DAY 5: Mercy that Rejoices / Suggested Grade Level:
PRIMARY, JUNIOR, INTERMEDIATE
BOOK TITLE: / Chance to Shine /
AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR: / Steve Seskin & Allen Shamblin
R. Gregory Christie
ISBN-13 / 978-1-58246-167-0
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Joe, a homeless man, hangs out on a park bench in front of the store that a boy’s father owns and the boy cannot help but notice Joe’s unkempt appearance, funny smell and odd behaviour. The boy is puzzled one day when his father asks Joe to sweep the sidewalk every morning in exchange for free meals. His father’s response, “Every heart needs a chance to shine”, makes more sense over time as the boy witnesses Joe’s transformation into an autonomous, productive and employed member of the community. This inspiring book which is accompanied by a musical CD recording of the story, gets top marks for combining artistic creativity with a powerful economics lesson about extreme poverty and the path to economic self-sufficiency. / MATERIALS:
Book
Prayer journals
Projector
Chart paper
CD player/computer
CATHOLIC CONNECTIONS:
OCSGE – I have responsibilities!
I am a peacemaker
I am fair
I am forgiving
I follow rules and do my share
I help the poor and care for people in need
I stand up for what is right
I know that all life is precious
I respect and protect the world and all that is in it
Catholic Social Teaching: Human Dignity, Solidarity, Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
Scripture Focus: Luke 5:17-26
R.E. Curriculum: ML2, LS2
Family Life Curriculum: A1, B2, D2, E2 / MINISTRY CURRICULUM LINKS:
Language
Oral: 1.6, 1.8
Reading: 1.6, 1.8
Writing: 2.1
MINDS ON (Before) / PAUSE & PONDER
Primary Students:
Read the title of the book and have them predict what the story will be about.
Do a book walk with the students. Pause and ask them to check their predictions.
Junior and Intermediate Students:
Read the inside cover of the book.
Post using projector/wall board:
Mercy that Rejoices!
“Every heart needs a chance to shine,
to be wanted by, somewhere down the line.
We’re all meant to write on the pages of time.
Every heart needs a chance to shine.”
Ask students: What do you think will happen based on what the author has told you so far? / Learning Goals:
Students will demonstrate an understanding of how mercy rejoices through their Arts experience. Students will make personal connections with the OCSGE of what it means to be a responsible citizen.
ACTION! (During) / PAUSE & PONDER
Primary:
Read aloud the story “A Chance to Shine”. Read the first page and stop after, “I often wondered what he was sitting there for”. Ask students to respond to and make predictions.
Continue reading aloud and stop after, “Why are we helping that man?” Discuss why the father made the decision to help Joe.
Continue reading, pausing to discuss the changes taking place in Joe throughout the story.
Ask students: How did Joe’s actions help us to know how he was feeling in the story? Record responses.
In pairs, talk about a time that you or someone you know had a chance to shine.
Junior and Intermediate:
Listen to the story “A Chance to Shine” (play CD twice – close your eyes and listen to the words).
CONSOLIDATION (After) / PAUSE & PONDER
Primary
Ask students to write or draw an example of how they might be able to give someone a “chance to shine” in their own lives. How might this opportunity change this person? How might this opportunity change you and the way you think about this person?
Junior and Intermediate
Reflect individually and then in writing (prayer journal). How does the story change when you listen to it in audio or musical form? Think of a time when you demonstrated a “chance to shine” moment for someone. How did that action positively affect both you and the other person? / Guiding Questions:
How did each of the book’s main characters – Joe, father and the young narrator – have a chance to shine in the story?
What do you think may have caused Joe to be homeless? What would you like to see changed so that everyone has a place to live?
The father taught his son an important lesson about helping give people a chance to succeed. What is an important lesson you have learned from someone else?
The narrator looks at his classmates differently after seeing the positive change in Joe. Why do you think that the way we see and act towards others makes a difference in how they feel and act?
