Fireboat Book Activities for September 11

Book Companion

28 Aug

I read the sweet book about the heroic adventures of the John J. Harvey Fireboat and I was amazed by the conversations I had with my students.

The John J. Harvey fireboat was the largest, fastest, shiniest fireboat of its time, but by 1995, the city didn't need old fireboats anymore. So the Harvey retired until a group of friends decided to save it from the scrap heap.

Then, one sunny September day in 2001, something so horrible happened that the whole world shook. And a call came from the fire department, asking if the Harvey could battle the roaring flames.

The author of the book Maira Kalman did an amazing job explaining what happened on that day for children to understand.

I want to know have you read this book Fireboat to your class or perhaps another September 11 read aloud? I highly recommend this one to anyone! Never forget 🇺🇸

I created a low prep easy resource for this book to remember September 11.

This is a sensitive, yet important, topic to discuss with our students. It can be so difficult to know exactly how to discuss it with young students in particular.

This is why I wanted to share with you the Fireboat book companion, that you can incorporate in your talks and lessons about September 11 and grab the resource below by clicking HERE!

This resource is a reading activity guide for the book Fireboat. It includes the following:

-13 pages in total

-Pre Reading-Questions

-Compare and Contrast

-9/11 Coloring Sheet

-Story Vocabulary

-Reading Comprehension

-Teacher Activity Guide

I will start my social studies class by reading the book and then give my students individual KWL charts to segway into a discussion about the heroes and tragedies of that momentous day. After our discussion, my students will be watching the BrainPOP 9/11 video and then we will complete my Fireboat packet.

Here are more ideas you could implement into your lessons:

Compare and Contrast

Use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the way the owners of the John J. Harvey felt on September 10 versus September 11.

Empathy and Peace-Building Activities
Use empathy activities with young children to help them learn about each other, communicate positive messages, and more.
Hero/Heroine Writing Activities
If I Were a Hero, I Would...
Have your students write an essay called, "If I Were a Hero, I Would…" Will they care about their friends, help their parents, be kind to people, and say hello to neighbors?
This exercise encourages students to think of themselves as heroes and feel good about it.
I hope you’ll find this resource helpful as you teach your scholars or children at home about September 11! All of the work is already done for you! WHOO HOO!