The Summer My Father was Ten – Activity #4: “Crumpled Feelings”
Activity #4: “Crumpled Feelings”
The purpose of this lesson is to demonstrate how disrespectful words and actions can hurt a person deeply on the inside and can have a lasting effect.
Materials:
- Sheet of red tissue paper
- Heart-shaped writing sheet provided
- Red construction paper
Teacher Preparation:
- Cut tissue paper into a heart shape that is about 12 inch diameter
- Print one heart-shaped writing sheet per student.
Step by Step:
Step One: Discuss with students how feelings cannot be seen on the outside like a cut or a visible injury. For example, a person may be feeling very sad inside but others cannot see this emotion on the outside. Ask students if they have ever had a feeling like this inside. Emphasize that this ‘hurt’ on the inside is just as bad as a cut or injury seen on the outside.
Step Two: Teacher holds up the tissue paper heart and says, “Let’s imagine this is your heart.” Teacher crumples one corner section of the heart. Teacher then says, “Pretend this is what happens when you call someone names.” Teacher crumples another corner section. Teacher then says, “Pretend this is what happens when you exclude them.” Teacher crumples the bottom point of the heart. Teacher says: “Pretend this is what happens when you physically harm them.” Teacher crumples the middle section. Teacher then says, “Pretend this is what happens when you embarrass them.”
Step Three: Have the students observe the crumpled tissue paper heart. Stop and reflect. Ask the students, “What is different about this tissue paper heart from when we observed it at the beginning of the lesson.
Step Four: Ask the students, “What would have to happen to make it smooth again?” Teacher draws out positive strategies to rectify each scenario situation that was used to crumple the heart. “What would have to happen to ensure it remained smooth?”
Step Five: As students provide strategies or ideas, the teacher uses his/her hand to smooth the paper with the idea that it is difficult to get it to return to its original condition.
Step Six: Emphasize that forming respectful and responsible habits each day, all the time, is key to everyone being positive, contributing members of the classroom and community.
Step Seven: Hand out heart-shaped writing sheets to student. Have the student think of an idea to complete each of the sentence frames on the writing sheet.
Step Eight: Cut out heart-shape on the writing sheet and glue on red construction paper. Cut the red paper around the white heart leaving a 1 inch border.
End Product:
Display on a bulletin board, the hearts that include student ideas about the importance of being responsible and respectful on a daily basis. All the time and everywhere!
2 - Summer Father #4