Michael Berg and Jill Shadoff engaged their 6th-graders in a cultural diversity project to promote peace and tolerance.

"Learning-disabled students are most successful when taught in nontraditional, hands-on techniques," Berg said.

With the support of a Teaching Tolerance grant, Berg and Shadoff purchased a classroom set of Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr, along with origami paper, instruction books, art supplies and journals.

Students read and discussed the book. Origami, the ancient art of paper folding, was integrated with lessons on Sadako and her impact on world peace.

A field trip to the Morikami Japanese Museum in Delray Beach, Fla., offered students the opportunity to explore Japanese culture and customs and see origami created by renowned artists.

As "Peace Ambassadors," the special education students visited 14 classrooms at their school to discuss Sadako's life and teach their peers how to make origami cranes. They also made posters and flags to display throughout the school.

"Our students were welcomed with open arms by classmates and teachers," Berg said. "This aspect of the project increased students' self-esteem and sense of belonging to their school community."

Students made more that 1,000 paper cranes. Half of them draped the school; the other half was sent to the Sadako Peace Park in Seattle, Wash.

Some students also were motivated to conduct research, check out library books and make other figures, such as frogs and boxes, out of origami paper.

Berg and Shadoff used referral and discipline records along with pre- and post-attitudinal surveys to measure the success of the project.

The result? "The project eliminated barriers that isolate special education students from the mainstream population," Berg said.

To conclude the project, the special education students hosted a dedication ceremony for other students, parents, teachers and administrators. The media center and display cases were decorated with students' work. Students served tea, gave tours and described what they had accomplished.

"The magic of origami reaches the most reluctant students and enables them to feel pride in their work - some for the first time," Shadoff said