Books for Peacemakers

Books for Peacemakers helps youth to develop skills for talking through conflicts, making and being a friend, responding to teasing, calming your anger and inspiring youth to stand up for oneself and others. Students in an entire grade level learn these concepts through an interactive presentation and / or reading a book, then discussing and writing about the book. Students are offered to keep the book which can be a resource for sustaining skills learned and for developing an interest in reading.

The following books are offered to elementary schools according to grade level:

Kindergarten: One, by Kathryn Otoshi

First Grade: The Barnyard Buddies STOP for Peace, by Julie Penshorn

Second Grade: Make a Friend Be a Friend, by Eric Braun

Third Grade: Ease the Tease, by Judy Freedman and Mimi Black

Fourth Grade: How to take the Grrr out of Anger, by Elizabeth Verdick and Marjorie Lisovskis

Fifth Grade: Stick up for Yourself, by Gershen Kaufman and Lev Raphael

*Click here for a summary of what students learn from each book*

Two ways to participate:

1. Have The Story Table Foundation visit your school to deliver two interactive story telling experiences and discussions about a book. A session may be for a classroom or an entire grade level. This option is available to elementary schools in Minnesota that are within a five-hour drive of Minneapolis.

2. Someone at your school ensures that students read a book and leads a classroom discussion about the book.

 

Pricing

Up to 136 books and up to 2 storytelling sessions from The Story Table $100

Up to 272 books and up to 4 storytelling sessions from The Story Table $200

Up to 408 books and up to 6 storytelling sessions from The Story Table $300

Up to 544 books and up to 8 storytelling sessions from The Story Table $400

Up to 680 books and up to 10 storytelling sessions from The Story Table $500

*The book One must be ordered in increments of 34.  The exact number of books needed can be ordered for the other three books.  The book One is hard cover.  The other three books are soft cover.

**For The Story Table sessions, PeaceMaker Minnesota will write a $500 (per 2 storytelling sessions) check to your school, so that you can pay the $500 (per 2 storytelling sessions) invoice from The Story Table for the storytelling sessions

 

What We Ask Of Schools:

1.  Please email a photo that can be used in PeaceMaker Minnesota communications (newsletters, website, annual report, appeals, social media, etc.) and possibly in an article that is sent to your school for inclusion in your parent newsletter.  The photo could be of 1 - 3 students with the book, the backs of students in a classroom discussing the book, or of the teacher, a parent or someone else holding one of the books, or an entire classroom of students holding their books.  The photo can be of The Story Table or the RSVP Readers Theater.

2.  If someone from your school is leading the discussion and writing project about a book, send to PeaceMaker Minnesota the student writings / drawings from a classroom about what the students learned or what they will do because of reading and talking about the book. (If The Story Table Foundation leads the book discussion, they will collect and send to PeaceMaker Minnesota student writings.)

3.  For each classroom teacher participating in this project to answer three questions:

a.  How do you think the discussion and the books will help your students? 

b.  Any recommendations for how to improve the Books for Peacemakers project?

c.  Any additional "how to" books for elementary school age youth on developing relational skills that you recommend be a part of this project in the future?

 

How to Apply:

  1. Complete the Books for Peacemakers request form.

  2. If your school is not a member of the PeaceMaker Minnesota network, complete the application to join the PeaceMaker Minnesota network.

 

What happens next:

  1. If you are a part of the PeaceMaker Minnesota network, our intention is to make the books and funding available to your school within 45 days of your request.  Within five days of your request, we will put you in touch with The Story Table or RSVP Readers Theater for you to schedule your session directly with them.

  2. If your school is not a part of the PeaceMaker Minnesota network, we will accept you into our network as funding allows.  Our goal is to support all schools that want to participate in this project.