HOMELESS SENSITIVITY AWARENESS EDUCATION LESSON PLAN 2 Grades 1-3 Inquiry Questions: How can our values and actions help a homeless individual? Lesson Title: Description: Objective: One Person Can Make A Difference Encourage predictions and assumptions from students regarding homeless people; review how our actions can help other people. The students will be able to: Identify what the community can do to help the homeless. Student Development Framework Standards and Benchmarks: Benchmark ED 3.7 Consider the impact that beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors have on school/work performance. Benchmark PS 4.2 Understand and have respect and tolerance for cultural, ethnic and human diversity. FCAT Benchmarks: LA.A.2.1.1 LA.E.1.1.2 LA.B.2.2.3 LA.C.3.1.1 Determines main idea and identifies relevant details. Identifies characteristics of diverse literary forms and understands why certain literary works are considered classic. Organizes information and writes fluently for a variety of occasions, audiences, and purposes. Uses volume, stress, pacing, enunciation, eye contact, and gestures appropriate to the purpose of the speech. Accommodations: Introduce vocabulary and discuss it prior to the lesson. Homeless Helpfulness Empathy Customs Chinese New Year Instructional Time: Three days, 30 minute periods. Teacher Preparation: Synopsis of Sam and the Lucky Money by Karen Chinn 15
Instructions on how to order the book through M-DCPS** Instructional Materials: Handout: KWL Chart Sam and the Lucky Money by Karen Chinn Synopsis of Sam and the Lucky Money by Karen Chinn Handout: Story Elements and Story Summary Chart paper Markers Activity 1 In preparation for reading Sam and the Lucky Money, students create a KWL Chart for recording what they know and would like to know and learn about how their actions can affect homelessness. Show the cover of the book to the students. Read the title and ask what they think the book is about. Ask if they have ever attended a Chinese New Year s celebration. Activity 2 The class will read the book: Sam and the Lucky Money by Karen Chinn. This story is about a boy who has some lucky money to spend on Chinese New Year. This year he is allow to spend it any way he wants. Although he considers many options and sometimes feels angry that he does not have more money, he ultimately gives the money to a homeless man. This story encourages others to see homeless people with empathy and realize that one person can make a difference. Experts agree that people should not directly give homeless individuals money as Sam did. Discuss with the students how Sam should have given his money to organizations that help the homeless address their needs - food, clothing, shelter, medical care and career preparation. Have the students answer the following questions in their journals. o What does Sam originally intend to do with his lucky money? o How did Sam make a difference in another person s life? o What does the old saying It is better to give than to receive mean to you? o What are some organizations that help feed, clothe, shelter, provide medical care and prepare the homeless for careers? o How can our values and actions help a homeless individual? Activity 3 Have the students complete the Story Elements and Story Summary. Have the students brainstorm in small groups to make a list of ways they could help someone who was homeless. Share the lists orally with each other. Have students draw posters that depict one person helping another. Assessments: Students discussion during the week, Students understanding as demonstrated by their responses to story questions, KWL, Story Elements and Story Summary, posters and/or writing assignment. 16
Follow-up Activities/Home Learning/Parent: Students will practice writing. Students learn important things in school. Think about one important thing you have learned about actions that help the homeless. Write to explain why it is important to help others in our society. 17
Synopsis of Sam and the Lucky Money Sam can hardly wait to go shopping with his mom. It's Chinese New Year's day and his grandparents have given him the traditional gift of lucky money red envelopes called leisees (lay-sees). This year Sam is finally old enough to spend it any way he chooses. Best of all, he gets to spend his lucky money in his favorite place Chinatown! But when Sam realizes that his grandparents' gift is not enough to get the things he wants, his excitement turns to disappointment. Even though his mother reminds him that he should appreciate the gift, Sam is not convinced until a surprise encounter with a stranger. SAM AND THE LUCKY MONEY by Karen Chinn illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu (Sample of the book) Sam could hardly wait to get going. He zipped up his jacket and patted his pockets. It was time to go to Chinatown for New Year's Day! Sam thought about sweet oranges and "lucky money": Crisp dollar bills tucked in small red envelopes called leisees. Sam's grandparents gave him leisees every New Year. Each envelope was decorated with a symbol of luck: Two golden mandarins. A Chinese junk. A slithering dragon. A giant peach. Sam's leisees were embossed in gold. Sam counted out four dollars. Boy, did he feel rich! His parents said he didn't have to buy a notebook or socks as usual. This year he could spend his lucky money his way. "Sam!" his mother called. "It's time to go shopping. Hurry, so we don't miss the lion!" "Coming!" said Sam. The streets hummed with the thump of drums and the clang of 18
cymbals. Everywhere dusty red smoke hung in the air left by exploding firecrackers. "Give me your hand," said his mother. "I don't want you to get lost." Sam took her hand reluctantly. It seemed like everyone was shopping for New Year's meals. There were so many people crowded around the overflowing vegetable bins that Sam, had to look out for elbows and shopping bags. The streets hummed with the thump of drums and the clang of cymbals. Everywhere dusty red smoke hung in the air left by exploding firecrackers. "Give me your hand," said his mother. "I don't want you to get lost." Sam took her hand reluctantly. It seemed like everyone was shopping for New Year's meals. There were so many people crowded around the overflowing vegetable bins that Sam, had to look out for elbows and shopping bags. **Teachers can order this book through Miami-Dade County Public School's library system. Follow this link: http://it.dadeschools.net/library/index.htm. There you will find the Destiny Online Catalogue and other helpful links that will help locate this book and other search engines. You can also speak to your Library/Media Specialist to order this book for you. 19
Name Date Period KWL Chart List details in the first two columns. Fill in the last column after you do your research. Topic What I Know What I Want To Know What I Learned 20
STORY ELEMENTS: Sam and the Lucky Money Name Date Title Author Illustrator What kind of story is this? Fiction or nonfiction Realistic or fantasy Setting: The story takes place. Characters: The characters in the story are. STORY SUMMARY: 21