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Catholic Education Week 2016: Opening Doors of MercyDAY 2: Mercy that LovesSuggested Grade Level:PRIMARYBOOK TITLE:The Giving Tree1192710657100AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR:Shel SilversteinISBN-13978-0060256654BOOK DESCRIPTION: This classic tale of few words and simple line drawings begins this way: “Once there was a tree… and she loved a little boy”. When the boy is young and free, he comes to visit the tree and she is delighted when she is able to make him happy by offering him a place to play, apples to eat and shade for sleeping. As the boy grows older, he visits less and less and making him happy becomes more challenging for the generous tree. When he asks for money, she gives him her apples to sell. When he asks for a house, she provides her branches for lumber. When the boy is old, too old and sad to play in the tree, he asks the tree for a boat. She offers her trunk so that he can use it to craft a boat and he cuts her down to a stump. Finally, when it seems as if the tree has nothing more to give, the boy returns again as an old man, needing a quiet place to sit and rest. The tree is able to provide one last gift: her stump as a resting place. The story then ends this way: “And the tree was happy”.MATERIALS:BookOverhead projection device (if available)Coloured pencils or makers8 – 10 extra-large sheets of paper (approximately ? meter x 3 meters)Device/CD player for playing background musicChildren’s Bible (consider using online Bible gateway, easy to read version)Copies of “The Giving Tree” template sheetCATHOLIC CONNECTIONS:OCSGE – An Effective Communicator, a Reflective and Creative Thinker a Collaborative ContributorCatholic Social Teaching: Life and Dignity of the Human PersonScripture Focus: Luke 10:25-37R.E. Curriculum: Hope Expectations: Believing, Living a Moral Life, Living in Communion, Living in SolidarityFamily Life Curriculum: Created and Loved by God, Living in RelationshipMINISTRY CURRICULUM LINKS:LanguageOral: 1.1, 1.2-1.4, 1.6, 2.3Writing: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.3, 2.4MINDS ON (Before) Approximately 10-15 minutesPAUSE & PONDERLearning Goals:Listen to the story “The Giving Tree”Identify examples of giving and generous behaviorRecognize that just as the tree loved the boy in the story, God calls us to act with love and kindness to othersSuccess Criteria:Students will…Discuss connections between the merciful love shown by the Good Samaritan and the love shown by the tree in this storyBe reminded of the merciful and unconditional love God has for each one of themDescribe an action they plan to take to follow God’s examples of merciful loveBegin with the following prayer…Dear God,I’m thankfulfor all you give;for food,for love,a place to live.I thank youfor my family tooand I want you to knowthat I love you.Amen +Before Reading:Graffiti Strategy:Arrange students in small groups of four or five.For each group, distribute coloured pencils or markers and a large piece of paper (at least 2 x 6 feet long, or 60 x 280 cm) labelled at the top with “Ways We Show Love”. Explain that students should use this time to brainstorm any ideas they have about the different things people do and say to show others that they love them.Invite the students to draw/write “graffiti” on their paper for 3 – 5 minutes, all group members drawing/writing at once. At the end of the 3 – 5 minutes, ask the groups to stop drawing/writing and exchange papers with one other group. Have the groups now draw/write on their new graffiti papers for the next 3 – 5 minutes. Repeat the procedure several times so that each group has had an opportunity to draw/write on several different papers, including their own.Return original papers to groups and give time for members to read the graffiti. Ask each group to share one idea from their paper with the whole group. Display the pages around the room.Pre-Reading:Show students the title and cover of the book. Ask students to predict what might take place in the story based on the title and cover. Invite students to comment on why they think the boy is holding out his hand and ask students to discuss the ways in which a tree could be giving.Ask students to come up with other “describing words” (adjectives) for the word “giving” (i.e. kind, generous, thoughtful, helpful, etc.). Invite students to predict what kinds of things a giving tree might do. Encourage students to see if any of their graffiti ideas on how to show love appear in the story.Ask students to consider why Shel Silverstein wrote this story as they are listening.You may consider designing your own success criteria for this lesson with students. “How will we know we have met our learning goals?”