Walking Forward Together in Hope
DAY 5: Friday / Suggested Grade Level:
P/J/I
BOOK TITLE: / Oh, the Places You’ll Go! /
AUTHOR and
ILLUSTRATOR: / Dr. Seuss
ISBN-13 / 9780679805274
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Oh, the Places You’ll Go! – Dr. Seuss’ modern classic is about opportunity and our bright, hopeful tomorrow. The book looks at venturing out into the world where there will be ups and downs, challenges and changes. It describes up times and down times, waiting times and stressful times. It gives a strong message of hope and the human potential. / MATERIALS:
Book
BLM – Reader’s Theatre: Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
CATHOLIC CONNECTIONS:
OCSGE
Catholic Social Teaching: Dignity of the Human Person
Scripture Focus:
Jeremiah 29:11-13
Isaiah 9:2
R.E. Curriculum: LS2, PR1, ML3
Fully Alive Curriculum: Created and Loved by God
Catholic Graduate Expectations: 1(a), (e); 2 (a); 3 (a); 4 (a) / MINISTRY CURRICULUM LINKS:
Reading OE 1.6
Writing OE 1.5; 2.2
Media OE 1.2; 1.5; 3.2
A1.2 Creating and Performing
B1.1 Creating and Presenting
C2.1 Reflecting, Responding and Analyzing
MINDS ON (Before) Approximately 15-20 1x45
minute lesson with optional arts lesson extension / PAUSE & PONDER
Learning Goals:
Students will:
® Extend their understanding of the text by connecting the ideas to themselves and to the world around them
Arts Extension:
Students will:
® Express personal responses to musical performances
® Actively engage in dramatic play and role play
® Use dance as a language to represent ideas
Primary Warm-Up:
Reader’s Theatre of: Oh, the Places You’ll Go! (see BLM – J I Day 5)
Students listen as teacher reads aloud the Reader’s Theatre text (omitting the scripture passages). As teacher re-reads the Reader’s Theatre text, the students individually act it out.
Reflection:
® When are times that you worry?
® What bang-ups and hang-ups happen to you?
® Who brings hope at these times?
® How can you bring hope to people who are struggling?
Junior/Intermediate Warm-Up:
Reader’s Theatre of: Oh, the Places You’ll Go! (see BLM – J I Day 5)
Students can break into small groups to practice the reader’s theatre script. Focus on the rhythmic metre of Dr. Seuss’ poetry.
Reflect on:
® Jeremiah 29:11-13
® Isaiah 9:2
What is the message of hope?
Before Reading:
® What do you think the title of the book, Oh, the Places You’ll Go! means?
® Have you ever wanted to go somewhere, but you were not sure how you were going to get there? / Consider designing success criteria with the students prior to the lesson.
Dr. Seuss always writes in metre- 2 unstressed syllables, followed by a stressed syllable.
Oh, the places you’ll go!
There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored.
There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Hope is our trust that God offers the kingdom of Heaven and eternal life as our happiness.
ACTION (During) Approximately 20 minutes / PAUSE & PONDER
Discussion Question Options:
® How are “brains in your head” and “feet in your shoes” going to help you get somewhere?
® What can you do if you are not sure where you want to go?
® What feelings might you have if you go down the wrong path or don’t get what you want?
® What feelings might you have if you are on the right path?
® Where might you want to go or do or be, that will make your life what you want?
® Who might you want to help you get there?
® How are you going to make sure you stay on track with what you want for your life?
After Reading:
Response Question Options (whole group/small group/pair/individual):
® Do you have something that you want for yourself?
® How are you going to get what you want? When do you have to wait?
® What are you going to do to plan for what you want for yourself?
® What happens when you are faced with challenges and successes?
Scripture Connection:
® Do you spend time wondering where you’ll be five or ten years from now? What you’ll be doing or who your friends will be? It’s all a mystery right now, but one thing is for sure, God knows. The passage from Jeremiah (29:11-13) contains a wonderful message from God about our future. The bottom line is, God has a plan for us.
® “I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for. Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me and I will answer you. You will seek me and you will find me, because you will seek me with all your hearts.” Repeat these words several times. Let them sink in. Imagine God saying them to you. How do these words make you feel? Return to this passage whenever you are worried about your future or where your life is headed. Yes, God has big plans for each one of us. (Pray It: Taken from Break Through: The Bible for Young Catholics, page 1157)
CONSOLIDATION (After) Approximately 15-20 minutes / PAUSE & PONDER
After Reading: Junior/Intermediate
Extending Understanding – Working in pairs, find the text pieces that support what Dr. Seuss writes about in, Oh, the Places You’ll Go! (see list below).
Dr. Seuss writes about:
® Beginnings
® Decisions
® How good things happen
® How bad things happen
® Waiting
® Escaping to bright places
® Lonely game
® Resiliency
® Ups and downs of life
® Hope in our heart
Pairs will answer:
® Do you have knowledge or experiences that affect the way you interpret the author’s message?
® How does the author’s approach differ from the approach in other articles, stories you have read?
Arts Extension:
1. Music - Primary: On My Way by Phil Collins
Questions to Consider:
® What are the images used? What did you picture when you were listening to the song?
® What is the message/main idea of this song?
® How does the message speak about walking forward together in hope in our lives?
® How does this song connect to Oh, the Places You’ll Go!?
Music - J/I: I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack
Questions to Consider:
® What values, virtues are represented?
® What are the components of the message?
® How does the message speak about hope in our hearts?
® Who created this message?
® What visualization techniques have been included in the lyrics to suggest particular images, colours?
® What is the main idea?
® How does this song connect to, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!?
2. Drama - Primary:
In small groups, students pick one of the situations that they brainstormed in the warm-up.
® When are times that you worry?
® What bang-ups and hang-ups happen to you?
® Who brings hope at these times?
® How can you bring hope to people who are struggling?
Create a short role-play where they act out this situation and how it is resolved.
Drama - J/I
In small groups, students create three tableaux (before, during and after) about a situation where a character loses hope. They add a transition between each scene. The transitions can be slow mo’ movement, narrative captions or a percussion cue.
3. Dance - P/J/I:
Students work in a small group. Each group is assigned one stanza or section of, Oh, the Places You’ll Go! They are to create a movement piece that goes with the content, as well as the metre of the text. They perform their movement piece to the audio of the story. They are to consider and incorporate the elements of space (direction and pathways). / Dr. Seuss always writes in metre - 2 unstressed syllables, followed by a stressed syllable.
Oh, the places you’ll go!
There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored.
There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!
Voice 1: Congratulations! Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
Voice 2: You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
Any direction you choose.
Voice 3: “For surely I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “Plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then, when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)
All: Do justice, love kindess and walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)
Voice 1: You’ll look up and down streets.
Look ‘em over with care.
About some, you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.”
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
You’re too smart to go down any not-so-good street.
Voice 2: And when things start to happen,
Don’t worry. Don’t stew.
Just go right along.
You’ll start happening too.
All: OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!
Voice 3: I’m sorry to say so,
But sadly it’s true,
That bang-ups
And hang-ups
Can happen to you.
Voice 1: You can get so confused
That you’ll start in to race,
Down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
And grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
Headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
Voice 2: The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light.
Those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them, light has shined. (Isaiah 9:2)
Voice 3: On and on you will hike.
And I know you’ll hike far
And face up to your problems,
Whatever they are.
Voice 1: And will you succeed?
Yes! You will indeed!
(98% and ¾ percent guaranteed)
KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!
All: Do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)
Voice 2: So, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So… get on your way!
All: “For surely I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “Plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then, when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)
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