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Discussion Questions:
-Why did the fence stretch through town? -What does the fence symbolize? -Why was it safe for Annie to climb over to Clover's side of the fence? (Why wasn't it safe for Clover to climb over to Annie's side?) -How did this story make you feel? (How would you feel if you were forced to be divided?) -What are some ways we can treat each other with love and respect? How can you be a friend? (How can we take a stand against injustices?) Mini-lesson/Activity Suggestions:
-"What if" Scenarios- students work in groups to collaborate with each other on ideas to answer what they would do/how they would respond if they were in suggested situations teacher gives/writes on board. Examples: What if... -you were told that a friend of yours wasn't invited to a party because of their skin color? -you heard someone say something mean to another classmate because they looked different? (Looking for students to understand how they can communicate/use their voices to resolve conflicts, especially in addressing racism or racial conflicts. Connection to Social Studies) -Thinking Stem Worksheets- After students have read the story and been given prompts addressing racial conflicts, they write sentences that begin with the following starters to respond with their thinking/ideas: "I feel..." "I hope..." "An idea I have is..." They must also use "because" or "so" to describe their thinking. Example: “I feel… frustrated that people were ever separated because it’s not fair or right.” “I hope… we can come together in love and respect so that no one will be treated unfairly.” “An idea I have is… we can be kind to one another so that friends won’t be left out for being different. or... we can celebrate what makes us unique and different so we can come together and be united.” (Connection to History) |
Discussion Questions:
-What makes Van special? (Why is he able to notice so much so well?) -How do you think it feels to have trouble fully hearing what's happening around you? (How does this make Van so observant?) -What makes this story unique? (How is it different to what could happen in real life? How is it fantasy-fiction?) -Why do you think the little girl was suspicious of Van taking notice to her? -How do you think a wish could hold too much power? Mini-lesson/Activity Suggestions:
-Students can read from given dialogue and work in small groups to perform and act out what happens in parts of the story to the rest of the class. (Connection to Theatre/Drama) Class can work on vocabulary/defining meaning of words in the story to better understand or learn them through having to know how they should be acting out dialogue through this exercise. -Students connect to sensory imagery in the story by listening to recordings of what noises sound like to people with hearing aids or hearing loss. This will help them gain understanding of how it feels to be hearing impaired, like the main character, Van. They'll be able to empathize and better connect to those with differences. This will spark further class discussions on the topic as well. (Connection to Science) |