discussing peace-making. You are free to decide what kind of Event and which audience works best for your school.
- Events can address virtually any topic that helps to build peace and racial, social, economic, gender or environmental justice.
- Events can take almost any form that fits your school’s approach, such as:
| · Movies | · Expert Panels | · Art Exhibits |
| · Outdoor Activities | · Songs | · Photography Exhibits |
| · Posters | · Talks | · Musical Performances |
| · Morning Announcements | · Walks | · Meals |
| · Assemblies | · Marches | · Yoga & other Exercise Sessions |
| · Class Activities | · Readings | · Arts & Crafts Workshops |
- Schools can also reshape an existing program to fit the Peace Week Delaware Event Criteria.
What resources are available to educators?
- See the a wide range of free resources on the Peace Week Delaware website under Resources in the main navigation bar.
- In addition, members of the Peace Week Delaware Steering Committee are available to answer questions, provide ideas and assist you in planning an Event. Contact Pat Bartoshesky at events@peaceweekdelaware.org
Are there criteria that schools should follow? Yes, and we have simplified them to make holding an Event easy for educators.
CONTENT of EVENTS:
- Help to build a culture of peace in Wilmington and Delaware, to make Delaware known for its transformation to a culture of peace and to create sustainable actions to build a culture of peace
- Have peace, nonviolence, and / or equal justice as the primary theme or outcome
- Have a Delaware focus; may also address national and international peace and justice issues
- Motivate attendees to become involved in continuing peace activities by providing concrete ideas for concrete actions
- Be politically non-partisan
CHARACTERISTICS of EVENTS:
- Occur during Peace Week Delaware – October 7-15, 2023
- Involve collaboration with other peace-oriented organizations and individuals
- Be accessible to persons with disabilities
- Not allow weapons of any type
- Be free of charge
EXPECTATIONS OF EVENT ORGANIZERS:
- Have the will, energy, and resources for a successful event
- Let the Peace Week Delaware Steering Committee know about your Event in advance (Schools are not required to submit the Registration Form on our website)
- Provide information after the Event to the Steering Committee (Schools are not required to complete the Evaluation Form we ask of other Event Organizers)
COLLABORATION: Finally, we find that some of the most impactful Events have been ones that involve collaboration with others – other schools or community organizations. Although collaboration is not a requirement, we encourage you to consider finding a partner. For example, a speaker from another organization on positive community efforts can be inspiring for students. The Peace Week Delaware Steering Committee can provide information on other organizations that could make good partners for you.
About Peace Week Delaware. Peace Week Delaware (PWD) is held state-wide across nine days. Events help Delawareans build strong communities by learning about how to take action to resolve issues of violence and racial, social, economic and gender injustice. We are in our eighth year and supported many events attracting thousands of Delawareans state-wide. Donations can be made at Donate to Peace Week.
There are four key elements to Peace Week’s success.
- Event Organizers – Individuals, schools, hospitals, non-profits, faith and community groups, libraries and governments.
- Community Partners – Individuals, businesses and foundations that donate to help pay for state-wide promotion.
- Steering Committee – Volunteer team that sets the Peace Week calendar and Event Criteria, recruits and supports Event Organizers, manages our website and Event registration, provides logos and other resources and raises funds for state-wide promotion through our website and in print and online.
- Members of the Public – Folks who attend Peace Week Events and carry actions to promote peace back to their communities.
Questions? Please contact Pat Bartoshesky at events@peaceweekdelaware.org
IDEA BANK FOR BRINGING PEACE TOPICS TO STUDENTS
Be creative! Peace Week Events take many forms as long as they include learning about peace and racial, social or economic justice and motivation to talk about and act on these issues.
FOR SCHOOLS, SCHOOL CLUBS, AND ORGANIZATIONS
- Student assembly focused on peace and non-violence, including songs about peace
- Give each student a “Peace Passport” (e.g., a small blue notebook decorated with the Peace Week Delaware logo to carry with them all week; others write peace-related messages in the notebook or a note of thanks when the student does an act of kindness; students share their notebooks on Friday of Peace Week
- Read and discuss a peace-related book
- Hold a multi-cultural meal where students speak about the food in the meal
- Create a “peace graffiti” wall – line a brick wall with white or brown paper, add brick lines and ask student, teachers and parents to write a peaceful message in each brick
- Review local newspapers to find examples of kindness or lack of kindness – create a collage of pictures and words that demonstrate a kind and safe environment
- Include articles on kindness in school newsletters
- Design a bulletin board on peaceful behaviors – post images of peace, peace-related quotations, “peace heroes” (e.g., Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, etc.)
