The HOPE QUILT Lesson Plan Contents

Last year at Chestnut Accelerated Middle School for the Visual and Performing Arts Mrs. Abrams, Ms. Schumer, Mrs. Benoit and myself coordinated a school-wide effort to diminish the acts of violence in our school. Nearly 1,000 students helped with this effort by contributing to a wall-size display entitled “BUILDING BRIDGES NOT WALLS.”  Students designed posters, banners, signs, and postcards containing poems, pictures, slogans, word splashes, raps, songs and letters expressing anti-violent messages that celebrated our collective humanity. It is clear that messages of tolerance and diversity awareness help remind us of the following important premise: If we TRULY loved ourselves then we would love those other than ourselves thus not engage in targeted acts of aggression and violence. Further, we would want for our brothers and sisters what we want for ourselves.   We would treat others the way we want to be treated. This Hope Quilt lesson represents my hope that we act as a community of learners, givers, and doers with an express desire to function in a harmonious and productive manner. This lesson accentuates this premise by giving to you, my colleagues and friends a simple vehicle for engaging students in a community service learning activity that will help build bridges to each other instead of walls that divide.  This day we find ourselves confronted with the possibility of war. The recent bombings have caused people to either express more feelings of hate or express and embrace more feelings of love and mutual respect.  It is hoped that we, at our respective schools, engage our energies, inclinations and sentiments acting conscientiously from the latter premise. The following lesson of hope will help you make a contribution to the 2001-2002 wall-sized school-as-a-whole display in our building. Teachers in other schools will do likewise.  This lesson will give students an opportunity to express their ideas, prayers, hopes and wishes for a better world and a better tomorrow through their dynamic verbal and pictorial expressions. Also, included in this booklet, (reproduced on this site), is information on the religion of Islam and the term Jihad. There is a great deal of misinformation being disseminated, particularly about the religion - Islam, the followers - Muslims, and the term Jihad.  

 – To teach a lesson of tolerance through creative writing, art, and other 

visually expressive activities and mediums.

Behavioral Objective

 – Students will design, write and color one square quilt pattern containing

  a message of peace, hope and world harmony for their school-as-a-whole exhibit.

Materials

– Scissors, Markers, Colored Pencils, Gel Pens, Crayons, Glue, Erasers and  

Quilt Square Patterns.

Introduction/Motivation

– Discuss the recent events that occurred in New York and D.C. Allow students to 

guide the discussion by the questions they ask and the issues they raise.  

Encourage students to listen to each other – one voice in the atmosphere at a time. A KWL (Know, Want to Know, Learned) is an excellent way to find out how much information students know already and how deeply they would like to go into the subject. Admit that we, as adults, do not have all of the answers and we will be exploring the incident together as history unfolds. As a community of learners let them know that we can make a difference through our thoughts because thoughts are very powerful. Our thoughts dictate our behavior.   (I call thoughts the true remote control.)

Procedure

– Systematic and step-by-step instruction helps most students complete an assignment well. 

Make sure the atmosphere is peaceful and pleasant. Tell them that Quiet = Quality.

1.     You have had your group discussion.

2.     Brainstorm the kinds of visual representations of thoughts that can be drawn or written on their Hope Square.   Write examples of ways to express sympathy, condolences, messages of peace, etc. on the board. Allow students to contribute to the types of messages that can be expressed such as “Our prayers are with you, May you be comforted today, You are loved,” etc.

Examples

Sympathy Messages, Messages of Comfort, Messages of Peace, Thoughts of Condolences, Pledges, Affirmations, Resolutions, Hopes, Dreams and Wishes.

each other – one voice in the atmosphere at a time. A KWL (Know, Want to Know, Learned) is an excellent way to find out how much information students know already and how deeply they would like to go into the subject. Admit that we, as adults, do not have all of the answers and we will be exploring the incident together as history unfolds. As a community of learners let them know that we can make a difference through our thoughts because thoughts are very powerful. Our thoughts dictate our behavior.   (I call thoughts the true remote control.)

