The recent terrorist attack on the United States has prompted suggestions, questions, and comments from many teachers. We have printed some of them here, in the hope that they will prove useful to others. If you would like to submit your own suggestions or ideas, send them to editorial@teachersfirst.com. We'll add as many as we can.

I am a 2nd grade teacher of Spanish language learners in Desert Hot Springs, California. My students would like the opportunity to exchange letters with students in the areas most stricken by the recent terrorist attacks. We are looking for other ways to help ( a school-wide penny drive), but I feel the students would get so much more out of being able to offer some comfort and exchange thoughts with others their age.
If you are interested, please contact:
Enbody@hotmail.com This is my home e-mail.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you all,

Catherine Enbody
2nd grade
Two Bunch Palms Elementary
Desert Hot Springs, CA

Lesson Idea - If I Were in Charge....

From: Ann Barnett, annette.barnett@cfisd.net

Grade: 6th
Subject: Language Arts

Objectives:
Given the events of the week, I've given this poem frame to my students to help express their feelings. It's timely and they have responded well to it. You'll need a copy of Judith Viorst's original "If I Were in Charge of the World". I told my kids that it didn't have to be all serious (I'd get rid of lima beans!), but they should share some of how they are feeling about this week in their poem. I think it could be used for a wide variety of grade levels, with lower grade level perhaps writing a class poem.

Materials:
Copy of Judith Viorst's "If I Were in Charge of the World"
Class set of poem frames.

Procedure
If I Were In Charge of the World

By _______________________

If I were in charge of the world,
I’d cancel __________________,
___________________________,
___________________________, and also
___________________________.

If I were in charge of the world
There’d be ___________________________,
___________________________, and
___________________________.

If I were in charge of the world,
You wouldn’t have ___________________________.
You wouldn’t have ___________________________.
You wouldn’t have ___________________________.
Or “_____________________.”
You wouldn’t even have _______________________.