Grade Level: Third Grade

Rationale:  We live in a multicultural world. There are various religions, cultures, beliefs, and traditions in the world and the students need to understand and respect people that may be different from themselves. In my own classroom, I have seen racial issues. An African American boy has called the one white girl in my class ‘white milk’ numerous times throughout the semester. By introducing various cultures to the classroom, a teacher can show that the world is made of up of various people and although different, we should all respect each other. In addition, by sharing stories of different cultures, students can see we all have similar values.

Objectives:

1. A student will be able to list at least one elements of Jewish culture that they thought was special or unique and explain it.

2. A student will be able to describe their respect for others by acting like different cultures in class and demonstrating respect for one another.

3. A student will be able to explain the moral of a story and why it is important in a class discussion.

Standards:

Social Studies Standard 2: Key Idea 1. The study of World History requires an understanding of world cultures and civilizations, including an analysis of important ideas, social and cultural values, beliefs and traditions. This study also examines the human condition and the connections and interactions of people across time and space and the ways different people view the same event or issue from a variety of perspectives.

Core Curriculum: Cultures and civilizations: People in world communities use legends, folktales, oral histories, biographies, autobiographies, and historical narratives to transmit values, ideas, beliefs and traditions.

Preparation: Prior to the lesson, the book My Grandmother’s stories by Adele Geras will be acquired. Everyone student should have a copy of the book. Students will also have a basic understanding of Jewish culture from the study of various cultures throughout the year.

Introduction:

            I will begin by telling the class that lately we have been studying different cultures and how they are unique. Today we will hear a folktale from a Jewish culture, talk about some aspects and values of their culture.

Activity:

1. With everyone seated in a circle, students will do a “popcorn” reading of the folk tale, “The Market of Miseries” from the book, My Grandmother’s stories by Adele Geras.

2. I will then ask the class to tell me one thing they learned about Jewish culture that they thought was special or unique. It must be something that is different from their own culture. I will also ask them what they thought the moral of the story was. “What are some other stories you have heard that have this same moral?” “Why do you think various different cultures stress the same morals?”

3. Then I will have to class split up into two teams. I will then tell the class that today we will be playing a game involving respecting other people’s culture. I will then ask the class to think about something unique about their family’s culture. If they are having trouble thinking of something, they can pick something from the other cultures we have studied in class.

4. Then one student from each team will walk up to the other, bow, tell one thing about their culture, say one thing positive about the other person, thank them, bow then walk back to the line and the next person goes. The students still standing in line are to make silly faces, move about funny, and anything else they can think of to make the opponent from the other team laugh. If either of the two participating students laughs, they are out.

5. At the end of the game, I will ask the students “What does this game tell us about respecting others?”

6. Once all the students have returned to their seats, I will ask them to pick their favorite character from the story they just read and ask them to write a paragraph about what it would be like living a day in that character’s shoes.

Individual Exploration:  Students will pick their favorite character from the story and write a paragraph about what it would be like living a day in their characters shoes.

Group Exploration: Students will do a “popcorn” reading of the book and have a class discussion. In addition, the game will allow students to explore how to respect others by paying attention to the person they are talking to, listening and respecting other cultures. 

Modifications: For students with ADHD, they will be provided a handout of key terms from the story. They will also be closely monitored throughout the lesson to keep their behavior in check.

Discussion: After reading the story, the class will discuss Jewish culture and the moral of the story.

Assessment/Further Discussion: After the game, students will pick a character from the story and write a short paragraph about what it would be like living a day in their characters shoes.

ADHD Handout

Terms

Sabbath: Saturday. Celebrated as a day of rest. According to the Jewish faith, Jews are not allowed to do any work on the Sabbath.

Kosher: A particular diet that the Jewish culture practices according to ancient laws.

Kvetch: A complaint or a moan. It is also the term given to someone who whines a lot. 

Presentation outline

Summary of book:

            The book is titled My Grandmother’s stories  by Adele Geras. It is a collection of Jewish folk tales as told by a Grandmother to her grandchild. The book itself is narrated from the grandchild’s perspective.  Her grandmother tells her various Jewish folktales, such as “Bavsi’s Feast”, “The Faces of the Czar”, “The Tablecloth”, “The Garden of Talking Flowers”, “The Market of Miseries” and others. Each story has a moral or value it tries to stress, such as the golden rule, cleverness, honesty, fairness, patience, and kindness. Some of the stories also refer to Old Testament characters and themes.

Summary of lesson:

The lesson will begin with a “popcorn” reading of the story. Then I will ask the students to name some elements of the Jewish culture. I will also ask them what they thought the moral of the story was and why they think the moral is important. I will also ask, “What other stories can they think of that stresses the same moral?” and “Why do you think various different cultures stress the same morals?”

            Then I will have the students play a game about respecting others. Then I will ask them what they have learned from the game. Then students will pick a character from the story they just read and write a short paragraph about what it would be like living a day in that character’s shoes.