Reading is an opportunity for your classroom to learn about the Nobel Peace Prize, work on their comprehension skills and have fun reading aloud. Kids can learn about lesser known winners like Elihu Root, the former Secretary of War and Secretary of State. Book possibilities include "Peace Tales: World Folktales" and "Paths to Peace: People Who Changed the World by Jane Zalben." Engage your students in a discussion about the materials and ask questions, such as "Why was Elihu Root awarded the Nobel Peace Prize" and "How would he handle the position of Secretary of Defense today?"
Interactive games let you teach your classroom about Nobel Peace Prize winners and their accomplishments in a hands on manner. An example activity is to create a Democracies in the World map. Have your kids mark the countries on a map that have democratic governments. Use this opportunity to show your students which countries became more democratic in 2010, including Maldives, Thailand, Pakistan, Togo, Bhutan and Montenegro. This gives you a perfect opportunity to educate your students about the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, who won the award in recognition of his human rights work in China.
Technology-based activities get children excited to learn about the Nobel Peace Prize. One activity you can use to teach your classroom about the history of the prize and what it means is letting the children research the award online and have them design a medal similar to the real Nobel Peace Prize medal. The kids can work individually or in groups depending on your access to computers. Award the best medal to the person at your school who has done the most to make it a better place.
Learning about the Nobel Peace Prize lends itself to teaching new vocabulary words. Link vocabulary to a lesson plan on a Nobel Peace Prize winner. For example, teach your class about former Vice President Charles G. Dawes. Dawes was elected in 1924 and campaigned against the Ku Klux Klan. Dawes won the award along with British foreign minister Sir Austen Chamberlain for their efforts to end World War I and help the Germans with their difficulty paying reparations forced upon them by the Treaty of Versailles. Potential vocabulary words include Ku Klux Klan, inflation, economy, reparations and Treaty of Versailles.