. Examples

Sympathy Messages, Messages of Comfort, Messages of Peace, Thoughts of Condolences, Pledges, Affirmations, Resolutions, Hopes, Dreams and Wishes.

3.  Brainstorm the creative ways that these ideas can be presented on the cloth, felt, or paper Hope Quilt.

Examples

Poetry, Raps, Songs, Slogans, Letters, Pictures, Symbols, Word Splash, Scenarios with Captions, Cartoons, Newspaper Pictures with a Caption (rewritten by the Students), Hands, Pledges, Affirmations, Original Stamps, Flags, T-Shirt Design, Chants, etc.

4.     Now that the students are warmed up with many ideas and possibilities allow them to have their white hope pattern, which can be cloth, felt or paper.

5.     Tell them that a piece of white paper holds so many possibilities. Tell them to think about what they will write first. Plan it out on scrap paper if before they start if need be.

6.     I have my students decorate the border first, but they do not have to. If, on the border, they use three main colors they are able to create a great looking pattern.

7.     I tell them to look around the room and even on their own clothing for pattern ideas.

8.     Students should now work on the interior of the pattern. If they type their messages have them use a 16-point bold font so that observers can read them easily. If they write a message by hand, ask them to write neatly and boldly in manuscript for the same reason.  Let them know that others will be gaining hope and inspiration from their words. They are providing a SERVICE.  They are being charitable.

9.     When the Hope Square is completed deliver it to the  designated teacher sewers in your building. They will coordinate the assembling of the squares for each quilt. Students can also help.

10.     Assembling the Hope Quilt squares is easy. The Hope Quilt squares (if paper) are glued onto a larger cloth with tacky glue by student volunteers.  Square are sewn together if fabric is used. A border is then sewn to finish off the edges. It is then hung from a poll and EXHIBITED IN A PROMINENT PLACE IN YOUR BUILDING.

Ideas for Activators

- View and discuss newscaster Tom Brokaw’s video, if available. It is an informative discussion with children, parents, religious and community leaders and the clergy about the World Trade Center incident along with the long and short term ramifications to Americans. Iyanla Vanzant aired a similar program on Monday, September 17, 2001. Check out videos on Islam, its people and its basic belief system.

-Thought Journey – have students mentally send positive thoughts of love to their own self first, then their family, their city, state, country, world and the universe. I have been doing this to allow them to feel their connectiveness to the circle of life. This is a non-religious voluntary activity.

-A Thought for the Day can be shared by a different student each day – Something Uplifting of course. You may use the poems in this booklet.

-Stories of human triumph are part of the middle school reading curriculum. They make great Read-Alouds.

Follow-Up Lessons

-Before students turn their squares in allow them to orally reflect and share with each other. Allow students to peer comment on each other’s squares by simply offering a specific, objective comment like…”I love the way you expressed the words in line 3 or You chose a very telling picture for your square, what made you select it?”

-Invite into your classroom speakers who are members of the community. They could provide valuable information about the local Islamic community or other subjects that were generated through group discussion that need clarification.

-Have students keep a gratitude journal in order to take their minds off the hardships in order to gain some relief from being over inundated with war and rumors of wars.

-Remind students of the consequences of their own behavior and that put-downs, fights, and other acts of aggression and violence ultimately lead to the kinds of acts of terror we witnessed at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon building.  Encourage them to treat each other with kindness.

-Read and discuss the poems and what they mean. Have students write an open response essay about a line in the poems.

-Invite into your classroom speakers who are members of the community. They could provide valuable information about the local Islamic community or other subjects that were generated through group discussion that need  clarification.

-Have students keep a gratitude journal in order to take their minds off of the hardships in order to gain some relief from being over inundated with war and rumors of wars.

STANDARDS - This lesson plan complies with my local and state English Language Arts state standards. I also included the standards that represent the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Important Links

Visit Our News Page for Newspaper Coverage about Us and other Links 

Public School Students Respond to Tragedy Through Community ...

Read About Hope Quilts

Community Connection- World Cultures Reading Class

For Parents and Students

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Fifty-five Hope Quilts have been donated to 

victims and families in the Connecticut Valley

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