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Catholic Education Week 2021: Nurturing HopeCultivating RelationshipsDAY 3: WednesdaySuggested Grade Level:KINDERGARTENBOOK TITLE:Where Once There Was a Woodcenter5588000AUTHOR andILLUSTRATOR:Denise FlemingISBN-139780805064827BOOK DESCRIPTION:The story explains that the woodland land that is home to wildlife is being used as land for housing for people and shopping malls.MATERIALS:-Invite an Indigenous Elder to speak about the Indigenous worldview of creationLEARNING GOALS:We will demonstrate an ability to use problem solving skills in a variety of contexts.We will use language to communicate our thinking, to reflect on the story, and to solve problems in the story.We will demonstrate literacy behaviours that enable beginning readers to make sense of the story.We will demonstrate an understanding of the diversity among individuals, and families within schools, and the wider community.CATHOLIC CONNECTIONS:OCSGE: I have a voice. I have ideas. I care. I have responsibilities.Catholic Social Teaching: Call to Family, Community and Participation, Rights and Responsibilities, StewardshipR.E. Curriculum: Overall Religious Expectations LS 2, LS 4Make connections to learning that has taken place earlier in the year. If you have prior learning from earlier in the year, use that as the jumping off point. The lesson is just an example of what could be done.MINISTRY CURRICULUM LINKS:Kindergarten Program OE 1, OE 4,OE 5, OE 9Religion as related to the four “frames” BE/SRWB/DLMB/PSIMINDS ON (Before) Approximately 20 minutesPAUSE & PONDERBegin with prayer:Loving God,Help us to have care and concern for all of creation. Help us to protect our Mother the Earth.Amen.Show the students the cover of the book and ask if anyone can read the title of the book (say it if no one offers).Ask the students what they think the story is about.Success CriteriaStudents are able to use the pictures to tell the story.Students are able to identify what happened to the wood.Students will empathize with all the creatures who lost their homes.Ask the students:Has anyone ever been in a forest area? Did you see any animals? How did you feel while you were in the forest?Indigenous people are always reminding us of our need to care for the water, the air, the land, and all the animals. They invite us to have a relationship with the earth, the water, the air, and the animals.Why do you think they invite us to have these relationships?Mother Earth is specifically used to introduce the idea of Indigenous spirituality.ACTION (During) Approximately 20 minutesPAUSE & PONDERMove through the pages of the book, showing the pages deliberately slowly, so everyone can see what is on each page. Listen to the students as they make comments about what they are seeing. Do not make any comments yourself about the story, during the first time through it.Invite the students to identify all the creatures they see living in the forest.What do you think (on pages 23-24) the words, “Where once there was a wood, a meadow, and a creek,” repeated from the first pages mean? (to make the point that the wood, meadow, and creek have been replaced by houses)Meadow may be a new concept for the students, which may need some explanation.On pages 9-10, do the students see the bee, butterfly and the turtle?CONSOLIDATION (After) Approximately 20-30 minutesPAUSE & PONDERHave you ever heard of a bear, or moose, deer, or raccoons coming to visit your neighbourhood? Why do you think these animals may be coming to your neighbourhood?Recently, even small insects like monarch butterflies and honey bees populations, have become smaller for different reasons.What can we do to care for and show our concern for these animals? How can we care for the water, the air, and the land?It is a gift that our Indigenous brothers and sisters remind us to care for our beautiful Mother Earth.How can we show them our appreciation?Let us go for a walk and look, listen, and appreciate the natural beauty around our school.Their habitat has been taken over by housing and shopping malls.Catholic Education Week 2021: Nurturing HopeCultivating RelationshipsDAY 3: WednesdaySuggested Grade Level:PRIMARYBOOK TITLE:All Are Welcomecenter5588000AUTHOR andILLUSTRATOR:Alexandra PenfoldSuzanne KaufmanISBN-139780525579656BOOK DESCRIPTION:A warm, welcoming picture book that celebrates diversity and gives encouragement and support to all kids. Provides clear examples for young children on how we cultivate relationships with one another as members of a classroom community. Follow a group of children through a day in their school, where everyone is welcomed with open arms, a school where students grow and learn from each other’s traditions and the whole community gathers to celebrate the Lunar New Year. All Are Welcome lets young children know that no matter what, they have a place, they have a space, they are welcome in their school.MATERIALS:-Prayer-Paper for drawing-Drawing and colouring materials-Student journals-Word cards (one for each student – see TEACHING TIP below)LEARNING GOALS:We will understand the main themes of the story (everyone is welcome in our classroom; each one of us is a beloved child of