- Ask the Librarian to collect and display books and other print and non-print materials on peace and kindness – novels, picture books, recordings, videos, non-fictions books, and periodicals
- Create a “Thoughtful Deeds Tree” – each time a student demonstrates kindness, post a leaf with the student’s name and action of kindness
- Have a “Peace Day” where students do face-painting, wear blue and white ribbons, wear peace-related tee-shirts, make peace-related bracelets or key chains
- Hang signs or banners in the school promoting Peace Week Delaware, using the Peace Week Delaware logo
- Include a peace-related “Quote of the Day” in school announcements
- Show films on peace themes
- Hold a “day of community service” within Peace Week, focusing on a neighborhood need
FOR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
- Hang banners promoting Peace Week Delaware, using the Peace Week Delaware logo
- Service organizations/sororities/fraternities distribute (and wear) peace-related buttons, with Peace Week Delaware logo
- Hang Peace Week Delaware posters in buildings
- Show films on peace themes
- Present speakers and/or panels on peace-related themes, e.g., understanding implicit bias, immigrant rights and responsibilities, etc.
- Hold a “peace concert” where musicians perform songs that people can sing together
- Hold a multi-cultural meal in dormitories or classes with speakers who can talk about the food in the meal
PEACE WEEK EVENT PLANNING– ON-LINE RESOURCES
- All school levels, including college:
- Twin Poets – Delaware’s Poets Laureates and local activists. Contact and details at https://arts.delaware.gov/poet-laureate/
- Beau Biden Foundation – Speakers on cyberbullying and internet safety. Contact and details at https://www.beaubidenfoundation.org/
- Peace Week Delaware Idea Bank – A wide range of ideas for Peace Week events. Details at https://www.peaceweekdelaware.org/create-event/idea-bank/
- High school and college level:
- Erase the Hate – Guide to Difficult Conversations: Ten Tips for Challenging Conversations. Information at https://www.erasethehate.org/learn-more/difficult-conversations
- Erase the Hate – Music Anthem Video – “We all have the power to create change. Up-and-coming musical artist Princess Nokia and legendary Grammy Award-winner producer Timbaland encourage every one of us to take action in the fight against hate.” Video at https://www.erasethehate.org/support-change/anthem
- High school level: Choice Road – Sponsored by Christiana Care, featuring local rapper El Rod. Contact: Chaz Molins, cmolins@christianacare.org or (302) 733-4996. Details at https://christianacare.org/services/trauma/violenceprevention/
- Elementary and middle school levels: Sandy Hook Promise – Provides no-cost, easy-to-implement, downloadable resources for schools and youth on recognizing violence, suicide and social media risks, gun violence prevention and developing productive relationships among youth. Details and downloadable resources at https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/
Youth Visionary Peace Art Exhibition: We also encourage you to give your students the opportunity to create their personal vision of peace through art. For the fifth year, Pacem in Terris will sponsor a Peace Week event called the Youth Visionary Peace Art Exhibition. Each year, this Exhibition showcases hundreds of pieces of original student art. The art is displayed at the Delaware Contemporary, with an opening event on the first day to celebrate the students. Contact: Carolyn Bitzer, (302) 656-2721. Details at http://depaceminterris.org/project/youth-peace-art/
PEACE QUOTATIONS FOR PROMOTING DISCUSSIONS
These quotations can be used for discussions that support the central ideas of peace, acceptance, and collaboration. Choose one quotation each day during Peace Week to share on morning announcements and for discussion afterwards in your classrooms.
- “If you were another person, would you like to be a friend of yours?” Unknown
- “Choose your socks by their color and your friends by their character.” Unknown
- “Be kind; everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” John Watson
- ”Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope and, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” Robert Kennedy
- “Talk doesn’t cook rice.” Chinese proverb
- “No one can make you feel inferior within your consent.” Eleanor Roosevelt
- “The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” May Smith
- ”When spiderwebs unite, they can tie up a lion.” Ethiopian proverb
- “Make friends before you need them.” Unknown
- “People don’t get along because they fear each other. People fear each other because they don’t know each other.“ Martin Luther King, Jr.
