Facts and Perspective / K–2 / Lesson Plans 31 - NEA Health Information Network

Facts and Perspective /
K–2 / Lesson Plans 31

Key Terms and Concepts

help humanity emergency
laws protection

shelter war disaster
message

Purpose

To recognize that people
help people during all types of emergencies.

Objectives

Students will—

• Discuss and use cutouts
and words to illustrate the meaning of “help.”

• Identify symbols of
humanitarian help organizations: red cross,

red crescent and red
shield of David.

• Define “communication.”

• Recognize the need for
communication during an emergency.

Activities

• “HELP Is on the Way”

• “Signs of Help”

• “Reach Out”

Home Connection

• How Do We Help?

Linking Across the
Curriculum

• Health/Art

Facts and

Perspective

K-2

Lesson Plan 8

Facts About Terrorism

and War

TEACHING NOTE: When
acts of terrorism occur or during war, students have some

hard questions. To help
you find a way to answer these questions, review the

Background for the
Teacher beginning on page v.

The activities within
this lesson plan are meant to guide young students to understand

that even during the
most tragic events, there are people there to help those affected

by the tragedy and
humanitarian rules by which people live.

Lesson Plan 8

Facts About

Terrorism

and War

32 American Red Cross / Facing Fear

“HELP Is on the Way”
Activity

(set up: 15 minutes;
conduct: part 1, 10–15 minutes; part 2, 15–20 minutes)

Part 1

1. Place the large cut-out
letters across the center of the bulletin board. Have students

gather in front of the
bulletin board. Introduce the word “help” and have students

talk about its meaning.
What are some ways they help at home, at school and in

their community?

2. Explain that when
anybody needs help on a larger scale, anywhere around the

world, there are people
who are there to HELP.

3. Pull out the first
word, “humanity,” and put it on the board next to the H. Ask

students to tell you what
this word means. Guide them to understand that humanity

is all people and, when
there is a need, HELP is there for all people, no matter where

they are or whose “side”
they are on in an argument.

4. Do the same for each
word:

• “Emergency”: Have
students talk about emergencies they’ve had in their family

or in school. What did
they need? Medical help? A safe place to stay? Guide them

to understand that during
a disaster or armed conflict, HELP is there for people

who need food, shelter or
care or need to find lost loved ones.

• “Laws”: Have students
talk about rules. Why do we have rules at school? At

home? Why is it important
to obey the rules? Guide students to understand that

the world has rules and
laws, too. They are meant to HELP people even during

times of armed conflict
(war).

• “Protection”: Have
students talk about ways they are protected at home and

school and ways they
protect others. Guide students to understand that during

armed conflict (war), HELP
is there to protect people who are not fighting,

wounded or sick soldiers
and people who are prisoners of war.

Part 2

5. Provide students with
magazines and have them cut out pictures that represent

HELP (or one of the four
words) on any scale, from their families to the world.

6. Have students use these
words and colored markers and crayons to complete the

bulletin board.

Materials

• Bulletin board

• Large cut-out letters:

H E L P

• Words on construction

paper: Humanity,

Emergency, Laws,

Protection

• Magazines for cutting

out pictures

• Markers or crayons

Lesson Plan 8

Facts About

Terrorism

and War

Facts and Perspective /
K–2 / Lesson Plans 33

“Signs of Help”
Activity

(set up: 10 minutes;
conduct: 15–20 minutes)

1. Hold up the red cross
and ask students what the

symbol means to them. Talk
about where and when

they have seen the symbol.
Guide them to understand

that the symbol means
“help” across the United

States and in countries
around the world.

2. Hold up the red
crescent and red shield of David.

Explain that these symbols
mean “help” in many countries in Africa, the Middle

East and parts of Asia. If
appropriate, point out these areas on a large world map.

3. Distribute Activity
Sheet 9. Help students follow the directions to color and find the

signs of help and other
cultural symbols.

4. After completing the
activity sheet, have students discuss symbols or signs that mean

something to
them—crosswalk sign, stop sign, sign for poison and so forth. Start an

ongoing class list of
these signs, beginning with the symbols for help—the red

cross, the red crescent
and the red shield of David.

“Reach Out” Activity

(set up: 5 minutes;
conduct: 15–20 minutes)

1. Have students talk
about all the ways they can communicate with their families:

talking to them, hugging
them, calling them on the phone, writing them an e-mail,

writing them a letter and
so forth. In times of emergency, families sometimes get

separated and are not able
to communicate with each other for a while.

2. Ask students, If you
were separated from your family members, what would you want

to tell them? Then
distribute Activity Sheet 10: Reach Out with a Message. Depending

on the ability of your
students, help them write and/or illustrate their message.

3. Distribute Activity
Sheet 11: Reach Out—Message Maze. Have students complete the

maze to show that no
matter how far away the recipients, the Red Cross is working

to deliver people’s
messages every day.

Materials

• Large cut-out red cross,

red crescent and red

shield of David symbols

(see Activity Sheet 9)

• Activity Sheet 9:

Signs of Help

• Markers or crayons

Materials

• Activity Sheet 10:

Reach Out with a

Message

• Activity Sheet 11:

Reach Out—

Message Maze

FACING FEAR/K-2/Lesson
Plan 8/Facts about Terrorism and War

Reach Out with

a Message

Name_______________________________________________

Activity Sheet 10

Directions: What would you want to tell your family members if
you were

separated from them?

Date _______________

Dear
__________________________

FACING FEAR/K-2/Lesson
Plan 8/Facts about Terrorism and War

Here are the signs of help

from around the world.

Directions: Use the code

below to color the objects

that have the shapes
within

them: red cross, red

crescent, red shield of

David, carpet, three

pyramids.

Signs of Help

Name_______________________________________________

Activity Sheet 9

This activity sheet is
adapted from: A Patchwork of Hope: The American Red Cross Around the World.

Red Orange Yellow

FACING FEAR/K-2/Lesson
Plan 8/Facts about Terrorism and War

Reach out-Message Maze

Name_______________________________________________

Activity Sheet 11

Can you help the Red Cross
deliver this message to a family

member far away?

American Red Cross /
Facing Fear

Lesson Plan 8

Facts About

Terrorism

and War

Home Connection

How Do We Help?

Have students take home
Activity Sheet 12. Have students work with their family to

complete the activity
sheets and bring them back to class to share.

Wrap-up

Have students share their
“How Do We Help?” activity sheets. Talk about the many

different ways students
and their families help each other and other people.

Linking Across the
Curriculum

HEALTH/ART

Have students make a list
of things people need in case of an emergency—shelter,

blankets, food and so
forth. Through discussion, help students discuss the difference

between a need and
something that would just be nice to have. Have students cut out

appropriate pictures from
magazines to create collages about help.

Materials

• Activity Sheet 12:

How Do We Help?

FACING FEAR/K-2/Lesson
Plan 8/Facts about Terrorism and War

How Do We Help?

Name_______________________________________________

Dear Parent or Guardian,

Our class is studying the
many ways we help and protect each other every day.

We are also talking about
ways our families help organizations within our

community, our nation and
the world. Please work with your child to answer the

questions below.

Thank you.

Ways we help and protect
each other:

Ways we help others in our
school and community:

Ways we help others in our
nation and the world:

Activity Sheet 12

TEACHING NOTE: To find
ways your students and their families can

help during a disaster,
check Lesson Plan 11: Do Something!