God; God made each one of us unique; we can learn from one another by celebrating our differences).We will continue to develop attitudes and values founded on Catholic Social Teaching (respect for the dignity of all; care for one another as part of caring for God’s creation; human solidarity).We will reflect on actions that help others to feel welcome.CATHOLIC CONNECTIONS:OCSGE: A Reflective and Creative Thinker, An Effective Communicator, A Caring Family Member, A Responsible CitizenCatholic Social Teaching: Solidarity, Care for God’s Creation, Call to Family, Community and ParticipationScripture Focus: “Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.” Isaiah 40:31R.E. Curriculum: Living in Solidarity, Living a Moral Life, Living in CommunionFamily Life Curriculum: Created and Loved by God, Living in Relationship, Living in the WorldMINISTRY CURRICULUM LINKS:LanguageThe ArtsMINDS ON (Before) Approximately 10 minutesTEACHING TIPBegin with prayer:In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.Dear God,Each one of us is your children. Help us to see the beauty in one another. Help us to appreciate the many gifts we can offer each other as members of this class family. Thank you for making each one of us so special.Amen.That’s Me ActivityThis activity is designed to provide an interesting way for students to notice and appreciate the ways they are unique as well as the things they have in common. Read a statement to the students and invite them to decide if the statement is true for them or not (some example statements are found under TEACHING TIP but teachers are encouraged to select their own statements based on what might work best for their own class). In a face-to-face learning setting, students can line up and can be instructed to step forward onto an imaginary line on the floor if the statement is true for them. In a remote learning setting, students can be instructed to begin by turning off their cameras, but can turn their camera on for five seconds if the statement is true for them. After each sentence, have students step back or turn their cameras back off. At the end of the activity, ask for a few comments about what they noticed. Highlight examples of ways that student responses were different and ask students to explain some positive aspects of being different and why they think God made us that way. If there were some statements for which everyone stepped forward or turned on their camera, ask students to comment on positive aspects of having things in common.“I am a Child of God”Have students draw a picture of themselves doing something they love to do. Have them title their picture, “I am a Child of God.”You may decide the format in which to share the prayer. Perhaps you might provide copies that students may keep in folders for reference or for consolidation.When explaining the activity, it is important that the teacher set a tone that celebrates the uniqueness of each student, and that lets students know that they are appreciated for who they are, as beloved children of God. To prevent students from commenting on one another’s responses during the activity, and potentially preventing students from responding authentically with what is true for them, suggest that students remain silent until the conclusion of the activity, at which point they can be invited to reflect and share what they noticed.That’s Me Statement ExamplesI am 7 years old.My birthday is in April.I love cookies.My favourite colour is blue.I like carrots.I have 2 brothers.I love soccer.I love to read.I don’t like cheese.Winter is my favourite season.I don’t like dancing.I am sometimes grumpy in the morning when I first wake up.ACTION (During) Approximately 20 minutesPAUSE & PONDERShow students the title and cover of the book. Ask students to discuss the title – ask them to explain why they think the author chose this title and message, “All Are Welcome.”Ask students to provide words to describe how it feels to know that you are welcome.Ask students to predict what they would expect to see in a story with this title.Invite students to look for examples in the book of actions people are taking to “cultivate” or help build positive relationships with one another.Review/explain the meaning of the words: community, diversity, adversity. After discussing the words, invite students to “be on the lookout” and check for student understanding of the words when you get to them in context.Read the story slowly, pausing to provide opportunities for students to describe the illustrations and to share their ideas about the welcoming actions they are observing.Ask students about the pattern of the words in the book (it is like a poem, with three rhyming lines, followed every time by the phrase, “All are welcome here”).Read the book a second time and have students call out the last word of each line as you are reading, and invite them to chime in all together as one voice for a choral reading, each time you come to, “All are welcome here.”Ask students:How is this book like a prayer? How does it spread messages of our faith? Why is this an important book to read during Catholic Education Week that is focused on nurturing hope? (invite the recognition from