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 activities.Decide before beginning the lesson what might be the most appropriate format for students to brainstorm for the graffiti strategy; draw, write or give students the choice.While students participate in the graffiti strategy, consider playing background music that connects to the theme (i.e. “All You Need is Love”, The Beatles) watch?v=EKigthx0GKwConsider finding two additional times later in the week when half the class can go for a gallery walk to see the contributions of other groups and ask questions and then another time, when the other half of the class can have the same opportunity.ACTION! (During) Approximately 20-25 minutesPAUSE & PONDERDuring Reading:Listening: As you read, invite students to notice the things that the tree does to show the boy that she loves him.Possible questions in sequence of the story:Why do you think the boy comes to visit the tree every day?Do the boy and the tree seem like friends to you? Why or why not?Do you have a best friend that you share and play with like the boy and the tree?What is changing about the boy? Why do you think he stops coming to play as often as before?Do you think the boy will be happy once he gets money for the apples? Why or why not? Why do you think the tree is happy?After the boy made the boat out of her trunk and sailed away… Why do you think the tree wasn’t REALLY happy this time?At the end, have students turn and talk to discuss:Did you like the book? Why or why not?What do you think was the message of this story?Highlight or guide students to one of the messages of the story, which is that perhaps Shel Silverstein is gently pointing out that although we may often act like the boy, God continues to be merciful and to love us just as the tree did.Role Play: Divide the students into groups of 3: one narrator, one boy and one tree. Have students act out the story in their own words. Return to the whole group and invite students to share briefly about how it felt to play their character.It is hoped that the discussion can yield observation on the part of students with regard to the generosity of the tree and the lack of gratitude on the part of the boy.Turn and Talk is an excellent cooperative learning strategy to promote and support higher level thinking. When students are given the opportunity to reflect on a specific topic and then pair with another student to discuss before sharing with the big group, they are sometimes able to take their sharing to a deeper level.CONSOLIDATION (After) Approximately 10-15 minutesPAUSE & PONDERAfter Reading:Discuss with students the fact that God loves each and every one of them in the same way that the tree loves the boy. Ask for feelings and reactions to this statement. Explain that God calls each one of us to love as the tree loved… with kindness and generosity.We are called to be generous with our time, talents, money and love. Gospel Reading: Tell the students that the Parable of the Good Samaritan is an excellent example of how we can be generous and loving to others (Luke 10:25-37). Read a children’s version of the parable. Discuss the actions of the Good Samaritan. Invite students to compare the actions of those who did not stop to help the injured man to the actions of the boy in the story.Ask students to describe what God teaches us to do in the parable as well as in “The Giving Tree” story. Distribute a tree template for each student. Ask each student to finish the sentence, “I am like the Giving Tree when I…” and write their words on the leafy section of the tree and decorate their tree. Invite students to share their work with the whole group and display tree templates on a board entitled, “God’s Forest”.Ideas to highlight:God says it is better to give than to receive.When we give to others with a heart of love, it can bring us great joy.God teaches us how to love by loving others.God loves us, even when we forget to thank him, even when we sometimes act selfishly.NOTE: Primary students can sometimes surprise us with their wisdom and ability to go deep with the text. Be responsive to all types of reactions to the story and to different interpretations.Additional related Scripture:Matthew 5:7, Luke 10:27, 6:38Consider showing any of these videos to reinforce the gift of God’s love:Veggietales: “God Loves Me” 3ch239kCT3Q“Jesus Loves Me” owx3ao42kwl“God is Love” bKK7W1CDYL0\sCatholic Education Week 2016: Opening Doors of MercyDAY 2: Mercy that LovesSuggested Grade Level:JUNIORBOOK TITLE:The Giving Tree1275512327300AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR:Shel SilversteinISBN-13978-0060256654BOOK DESCRIPTION: This classic tale of few words and simple line drawings begins this way: “Once there was a tree… and she loved a little boy”. When the boy is young and free, he comes to visit the tree and she is delighted when she is able to make him happy by offering him a place to play, apples to eat and shade for sleeping. As the boy grows older, he visits less and less and making him happy becomes more challenging for the generous tree. When