Winter Unit Lesson Plan Part 2: The Theme of (Unlikely) Friendships, Acceptance and Kindness: Inviting the Bears

Inviting the Bears

Inviting the Bears:

A story of unlikely friendships, acceptance and love, a lonely old man ponders if he should start a new life somewhere else. After deciding that a move wouldn’t change his predicament, he goes into the forest seeking answers. What he finds are grizzly bears who he decides might just be the answers to his prayers. Although they speak a different language and are usually considered fierce enemies, he decides to invite them to a feast. What he learns from them is truly the lesson of a lifetime.

A story from the United States (Alaska to be exact!), this Native American Folk Tale is a wonderful tale on finding friendships in the unlikeliest places, accepting those that are different (and who may be more alike than we believe) and kindness to others, even if it is out of our comfort zone. This story is perfect for readers on all levels, is short and engaging and speaks a message we want all our students to hear.

Teaching Inviting the Bears: Unlikely Friendships & The Common Thread that Binds Us All  

This story meets Common Core Standards for 1^st -3rd grade and is a wonderful addition to a Unit on Friendship, Acceptance and Kindness. This story is best used in the classroom to promote its positive messages and would be a great addition to a unit for Character Education. You could also use it in a unit on Native American studies and how they used animal tales to promote these three themes within their tribes. Extend your standard learning of the literary skills with a story that your students will sure to ponder and love. Happy Storytelling!

A positive message while teaching an important literary skill: this is what you will find in all the Stories to Grow by Stories and accompanying Reader’s Theater scripts.

Story of the Week: The Tiger's Whisker

Our recommended story of the week comes to us from Korea: The Tiger's Whisker. A story of patience and understanding for both children and adults alike; a woman wants to cure her husband after he comes home from war a changed man. She learns a valuable lesson after months of befriending a Tiger to garner his whisker..an item she is led to believe will help her husband. The value, however, comes in what she learns from him instead. https://www.storiestogrowby.org/story/tigers-whisker/

Teaching the Theme of Giving while Learning the Sequence of Events Part 2

Looking for a great story to reinforce a theme of Giving that aligns with the upcoming winter holidays, while also teaching a vital story analysis skill?  For Elementary students, we have two wonderful stories that explore the theme of Giving while also teaching plot sequence. Teaching both stories consecutively allows you to teach another important literary analysis tool: Compare/Contrast characters.

This week’s Giving story is Wali Dad from India:

A simple old man who has saved his earnings decides to share his wealth. He purchases a beautiful gold bracelet for his merchant friend to give to the most virtuous women in the land, Princess of Khaistan, who was renowned everywhere as much for her beauty as for her kind and generous disposition. Then, said Wali Dâd, “next time you go that way, give her this little bracelet, with the respectful compliments of one who admires virtue far more than he desires wealth.” From this gesture, a series of thoughtful gifts returns Wali Dad with more “wealth” then he’d ever imagined. Read it here to find out what Wali Dad receives from his selfless acts of giving.

A positive message while teaching an important literary skill: this is what you will find in all the Stories to Grow by Stories and accompanying Reader’s Theater scripts.

The content of this tale prompts skill-building for the Common Core Standards CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3,3.2, 3.3, 4.2, 4.3, 4.9:

Objective: Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges and explain how their actions contribute to the Sequence of Events.  Compare and Contrast the main characters from Apple Dumpling and Wali Dad to further explore the Theme of Giving.

Anticipatory Set: Draw a picture of a time when you gave a gift to someone else. Write two sentences about what you gave and how you felt. Pair and Share.

Activities: Students will read the story, Wali Dad 15mins. While reading, discuss each “gift”, what the old man is giving and why and what he receives in return. Once finished the story, have the class create a story map of the various events that took place and how they lead Wali Dad to give his next gift.

Questions to Explore:

How do the sequence of events lead us to the ending? What would have happened if Wali Dad wasn’t so giving and decided to keep the treasures he was awarded with? What challenges did Wali Dad face and how did he overcome them?

Closing: To measure your objective, have students fill out a Compare/Contrast diagram on the two main characters, the old woman from The Apple Dumpling and Wali Dad. While both characters support the theme of giving, one gives to get something in return, while the other gives freely without expectation, but reaps great returns for his unselfish ways. Have students choose the character they are more like and draw/write ways they are similar.

Additional stories and Reader’s Theater scripts, as well as teaching materials are available at storiestogrowby.org.