students that we are all beloved children of God and that God wants us to treat one another with love, kindness and respect as members of one family; when members of a family treat one another with care and love, their hope can grow and they can more easily become the people God calls them to be)CONSOLIDATION (After) Approximately 10-15 minutesPAUSE & PONDERAsk students to notice ways in which the classroom in the story is like their own classroom. Have them reflect on additional ways in which they can make each other feel welcome and cared about in their class.Have students share ideas as a group, then invite each student to create their own drawing of an action they can take, and have them label their picture ,“All Are Welcome Here.” Display the pictures and make a point of referring to them and perhaps adding to them as examples arise in the classroom.Invite students to select a specific idea or action from the book and write a short journal entry about a time when someone welcomed them or when they were able to welcome someone else.NEXT STEPSTEACHING TIPAs a possible follow up activity, create a word card for each of the words found on the list under TEACHING TIP.Distribute one card to each student, ask them to identify their word and to find other members of the class who have the corresponding word or words from the book.Once in their groups, have students engage in a discussion of the book, sharing what they learned, what they thought of the book, their favourite part, etc. Encourage each student to notice one way in which each of them acts welcoming to the other members of their group as they discuss the e together as a whole group to share their words and to discuss examples of kind and welcoming ways they were able to work together.-case, haste, chase-day, play, away-sound, found, around-part, art, heart-spread, bread, fed-outside, slide, side-community, diversity, adversity-other, uncover, discover-do, through, anew-rest, fresh, best-here, here, hereCatholic Education Week 2021: Nurturing HopeCultivating RelationshipsDAY 3: WednesdaySuggested Grade Level:JUNIORBOOK TITLE:Come With Mecenter5588000AUTHOR andILLUSTRATOR:Holly M. McGheeIllustrated by Pascal LeMa?treISBN-139781524739058BOOK DESCRIPTION:In this lyrical and timely story, author Holly M. McGhee and illustrator Pascal LeMa?tre champion the power of kindness, bravery, and friendship in the face of uncertainty. When the news reports are flooded with tales of hatred and fear, a girl asks her papa what she can do to make the world a better place. “Come with me,” he says. Hand-in-hand, they walk to the subway, tipping their hats to those they meet. The next day, the girl asks her mama what she can do—her mama says, “Come with me,” and together they set out for the grocery, because one person doesn’t represent an entire race or the people of a land. After dinner that night, the little girl asks if she can do something of her own—walk the dog . . . and her parents let her go. “Come with me,” the girl tells the boy across the hall. Walking together, one step at a time, the girl and the boy begin to see that as small and insignificant as their part may seem, it matters to the world.MATERIALS:-Copies of Peace Prayer of St. Francis-Large sheets of paper for posters-Drawing and colouring materials-Student journals-Laptop, LCD projector and speakersOR-Promethean board (for showing YouTube video if choosing that option)LEARNING GOALS:We will understand the main themes of the story (small acts of kindness, bravery, and friendship can have a big impact on the world; we are members of one big human family and are called to be sources of hope and positivity for one another).We will demonstrate an understanding of and appreciation for each other’s differences.We will continue to develop attitudes and values founded on Catholic Social Teaching (care for one another as part of caring for God’s creation, human solidarity).We will reflect on actions that can bring about positive change in society and the world.CATHOLIC CONNECTIONS:OCSGE: A Reflective and Creative Thinker, An Effective Communicator, A Caring Family Member, A Responsible CitizenCatholic Social Teaching: Solidarity, Care for God’s CreationScripture Focus: “Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.” Isaiah 40:31R.E. Curriculum: Living in Solidarity, Living a Moral LifeFamily Life Curriculum: Created and Loved by God, Living in Relationship, Living in the WorldMINISTRY CURRICULUM LINKS:LanguageThe ArtsMINDS ON (Before) Approximately 10 minutesTEACHING TIPBegin with the Peace Prayer of St. Francis:In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.The Peace PrayerLord, make me an instrument of Your peace;Where there is hatred, let me sow love;Where there is injury, pardon;Where there is doubt, faith;Where there is despair, hope;Where there is darkness, light;And where there is sadness, joy.O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seekto be consoled as to console,to be understood as to understand,to be loved as to love.For it is in giving that we receive,it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.Amen.Have students take a moment to reflect on the prayer and invite them to keep the prayer in