Learning to Give, Philanthropy education resources that teach giving and civic engagement

generationOn

Find Lesson Plans Browse Resources
The Making of a Good Friend (Private-Religious)
Lesson 2:
printEmail this Lesson
Lesson
Handouts
Academic Standards
Philanthropy Framework
3rd-5th Grade
Subjects:

Language Arts, Library / Technology and Philanthropy

Key Words/Concepts click to view
ELA: Poetry; Response to Text/Others
PHIL: Cooperate; Friendship; Judaism; Kindness; Motivation for Giving; Philanthropic Act
SOC: Parochial

Purpose:

Using a traditional Jewish text as its basis, this lesson emphasizes the importance of sharing in a relationship.

Duration:

Two forty minute periods

Objectives:

The learner will:

  • become familiar with Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers).
  • evaluate the actions of others.
  • write a collaborative poem with a partner.

Materials:

  • "The Worst and the Best" worksheet (see Attachment One)
  • Text of Pirkei Avot 5:13 (see Attachment Two)
  • "Sharing Scenarios" (see Attachment Three)
  • Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, by Paul Fleischman
Handout 1
The Best and Worst (for Anticipatory Activity)
Handout 2
Pirkei Avot 5:13
Handout 3
Sharing Scenarios

Instructional Procedure(s):

Anticipatory Set:

Give students a list of the descriptions of the four types of people listed in Pirkei Avot 5:13. (See Attachment One) Ask them to number them in terms of which sounds like a better friend. The one that sounds like the best type of friend gets a 1, and so on. Have a few students volunteer to explain their answers.

  • Explain that a rabbi gave his opinion on this matter in a book called Pirkei Avot, or Ethics of the Fathers. Read the text from Pirkei Avot (see Attachment Two) and compare the rabbi’s order to the class’s order.

  • Discuss why sharing is important. Some answers may include that it makes people feel better, it requires fewer resources, it’s more fun, it’s a good way to meet people, it saves money, it saves people time, etc.

  • Ask volunteers to read or role-play the scenarios found in Attachment Three. After each scenario, ask the students which category these students fit into. Then ask them to describe how it would feel to be in each of these scenarios. Stress how good sharing makes everyone involved feel about themselves.

  • Tell the class that they are going to work with a partner to write poetry about sharing. They are going to write a special type of poem called a "poem in two voices". Explain that they are each going to have a voice in the poem, but they will be speaking about the same topic on the same page.

  • Read a couple of poems from Paul Fleischman’s book Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices to give the students examples.

  • Give students time to write the poem with their partners.

  • Have the partners read their poems out loud so the class can hear the full effect of the two voices. Discuss how it felt to share ideas and work together.

Assessment:

Assess students based on your observations, their comments during discussion, and evaluate their performance on the poems that they write with their partners.

School/Home Connection:

Instruct students to write a poem for two voices with a sibling or parent. The poem should be about sharing in a family.

Cross-Curriculum Extensions:

Make skits about sharing to perform for a younger grade and have the class instruct the younger students how important it is to share

Bibliographical References:

  • Joyful Noises: Poems for Two Voices, by Paul Fleischman, HarperCollins Juvenile Books, 1992. ISBN: 0064460932

  • Pirkei Avot http://www.shechem.org/torah/avot.html

Lesson Developed By:

Shira Hammerman
Areyvut
http://www.areyvut.org
Bergenfield, NJ 07621

Handouts:

Handout 1Print Handout 1

The Best and Worst (for Anticipatory Activity)

Name: __________________ Date: _______________

 

The Best and the Worst

Directions:

Read the following descriptions of people in the world. Number them from 1-4 based on which sound like better friends. The one who sounds like the best friend get a 1, the next best gets a 2, and so on.

 

____ A person who says, "My property is mine and your property is yours."

 

____ A person who says, "My property is yours and your property is mine"

 

____ A person who says, "My property is yours and your property is yours."

 

____ A person who says, "Your property is mine and my property is mine."

Handout 2Print Handout 2

Pirkei Avot 5:13

Name: __________________ Date: _______________

 

Pirkei Avot 5:13

 

There are four types among people:

  1. He who says, "What is mine is mine and what is yours is yours"--this is the common type, though some say that this is the type of Sodom.
  2. He who says, "What is mine is yours and what is yours is mine"--he is an ignorant man.
  3. He who says, "What is mine is yours and what is yours is your own"--he is a saintly man.
  4. And he who says, "What is yours is mine, and what is mine is mine"--he is a wicked man.

 

  • Sodom is a place mentioned in the Bible. The people who lived there were very selfish and were considered to be very bad.

  • Pirkei Avot, known in English as Ethics of the Fathers, lists ideas that different rabbis have said about how to act and how to treat others. It is a tractate (chapter) from the Mishnah, a very important Jewish law book that was edited in the 2nd Century.

Handout 3Print Handout 3

Sharing Scenarios

Name: __________________ Date: _______________

  1. Timmy asks Janie to borrow a pencil. She says that she will give him a pencil if he lets her use his glue.
  2. Lin asks Charlie if she can play with his paper airplane. Charlie says no because he is afraid it will break. Later, Lin sees Charlie using her tape to fix his airplane.
  3. Bobby and Brandy share a locker. On the first day of school, Bobby notices that Brandy has a really nice set of neon markers. He has a really nice set of pastel colored markers. Bobby offers to let Brandy use his markers if he can use her markers. Brandy says that she would rather keep their things separate, in case they get confused about who owns which markers.
  4. Marty and Jose sit next to each other in math class. One day, Jose realizes that he forgot his ruler at home. He asks Marty if he can borrow his and offers to let Marty use his new calculator in exchange. Marty says that of course Jose can borrow the ruler. He tells Jose that he can borrow anything as long as he returns it. Marty makes it clear that Jose does not need to offer his calculator in exchange.

 

Questions to Think About:

How would it feel to be in each of these scenarios?

Which of the students described in these scenarios sounds like the best to have as a friend?

Philanthropy Framework:

Submit a Comment

All rights reserved. Permission is granted to freely use this information for nonprofit (noncommercial), educational purposes only. Copyright must be acknowledged on all copies.