he asks for money, she gives him her apples to sell. When he asks for a house, she provides her branches for lumber. When the boy is old, too old and sad to play in the tree, he asks the tree for a boat. She offers her trunk so that he can use it to craft a boat and he cuts her down to a stump. Finally, when it seems as if the tree has nothing more to give, the boy returns again as an old man, needing a quiet place to sit and rest. The tree is able to provide one last gift: her stump as a resting place. The story then ends this way: “And the tree was happy”.MATERIALS:BookOverhead projection device (i.e. Elmo, document camera, etc.)Bible“Step on the Line” statements pageCATHOLIC CONNECTIONS:OCSGE – An Effective Communicator, a Reflective and Creative Thinker, a Collaborative Contributor, a Self-Directed, Responsible Lifelong Learner, a Caring Family Member and a Discerning BelieverCatholic Social Teaching: Life and Dignity of the Human PersonScripture Focus: Luke 10:25-37R.E. Curriculum: Hope Expectations – Believing, Living a Moral Life, Living in Communion, Living in Solidarity, PrayingFamily Life Curriculum: Created and Loved by God, Living in RelationshipMINISTRY CURRICULUM LINKS:LanguageOral: 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.3Writing: 1.2, 2.5MINDS ON (Before) Approximately 10 minutesPAUSE & PONDERLearning Goals: Students will:Listen to the story “The Giving Tree”Examine the motivation and actions of characters and recognize the impact these actions have on othersRecognize that God calls us to follow the example of the tree to act with love and kindness to othersSuccess Criteria: Students will:Discuss connections between the merciful love shown by the Good Samaritan and the love shown by the tree in this storyBe reminded of the merciful and unconditional love God has for each one of themRespond to the story by choosing to make a Venn diagram, create a timeline, write a letter to a character or re-write a section of the storyBegin with the following prayer…Another day is beginning and freshly new,so here I come to ask you, God, if you’ll renew me too.Forgive the many errors that I made yesterday.Let me try again dear God to walk closer in Your way.O God, I am well aware I can’t make it on my own.Take my hand and hold it tight, for I can’t walk alone.Thank you God, for mercy and for helping me to see,Your love is unconditional and always there for me.Amen +Before Reading:Step on the Line:Ask students to line up (without talking) across the room according to their birth dates, beginning with January. Then, have them stand in a line across, facing you. Invite them to take part in the “Step on the Line” activity. Identify an imaginary line on the floor. The teacher makes a statement and students are to respond to the statement by taking one step forward onto the “line” if they agree with the statement or one step backward if they do not agree with the statement. If they are unsure, they may remain in place. After responding to each statement, have students return to their original position.Turn and Talk:At the end of the activity, while students are still in a line, have them turn and talk to the person next to them about what they noticed in this activity. Invite them to remember a particular statement that they found surprising or e together as a whole group and ask students to share some of their reflections.Pre-Reading:Show students the title and cover of the book. Ask students to predict what might take place in the story based on the title and the cover. Explain that although the cover of this book may give the impression that it is only a story for very young students, it is a book with many different interpretations that has actually been used with high school and university students as well as young children.Setting a Purpose:Invite students to think about how this book could appeal to so many different ages as they listen to the story. Also invite students to reflect on why they think Shel Silverstein wrote the story.You may consider designing your own success criteria for this lesson with students. “How will we know we have met our learning goals?”See separate page for step on the line statements.Turn and Talk is an excellent cooperative learning strategy to promote and support higher level thinking. When students are given the opportunity to reflect on a specific experience and then pair with another student to discuss before sharing with the big group, they are sometimes able to take their sharing to a deeper level.ACTION! (During) Approximately 20-25 minutesPAUSE & PONDERDuring Reading:Listening: As you read, invite students to notice the things that the tree does to show the boy that she loves him.Possible questions in sequence of the story:Why do you think the boy comes to visit the tree every day?Do the boy and the tree seem like friends to you? Why or why not?What is changing about the boy? Why do you think he