mind and to look for ways it connects to the pre-reading activity in which they are about to engage.Pre-Reading ActivityRead the following sentences aloud. Explain that students will be participating in this activity by responding non-verbally. For each sentence, students can indicate if they think the statement is true by doing a thumbs up sign, or false by doing a thumbs down sign.How you treat other people doesn’t matter.It can be upsetting to hear on the news that there are people who mistreat others because of fear or hatred.There is nothing you or I can do to make the world a better place.It is important to respect people as individuals and not to make assumptions about them.We can sometimes help each other overcome fear through acts of kindness and welcome.It is not always easy to be kind and friendly.Each one of us is called to try to make the world a better place.Tiny acts of kindness can make a huge difference.The ways we act can set an example for others.Hope can be spread one tiny act at a time.Being kind sometimes takes courage.Review the statements together using the explanations in the TEACHING TIP column to guide the discussion. Discuss how the Peace Prayer connects to the main ideas of the activity. Ask students what it means to be an instrument of peace. Highlight the message that each of us belongs and has a place in our class as well as in our communities and in the world, and that we can bring peace and hope to others through the tiniest of actions.You may decide the format in which to share the prayer. Perhaps you might provide copies that students may keep in folders for reference or for consolidation.For the pre-reading activity, the teacher may select an alternate way for students to indicate their response to each statement. In a face-to-face learning setting, students can line up and can be instructed to step forward onto an imaginary line on the floor if they think the statement is true. In a remote learning setting, students can be instructed to begin by turning off their cameras, but can turn their camera on for five seconds if they think the statement is true. After each statement, students can step back or turn their cameras back off.Pre-Reading Activity Answers:FalseIt is important for students to recognize that their actions do have an impact on others. (Theme 5 Living in the World of Fully Alive for all grades reinforces this message in specific ways.)TrueThis statement aims at reinforcing the message for students that feelings are okay. Acting to promote change often begins by acknowledging our feelings in response to an injustice.FalseTrueA stereotype can be defined in simple terms for students as an idea or belief that assumes the sameness of all members of a particular group.TrueTrueTrueImportant to highlight the ways God calls us to act to promote love and justice.TrueTrueTrueTrueACTION (During) Approximately 20 minutesTEACHING TIPShow students the title and cover of the book. Ask students to discuss the title, and invite them to make predictions about what might happen in the story.Read the opening quote: “Because as small as it may seem, your part matters to the world.” Remind students that this year’s Catholic Education Week theme is, “Nurturing Hope” and that today’s sub-theme is “Cultivating Relationships.” Ask students to provide ideas about how this quote can connect to the sub-theme and the overall theme for the week. Invite a few students to share ideas.Read the story to the students, pausing in order to invite students to comment and share thoughts and insights.After reading the story, have students turn and talk in groups of two or three to share their reactions to the story. Invite them to:Explain why they think the author wrote this story.Discuss the idea that small acts can help the world be a better place.Provide examples of small ways they can be kind, brave, and compassionate to one another in their families and in their e together as a whole class and invite students to share ideas from their small group discussions. Discuss the Catholic Social Teaching Principle of Solidarity, which reminds us that we are all brothers and sisters in God’s family, and ask students to reflect on this principle in light of the book. Reinforce the message that each one of us is called to contribute to positive change in the world. Ask students to reflect on ways to make the community/world a better place.Key ideas to highlight:-Jesus tells his followers that if they show kindness to anyone, it is as if they showed it to him (Matthew 25:40).-Each one of us can be an instrument of God’s peace. We can respond to hatred with love and to discouragement and fear with hope.-We are called to be Christ for one another, even in difficult times. It can be discouraging to hear about people being mistreated due to the fear or hatred of others. We nurture our own hope and the hope of others when we respond with love, when we act as the hands and feet of Jesus, doing our part to ensure that everyone is treated fairly, one small act at a time.-In this way, we help to cultivate positive and loving relationships with one another as members of one human family.-A simple gesture of goodwill is sometimes the very thing that can help somebody most.