MINDS ON (Before) / PAUSE & PONDER
SCRIPTURE CONNECTION
Scripture Connection: Jesus heals the man with paralysis
Read, Luke 5:17-26 to the students. / The scripture reading is about a man who was paralyzed. Being paralyzed means that he couldn’t walk and probably couldn’t use his legs. The man could only sit or lay down.
Just think how hard it would be to do things if you couldn’t walk around.
ACTION! (During) / PAUSE & PONDER
Questions to ask:
Why did the men take the man with paralysis up to the roof?
What happened next?
What did Jesus do for the man with paralysis?
Say: “The friends of the man with paralysis have such faith in healing that they refuse to let anything prevent them from bringing the man to Jesus.”
Hold up the book “A Chance to Shine”.
Say: “In ‘A Chance to Shine’, the father has this kind of faith in Joe. The father believes in Joe perhaps more than Joe believes in himself.”
Questions to consider:
(think/pair/share and/or as an individual reflection in prayer journal)
What paralyzes us or holds us back from being the person God calls us to be?
Do we have people in our lives who show us mercy and who help us to be joyful people that we are meant to be?
CONSOLIDATION (After) / PAUSE & PONDER
Post on board/projector:
Mercy that Rejoices!
“Every heart needs a chance to shine,
to be wanted by, somewhere down the line.
We’re all meant to write on the pages of time.
Every heart needs a chance to shine.”
Say: “Jesus knew the man with paralysis believed he could heal him. The man with paralysis was healed and the crowd was amazed! The man received God’s mercy and forgiveness and everyone rejoices! The man’s heart had a chance to shine!”
Listen to the song “A Chance to Shine”.
Ask:
In “A Chance to Shine”, what holds Joe back from being the person God calls him to be?
How does mercy lead him to be able to rejoice?
What mercy can help you rejoice in the person God wants you to be?
Lesson plan support from:
CCC Resource: “Engaging the Soul Through the Arts & the Ontario Catholic Graduate Expectations” (pages 43-47, October, 2010)
CCC Resource: “Robust Thinking Tasks & the Ontario Catholic Graduate Expectations” (pages 26-27, October, 2009)
EOCC Resource: “Religious Education & Positive Mental Health & Wellness”
Catholic Education Week 2016: Opening Doors of Mercy
DAY 5: Mercy that Rejoices / Suggested Grade Level:
PRIMARY, JUNIOR, INTERMEDIATE
BOOK TITLE: / Chance to Shine /
AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR: / Steve Seskin & Allen Shamblin
R. Gregory Christie
ISBN-13 / 978-1-58246-167-0
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Joe, a homeless man, hangs out on a park bench in front of the store that a boy’s father owns and the boy cannot help but notice Joe’s unkempt appearance, funny smell and odd behaviour. The boy is puzzled one day when his father asks Joe to sweep the sidewalk every morning in exchange for free meals. His father’s response, “Every heart needs a chance to shine”, makes more sense over time as the boy witnesses Joe’s transformation into an autonomous, productive and employed member of the community. This inspiring book which is accompanied by a musical CD recording of the story, gets top marks for combining artistic creativity with a powerful economics lesson about extreme poverty and the path to economic self-sufficiency. / MATERIALS:
Magazines
Construction paper
Paint
Glue stick
Clear tape
Pencil crayons
Markers
CATHOLIC CONNECTIONS:
OCSGE – I have responsibilities!
I am a peacemaker
I am fair
I am forgiving
I follow rules and do my share
I help the poor and care for people in need
I stand up for what is right
I know that all life is precious
I respect and protect the world and all that is in it
Scripture Focus: Luke 5:17-26
R.E. Curriculum: ML2, LS2
Family Life Curriculum: A1, B2, D2, E2
Vocabulary/Elements:
Elements of Design: Colour, texture
Principles of Design: Proportion / MINISTRY CURRICULUM LINKS:
Language
Oral: 1.6, 1.8
Reading: 1.6, 1.8
Visual Arts: D1.1, D1.4
Writing: 2.1
MINDS ON (Before) / PAUSE & PONDER
Overview:
Students will design a door that opens onto an image of a person who needs rejoicing. The door will represent the student and behind the door, the person in need will be represented.