stops coming to play as often as before?Do you think the boy will be happy once he gets money for the apples? Why or why not? Why do you think the tree is happy?After the boy made the boat out of her trunk and sailed away… Why do you think the tree wasn’t REALLY happy this time?At the end, ask students to reflect on the purpose questions above. Ask if they liked the book and why or why not.Highlight or guide students to one of the messages of the story, which is that Shel Silverstein is gently pointing out that although we may often act like the boy, God continues to be merciful and to love us just as the tree did.Hot Seat Activity: Invite a student to come to the front of the room and to sit in the “hot seat”. This student pretends to be the tree. Students ask interesting questions of the tree and the student in the hot seat must answer these questions in character as if he/she really were the tree (i.e. “Why didn’t you ever get angry at the boy?”).Next, select a different student to sit in the “hot seat” as the boy. Encourage students to ask higher level questions that go beyond the facts of the book and that help us to understand the motivation of the boy in the story (i.e. “As you sat on the stump at the end of the story and looked back on your life, was there anything you wished you had done differently? What thing?”).It is hoped that the discussion can yield observations on the part of students with regard to the generosity of the tree and the lack of gratitude on the part of the boy.Ideas to highlight:God says it is better to give than to receive.When we give to others with a heart of love, it can bring us great joy.God teaches us to love by loving others.God loves us, even when we forget to thank Him, even when we sometimes act selfishly.Additional related Scripture:Matthew 5:7, Luke 10:27, Luke 6:38Note: For the “Hot Seat Activity” it is essential that students answer questions as the character. This may mean that students need a moment or two to reflect before responding or to consult the text. When students are invited to approach this activity with diligence, the questions and answers provide the teacher with a clear sense of the level of comprehension of students.\sCatholic Education Week 2016: Opening Doors of MercyDAY 2: Mercy that LovesSuggested Grade Level:INTERMEDIATEBOOK TITLE:The Giving Tree2197611294700AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR:Shel SilversteinISBN-13978-0060256654BOOK DESCRIPTION: This classic tale of few words and simple line drawings begins this way: “Once there was a tree… and she loved a little boy”. When the boy is young and free, he comes to visit the tree and she is delighted when she is able to make him happy by offering him a place to play, apples to eat and shade for sleeping. As the boy grows older, he visits less and less and making him happy becomes more challenging for the generous tree. When he asks for money, she gives him her apples to sell. When he asks for a house, she provides her branches for lumber. When the boy is old, too old and sad to play in the tree, he asks the tree for a boat. She offers her trunk so that he can use it to craft a boat and he cuts her down to a stump. Finally, when it seems as if the tree has nothing more to give, the boy returns again as an old man, needing a quiet place to sit and rest. The tree is able to provide one last gift: her stump as a resting place. The story then ends this way: “And the tree was happy”.MATERIALS:BookOverhead projection device (i.e. Elmo, document camera, etc.)Student journalsPencils/pens4-8 ? x 11 sheets of cardstock for “Four Corners” activityMarkers of various coloursCATHOLIC CONNECTIONS:OCSGE – An Effective Communicator, a Reflective and Creative Thinker, a Collaborative Contributor, a Self-Directed, Responsible Lifelong Learner, a Caring Family Member and a Discerning BelieverCatholic Social Teaching: Life and Dignity of the Human Person, Call to Family, Community and ParticipationScripture Focus: Luke 10:25-37R.E. Curriculum: Hope Expectations – Believing, Living a Moral Life, Living in Communion, Living in Solidarity, PrayingFamily Life Curriculum: Created and Loved by God, Living in RelationshipMINISTRY CURRICULUM LINKS:LanguageOral: 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 2.2, 2.3Writing: 1.2MINDS ON (Before) Approximately 10-15 minutesPAUSE & PONDERLearning Goals: Students will:Listen to the story “The Giving Tree”Develop a deeper understanding of the words mercy, patience, compassion and generosityRecognize that God calls us to follow the example of the tree to act with love and kindness to othersSuccess Criteria: Students will:Discuss connections between the merciful love shown by the Good Samaritan and the love shown by the tree in this storyBe reminded of the merciful and unconditional love God has for each one of themRespond to the story by choosing to write a poem or rap, write a monologue, create