-In the face of tragedy and fear, finding ways to connect with others can provide an invigorating alternative to sitting and watching the news and feeling powerless.-We can contribute to the building of a global community one smile at a time.CONSOLIDATION (After) Approximately 15 minutesTEACHING TIPExplain to students that the author has said that this book was inspired by the story of the hummingbird. Share the story of the hummingbird with students, either by showing the video or reading the text aloud.Text of the Story of the Hummingbird:One day a terrible fire broke out in a forest – a huge woodland was suddenly engulfed by a raging wild fire. Frightened, all the animals fled their homes and ran out of the forest. As they came to the edge of a stream, they stopped to watch the fire and they were feeling very discouraged and powerless. They were all bemoaning the destruction of their homes. Every one of them thought there was nothing they could do about the fire, except for one little hummingbird. This particular hummingbird decided it would do something. It swooped into the stream and picked up a few drops of water and went into the forest and put them on the fire. Then it went back to the stream and did it again, and it kept going back, again and again and again. All the other animals watched in disbelief; some tried to discourage the hummingbird with comments like, “Don't bother, it is too much, you are too little, your wings will burn, your beak is too tiny, it’s only a drop, you can't put out this fire.” And as the animals stood around disparaging the little bird’s efforts, the bird noticed how hopeless and forlorn they looked. Then one of the animals shouted out and challenged the hummingbird in a mocking voice, “What do you think you are doing?” And the hummingbird, without wasting time or losing a beat, looked back and said, “I am doing what I can.”Invite students to discuss how this story is similar to the book. Ask students to identify the lesson of this story. Encourage students to recognize that the larger animals in the story, although they had the materials to help put out the fire, became overwhelmed by their fear and just stood by and in the end did less to help than the tiny hummingbird.Art Activity: “Nurturing Hope”Distribute large sheets of white paper to students. Invite students to design and create posters illustrating the many small actions they can take that help to nurture hope in their homes, school, parish, and community.Video retelling of the Story of the Hummingbird: HYPERLINK "" of the Story of the Hummingbird: STEPSPAUSE & PONDER“God calls me to do the best I can.”“The smallest gesture of kindness or connection to another person can start a revolution.”“Though at the level of the individual our actions are light as a cloud, united they can change the colour of the sky.”Select one of the statements above or a statement from the pre-reading activity and have students write a one-page journal reflection in which they explain their understanding of the statement and provide a related example either from their own lives or from a book, movie or TV show.Catholic Education Week 2021: Nurturing HopeCultivating RelationshipsDAY 3: WednesdaySuggested Grade Level:INTERMEDIATEBOOK TITLE:The Giving Tree:A Retelling of a Traditional Métis Storycenter5588100AUTHOR andILLUSTRATOR:Leah DorionISBN-139780920915905BOOK DESCRIPTION:This charming story, richly steeped in Métis culture, focuses on the boyhood reminisces of Moushoom as he describes finding the “great giving tree” with his mother and father. This vibrantly illustrated children’s book is a beautiful retelling of a traditional Métis story. Both Leah Marie Dorion and the Gabriel Dumont Institute are very pleased to share this story with the Métis and larger communities since it emphasizes Métis core values and beliefs including strength, kindness, courage, tolerance, honesty, respect, love, sharing, caring, balance, patience, and most of all, the important connection with the Creator and Mother Earth.MATERIALS:-6 large cards on which you have written two Métis values from the chart (you can choose which two values to place on each card, but see below for a possible way to organize it)Example.Card 1: Caring, CourageCard 2: Honesty, Mother EarthCard 3: Patience, ToleranceCard 4: Respect, LoveCard 5: Kindness, StrengthCard 6: Sharing, Balance-Prayer-Copies of BLM Métis Values Chart-6 extra large sheets of paper-Drawing and colouring materials-Copies of BLM post-reading activity-Student journals-Laptop, LCD projector and speakersOR-Promethean board (for showing YouTube videos if choosing that option)LEARNING GOALS:We will understand the main themes of the story (the interdependence of all creatures; the importance of honouring our relationships with one another as members of God’s human family and with the Earth, God’s creation; We nurture hope when we keep memories and stories alive; The past and present are connected).We will reflect on traditional Métis values and the ways they are illustrated in the story.We will explore connections between Métis values and the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit and reflect on their