Opening the Door of Mercy – December 8, 2015:
In the words of Pope Francis, “On that day, the Holy Door will become a Door of Mercy through which anyone who enters, will experience the love of God who consoles, pardons and instills hope”.
The Symbol of the Door:
Door should reflect who the student is (strong door, colour, texture, window or windowless – what kind of door describes themselves).
Behind the Door:
An image of a person that the student would like to help. This image should reflect a person in need (homeless, refugees, bullied, bully, elderly, sick, special needs, poor) and will be depicted in the open doorway. This person is someone that the student:
Can express their faith in
Believes needs a chance to shine
Would like to help be rejoiceful
Does not see as different, but rather an equal and included
Feels that they belong
Method for Creating the Door:
Coloured pencil crayons, markers
Collage – from magazines and construction paper, using colours, shapes, etc. to show that the door will be open
Door should reflect who the student is (strong door, colour, texture, window or not – what kind of door describes themselves? Who they are? Strong, open, cheerful, light…
Method for Creating the Person Behind the Door:
Coloured pencil crayon drawings focus on face (eyes), body language/movement/position that shows rejoicing with open arms
Collage – from magazines and construction paper, using colours, shapes, etc. to shape the body of the person behind the door.
Focus on face (eyes), body language/movement/position that shows rejoicing with open arms.
Background behind the person should show colour and texture that illustrates what rejoicing looks like.
Ensure that you have introduced the book and scripture reading from initial lesson. / Learning Goals:
Students will express their thoughts and ideas about mercy that rejoices through the use of materials in visual arts.
Students will recognize that “every heart has a chance to shine”.
ACTION! (During) / PAUSE & PONDER
- Brainstorm synonyms for the word ‘paralysis’
- How can people experience paralysis (physically, emotionally, mentally, etc.)? i.e. homeless, refugees, bullied, bully, elderly, sick, special needs, poor, addicts.
- Brainstorm symbols that represent mercy (smile, open hand, embracing, bright eye contact, giving, etc.). Use illustrations from “A Chance to Shine”.
- Encourage students to pick one symbol that they would like to illustrate; that they feel drawn to; that represents their personality. What makes them a helpful person who has mercy for others? Students will use symbols as part of their door.
- Post on board or chart:
What is Pope Francis’ message to us?
- Show video clip of Pope Francis opening the Holy Door of Mercy at St. Peter’s Basilica.
- Make the door using various materials (paper size doesn’t matter but both pages – door and the person – need to be the same size
- Layer paper (door on top, person on bottom)
- Make the person they have identified as someone they want to help using the various materials
- Layer the two papers (door on top) using clear tape along the left-side edge to hinge both papers together (so it looks like an actual door that can open)
CONSOLIDATION (After) / PAUSE & PONDER
Gallery Walk:
Have students move around the classroom to look at the Doors of Mercy.
Post doors on classroom door or as a bulletin board display.
Extension:
Students will research the symbols of the Holy Door of Mercy (St. Peter’s Basilica). / Look-fors:
I can cut shapes and use colours and textures that represent myself for expressive purposes and for creating naturalistic images (the door).
I can cut shapes and use colours and textures that represent the shape of the person behind the door for expressive purposes and for creating naturalistic images.
I can use proportion to show the relationship of size and shape of a figure.