a chart contrasting modern media messages and the story’s message or to connect Mother Teresa’s “Anyway” prayer to the story.Begin with the following prayer…A Jubilee Prayer for MercyLoving God,Help us live out in our daily lives,the mercy which you constantly extend to all of us.As you cast open the doors of your heart to us,may we respond with urgencyto proclaim your mercy to others.May we always be credible witnesses to mercy,professing it and living itas the core of the revelation of Jesus Christ.May we never tire of extending mercyand be every patient in offering compassion and comfort.Amen +(Adapted from Misericordiae Vultus, papal bull of induction proclaiming the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy) Reading:Free Writing:The prayer above asks that we never tire of extending mercy and be ever patient in offering compassion and comfort. Ask students to think of a time when someone showed them mercy, compassion, patience or generosity and write freely in their journals for three minutes without stopping. If they are unable to think of a time in their own life, ask them to make a connection to a book they’ve read or movie they’ve seen when they witnessed mercy, compassion, patience or generosity.Four Corners Activity:Designate four corners of the classroom to correspond with the words mercy, patience, compassion and generosity. Assign students to one of each of the four corners by randomly passing out cards with numbers 1 thru 4 on them. Each number will correspond to the corner and the word. Once students have moved to their corner, they are asked to discuss their word and to arrive at a common understanding of their word.Next, they work together to select or create an image that could represent the word. Ask each group to share their image with the whole group. Display the images at the front of the room.Pre-reading:Show students the title and cover of the book. Ask students to predict what might take place in the story based on the title and the cover. Explain that although the cover of this book may give the impression that it is only a story for very young students, it is a book with many different interpretations that has actually been used with high school and university students as well as young children.Setting a Purpose:Invite students to reflect on how this book could appeal to so many different ages as they listen to the story.You may consider designing your own success criteria for this lesson with students. “How will we know we have met our learning goals?”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 given the choice of where to work, intermediate students often select based on what their friends are selecting. This card distribution strategy offers a random selection process that may provide a welcome opportunity for students not to feel compelled to act to please their peers.ACTION! (During) Approximately 20-25 minutesPAUSE & PONDERDuring Reading:Listening: As you read, invite students to look for examples of mercy, compassion, patience and generosity.At the end, discuss the messages of the story.Gospel reading: Tell the students that the Parable of the Good Samaritan provides another example of the “four corner words” in action. Call on a student to explain what they remember about this parable (Luke 10:25-37). Read the parable to the students. Discuss.Sharing: Have students return to their original 4 corner groups to discuss how their word related to both “The Giving Tree” story and the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Come together as a whole group and invite representatives from each group to share highlights from their discussions.Ideas to highlight: The tree continues to demonstrate generosity toward the boy despite his lack of gratitude. It is love that motivates the tree to give herself over and over again for the sake of the boy. This is similar to the love that God has for us. God loves us, even when we sometimes act selfishly.Additional related Scripture:Matthew 5:7, Luke 10:27, 6:38CONSOLIDATION (After) Approximately 10 minutesPAUSE & PONDERAfter Reading:Students select from the following options…Option 1:Write a poem/song/rap that uses the word from your four corners group as the central themeOption 2:Select one of the characters, either the boy or the tree and write a monologue explaining why you acted as you did in the storyOption 3:Often the message we receive in the media is “Look out for number one!” and “Get all you can; they owe you”. How is this message different from the one in “The Giving Tree”? Make a chart in which you list at least 3 ideas related to the modern message we receive and at least 3 ideas that relate to the message of “The Giving Tree”.Option 4:Search up Mother Teresa’s “Anyway” prayer. Share the prayer and explain in your own words how this prayer connects to “The Giving Tree”. ................
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