relevance and implications in students’ own lives and ways they are called to share their gifts and values with the world.We will demonstrate appreciation and respect for Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing; recognize ways Indigenous wisdom can guide us in cultivating and deepening relationships.CATHOLIC CONNECTIONS:OCSGE: A Reflective, Creative and Holistic Thinker, A Self-Directed, Responsible Lifelong Learner, A Collaborative Contributor, An Effective Communicator, A Responsible CitizenCatholic Social Teaching: Solidarity, Care for God’s Creation, Call to Family, Community and ParticipationScripture Focus: “Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.” Isaiah 40:31R.E. Curriculum: Living in Solidarity, Living in Communion, Living a Moral LifeFamily Life Curriculum: Created and Loved by God, Living in Relationship, Living in the WorldMINISTRY CURRICULUM LINKS:Social StudiesLanguageThe ArtsMINDS ON (Before) Approximately 10 minutesTEACHING TIPExplain to students that before beginning to read today’s story, they will be brainstorming ideas about and sharing their understanding of twelve traditional Métis values (Patience, Tolerance, Respect, Love, Kindness, Strength, Sharing, Balance, Caring, Courage, Honesty, Mother Earth). Designate six areas of the classroom to correspond with the twelve values (each area will focus on two teachings) and assign students to one of the six groups, ensuring that each group has at least three students, and providing them with one large sheet of paper. Once students have moved to their area, invite them to discuss what they think their values mean and to provide several concrete examples of what it means to live out this value. Next, ask students to create an image that could represent each of the values. Come together as a whole group to share ideas and images.Begin with the following prayer:O Great Creator,We give praise and thanks to you for our lives and world. You make all things new and good, and you invite your peoples throughout creation to receive and share all that is good with each other. Thank you for how wonderfully and intimately you share your life with us all. Likewise, we seek deepening relationships with each other and all Creation. We commit to live and work with one another – our families; our communities; all cultures, nations, and peoples – in union with Mary, all the Saints, and our grandfathers and grandmothers who have gone before us and inspire us. We thank your Great Holy Spirit for the great variety of gifts and talents you give your people, and we commit to always using your blessings to help one another and all Creation. We commit, O Creator, to share with and care for each other as you continue to do with us: with great reverence, generosity, and respect.All praise and thanks to you, O Creator, for the privilege and call to share in your wonderful life!Amen.Adapted from “Catholicism and Traditional Indigenous Spirituality – A Reflection on Commonalities,” National Day of Prayer in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples, 2015 students take a moment to turn and talk to reflect on the prayer and share a word or idea from the prayer that resonated with them.Depending on what has been previously taught with regard to Indigenous content, the teacher may want to show the following videos either as introduction/background information or for additional exploration.1) An explanation of the word Indigenous and information on the three Indigenous groups in Canada: First Nations, Métis, and Inuit. HYPERLINK "" ) Examples of the ways Métis people share stories from generation to generation. HYPERLINK "" ) A book trailer created by students to introduce the book. HYPERLINK "" providing copies of the prayer for students for continued exploration and reflection beyond today’s lesson.ACTION (During) Approximately 20 minutesTEACHING TIPTell students that today’s story is a retelling of a traditional Métis story. Mention that the Métis people have a beautiful oral tradition of storytelling.Vocabulary to review before beginning:Bannock (originally in Indigenous Canadian cooking, a type of bread made with wheat flour, shaped into round, flat cakes and fried or baked)Cache (a place for hiding, storing, or preserving treasure or supplies)Show the title and cover of the book and ask for students to describe the cover. Highlight the hollow of the tree on the cover. Encourage students to listen carefully for information in the story about the important role of the hollow (in the story it acts as a Métis trade/message centre and has been used for generations).Distribute individual copies of the BLM Métis Values Chart. Explain that students will use the chart to record the examples of the twelve traditional Métis values they identify as the story is being read.Read the story, pausing to invite students to comment and share thoughts and insights where appropriate, and to ask for responses to your own questions or some of the following:What was special about the Manitoba maple tree?Why was it called, “The Giving Tree?”What was the grandpa’s favourite part of the trip when he was a boy?What are some words to describe how the kids used to feel at the sight of