Catholic Education Week 2016: Opening Doors of Mercy
DAY 5: Mercy that Rejoices / Suggested Grade Level:
PRIMARY, JUNIOR, INTERMEDIATE
BOOK TITLE: / Chance to Shine /
AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR: / Steve Seskin & Allen Shamblin
R. Gregory Christie
ISBN-13 / 978-1-58246-167-0
BOOK DESCRIPTION: Joe, a homeless man, hangs out on a park bench in front of the store that a boy’s father owns and the boy cannot help but notice Joe’s unkempt appearance, funny smell and odd behaviour. The boy is puzzled one day when his father asks Joe to sweep the sidewalk every morning in exchange for free meals. His father’s response, “Every heart needs a chance to shine”, makes more sense over time as the boy witnesses Joe’s transformation into an autonomous, productive and employed member of the community. This inspiring book which is accompanied by a musical CD recording of the story, gets top marks for combining artistic creativity with a powerful economics lesson about extreme poverty and the path to economic self-sufficiency. / MATERIALS:
Book
Prayer/reflection journals
CATHOLIC CONNECTIONS:
OCSGE – I have responsibilities!
I am a peacemaker
I am fair
I am forgiving
I follow rules and do my share
I help the poor and care for people in need
I stand up for what is right
I know that all life is precious
I respect and protect the world and all that is in it
Scripture Focus: Luke 5:17-26
R.E. Curriculum: ML2, LS2
Family Life Curriculum: A1, B2, D2, E2
Vocabulary/Elements:
Role/Character: Using gestures and movement to convey character, considering the inner and outer life of a character, adopting a variety of roles
Relationship: Developing and analyzing relationships between and among characters in drama / MINISTRY CURRICULUM LINKS:
Language
Drama: B1.1, B1.3, B2.1
Oral: 1.6, 1.8
Reading: 1.6, 1.8
Writing: 2.1
MINDS ON (Before) / PAUSE & PONDER
Before Reading:
Ensure that you have introduced the book and scripture reading from the initial lesson of Day 5.
Sound/Gesture Circle:
Students form a circle. The teacher calls out a word and a student communicates his/her interpretation of the word by using sound accompanied by a gesture. The rest of the group echoes the sound and the gesture.
(Words to use: welcome, weird, shine, heart, chance, smile, wave, follow, greatness, hopeless, strange, different, understand, mercy, rejoice, paralyze, friend, help, rejection, acceptance, forgive) / Learning Goals:
Students will develop their understanding of rejoicing in the mercy of others through participation in drama activities. Students will take on the role of a variety of characters with an emphasis on using hand gestures to convey emotion. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the perspective of a variety of characters by speaking both in and out of role.
Sound/Gesture Circle:
A group activity in which each student communicates his/her interpretation of an image, concept or word using sound, accompanied by a gesture. The other students respond as a group by repeating the sound and gesture.
ACTION! (During) / PAUSE & PONDER
During Reading:
Tableau:
(Appropriate for Primary, Junior and Intermediate)
Students divide into groups of 5-6 and create a tableau to show part of the story “A Chance to Shine”.
Remind students to be aware of how they are using their hands to convey their emotion, meaning, perspective, character.
Voices in the Head:
(Appropriate for Junior and Intermediate)
When the students share their tableau with the class, one student from another group goes and stands behind each of the characters. They take turns speaking the words that they believe that the character is thinking at that moment.
After all groups have shared, students talk about the different perspectives of the characters. What connections did they see between the various voices? What surprised them about what the voices said? What would they add to those voices? How is mercy shown? How was mercy rejoicing demonstrated?
Tableau:
(Appropriate for Primary, Junior and Intermediate)
In the same groups, students create a tableau to show the story of The Paralyzed Man (Luke 5:17-26).
Remind students to be aware of how they are using their hands to convey their emotion, meaning, perspective, character.
Following the presentation of each tableau, using “Two Stars and A Wish”, students discuss how clearly the perspectives of the characters were presented. How is mercy shown? How was mercy rejoicing demonstrated?
Hot Seat:
(Appropriate for Junior and Intermediate)
After all tableaus are presented, students volunteer to take the “Hot Seat”. They are in role as the paralyzed man, the friend, a person in the crowd, Jesus.