- “If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.” Mahatma Ghandi
- “Honor the dead. Heal the wounded. End the wars. March for Peace.” Unknown
- “If you wish to experience peace, provide peace for another.” Dalai Lama
- “There was never a good war or a bad peace.” Benjamin Franklin
- “We may all have come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
- “Peace begins with a smile.” Mother Teresa
- “Forgive others not because they deserve forgiveness, but because they deserve peace.” Unknown
- “Ignorance is a menace to peace.” Paul Harris
- “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” Jimi Hendrix
- “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.” Albert Einstein
- “There is no path to peace. Peace is the path.” Mahatma Ghandi
- “Peace cannot be achieved through violence; it can only be obtained through understanding.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “You will never find peace until you listen to your heart.” George Michael
- “Do something today that your future self will thank you for.” com
- “An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.” Mahatma Ghandi
- “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
Find more peace-related quotations and art on:
http://wisdomquotes.org/peace.php
https://peacealliance.org/tools-education/peace-inspirational-quotes/
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/six-words Use the “six-word” idea to have your students write their own ideas about peace in six words.
PEACE EDUCATION BIBLIOGRAPHY
These books from http://peaceeducators.org/resources/peace-education-books-adults/ are available from the Delaware Library system.
- Copple, Carol (ed.) (2003) A World of Difference: Readings on Teaching Young Children in a Diverse Society,
- Derman-Sparks, L. (1989)Anti-Bias Curriculum: Tools for Empowering Young Children,
- DeVries, R., Zan, B. (1994) Moral Classrooms, Moral Children (chapter 5, Conflict and its resolution), New York: Teachers College Press.
- Evans, B. (2002) You Can’t Come to My Birthday Party!,High Scope Educational Research Foundation.
- Hopkins, J. (ed.) (2000) The Art of Peace: Nobel Peace Laureates Discuss Human Rights, Conflict and Reconciliation, Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, New York.
- Kohn, Alfie (1996) Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community, Alexandria, VA., ASCD.—
- — (1999) Punished by Rewards, Alexandria, VA., ASCD.
- Kreidler, W.J. (1994) Teaching Conflict Resolution through Children’s Literature, PreK to grade 6, Jefferson City, MO, Scholastic Professional Books.
- —— (1999) Adventures in Peacemaking: A Conflict Resolution Activity Guide for Early Childhood Educators, Cambridge, MA., Educators for Social Responsibilities.
- Lantieri, L. (1998)Waging Peace in Our Schools, Beacon Press.
- Levin, D., Connolly, Pl, & J. Hayden (2007) From Conflict to Peace Building: The power of early childhood initiatives, World Forum Foundation, NIPPA – The Early Years Organization.
- McCarthy, C. (2002) I’d Rather Teach Peace, Orbis Books.
- Ramsey, P. G. (2004) Teaching and Learning in a Diverse World,Teachers College Press.
- Slaby, R., Roedell, W., Arezzo, D & Hendrix, K. (1995) Early Violence Prevention: Tools for Teachers of Young Children,
- Vance, E., Weaver, P. (2002) Class Meetings: Young Children Solving Problems Together,
- York, S. (2003) Roots and Wings: Affirming Culture in Early Childhood Programs, Red Leaf Press.
Additional book lists at http://www.welcomingschools.org and The Children’s Peace Education & Anti-Bias Library (children’s books with discussion guides for educators).
Additional titles available in the Delaware Library system:
- Ginsberg, Kenneth R. (2011) Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Kids Roots and Wings, American Academy of Pediatrics.
- Janke, Rebecca Ann (1995) Peacemaker’s A, B, Bs for Young Children: A Guide for Teaching Conflict Resolution with a Peace Table, Growing Communities for Peace.
- Jones, Tricia S. (2003) Kids Working It Out: Strategies and Stories for Making Peace in Our Schools, Jossey-Bass.
- Lincoln, Melinda (2002) Conflict Resolution Communication: Patterns Promoting Peaceful Schools, Scarecrow Press.*
- McCarthy, Colman (2015) Teaching Peace: Students Exchange Letters with Their Teacher, Vanderbilt University Press.
- Montessori, Maria (1972) Education and Peace,
- Standish, Katerina (2018) Yogic Peace Education: Theory and Practice,
- Winslade, John (2012) Safe and Peace: Addressing Conflict and Eliminating Violence, Corwin Press.
*There are many other titles in the Delaware Library system under the category of conflict resolution.