the tree appearing around the bend of the trail?What was sprinkled at the base of the tree every time the family visited? Explain your understanding of this tradition and offering.What item did mama forget to pack into the grub box?Why was the boy awestruck by what he saw in the hollow of the tree?How did papa explain the sacred purpose of the tree? What do you think about what he shared?What did the boy put back into the maple tree?How is the giving tree a symbol of everything good the Métis people believe in?Provide a few moments for students to fill in the Métis values chart page. Discuss the examples from the story.Remind students of the question about the significance of the hollow of the tree. Ask them to share ideas on its role and importance to the story.DiscussThis year’s Catholic Education Week theme is Nurturing Hope and today’s sub-theme is Cultivating Relationships.How does this story show how hope can be nurtured?What does it teach about relationships?Consult with the Indigenous Lead at your board for opportunities to welcome Indigenous community members to your classroom to share wisdom and teachings from various First Nations, Métis and Inuit groups throughout the year. If there are Indigenous students and/or families in your class or school who are interested and willing to share their stories, honour and celebrate these opportunities and cultivate these relationships wherever possible.CONSOLIDATION (After) Approximately 10-15 minutesPAUSE & PONDERDiscuss how the teachings and wisdom from Métis culture can provide a context in which to reflect on connections to the Catholic faith.Métis values and beliefs are passed down from one generation to the next, and are part of how Métis Elders help youth find their special gifts and purpose in life, as part of living in harmony with creation.Catholics believe that Jesus established the sacraments to help us grow in faith and holiness. The gifts of the Holy Spirit guide us in becoming the people God calls us to be. These gifts we receive at Baptism are sealed in us through the laying on of hands and the anointing with oil at Confirmation. We are supported in our faith by family and parish members and our sponsor who commit to helping us to lead Holy lives. The fruits of the Holy Spirit are the virtues that help show that the Holy Spirit is working in and through us.Distribute the BLM post-reading activity. Briefly discuss the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the Fruits of the Holy Spirit. Invite students to return to their original groups to discuss the two Métis values on which they focused in the brainstorming activity. Instruct them to select from the Gifts or Fruits of the Holy Spirit that connect most meaningfully to their selected values and write their ideas in the Métis Values e together as a whole group to share ideas and connections.Have students select a message or theme of the story and write a short journal entry explaining it.NEXT STEPSTEACHING TIPPossible Extension Activities:Writing ActivityInvite students to choose a sacred symbol from their lives (much like the hollow in the tree) that connects them to nature and to their values. Instruct them to write a one-page reflection explaining the symbol that they have chosen and reasoning. Discuss what Métis values are shared through this symbol and how it connects them to nature. Examples: a special place where they camp with their family, a cottage where they share memories and kindness with loved ones, a sacred park or area near home where they walk with their family or friends or a place where they play sports on the land and share values of honesty and respect with their teammates, etc. Explain that what they select needs to have some personal significance for them.Art ActivityAs a class, look at Leah Dorion’s artistic style and Indigenous symbolism including, her use of circles/dots throughout her work, the infinity symbol and her choice of colors. Discuss artistic style and techniques of layering pastels. Invite students to create their own creative rendering of an illustration incorporating one of the elements discussed, first sketching it out in pencil.Story Retelling ActivityHave students work in a group to create a dramatic reenactment of the story. Students may present their skits to the class or create a video of what they create.Poem/Rap/SongInvite students to write an original poem, rap, or song that addresses one of the major themes of the story. Have them present these to the class.Similar and additional follow-up activity ideas can be found at: Int. Day 3 CEW 2021 Activity to complete as the story is being readThe Giving Tree by Leah DorionUsing jot notes, record examples of where you see each of the Métis values represented throughout the story.center698500Source: Int. Day 3 CEW 2021 Post-Reading ActivityThe gifts of the Holy SpiritThe fruits of the Holy SpiritWisdomLoveUnderstandingJoyRight judgementPeaceCouragePatienceKnowledgeKindnessReverenceGenerosityWonder and aweFaithfulnessGentlenessSelf-ControlFill in the chart below with gifts or fruits of the Holy Spirit that can connect to each Métis value.center23220400 ................
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