Dear inspiring teacher,
I came across this quote in the morning:
“What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it…
let it be something good.”
(unknown author)
It deeply resonates not only with my life philosophy but also with the way I teach. Every time I prep a lesson, I want to make sure that it will be:
empowering
fun
fulfilling
Today I would like to share with you a mindful lesson plan for young learners which I created about two months ago. I was inspired by a short video promoting the release of a Japanese- English bilingual picture book, called “Little puddle”. It is written by Kumi Matsuzawa Kobayashi and illustrated by Norm Kohn.
If you love the video as much as my students and I do, check out the lesson plan below.
The Most Beautiful Colour
I. Warm-up activity
Ask the students the following questions:
1. Where do puddles come from?
2. Imagine you were a puddle. What would your life be like?
3. What do you think you would see/hear/smell/touch/taste every day?
II. Watch the video and answer the questions ( see the video above)
1. What did the new-born Puddle shout when he opened his eyes? Why?
2. What did the forest trees whisper?
3. What did the colours look like in his new eyes?
4. What made the puddle look pink?
5. When did the Puddle have beautiful brown fur?
6. Why did the puddle get tiny?
7. Where did the raindrop boy come from?
8. Why do you think he gave a sigh of relief?
9. Where was the rainbow hanging?
10. What was glowing in the orange light of the sunset?
Key:
1. The puddle shouted: "Wow! I have become the sky." because he reflected the sky.
2."The world is much more enormous".
3. The colours looked fresh and brilliant.
4. The blossom made the puddle look pink.
5. When animals came to drink.
6. The sun came.
7. He fell from the sky.
8. He thinks the place is beautiful.
9. It was hanging over some small islands.
10. A small town by the ocean.
III. The most beautiful colour
After checking the students ‘answers, ask them to close their eyes and think about this beautiful colour that the rainbow boy saw when he flew over “this amazing place”. What colour was it? Where did the colour come from?
You can give them some examples, such as “the green fields”, “the blue ocean” or “the red poppies in a meadow”.
Allow them a few minutes to imagine this place. It could be real or imaginary.
IV. Speaking/Drawing
Put the students into pairs and ask them to describe that place. Remind them to involve all the senses- what can you hear/see/smell/touch/taste there. How does the place make them feel? While listening, their partner has to draw it. Then the students swap their roles.
Optional: You could ask the students to write a text describing this amazing place which has the most beautiful colour.
Finally, I would like to share with you one of my students´ stories, which teared me up.
The most beautiful colours
When I flew over Wenchuan, Sichuan province, I saw the most beautiful colours I had ever seen.
I saw red. Red was the colour of the uniforms worn by firefighters. They were rescuing survivors from the earthquake.
I saw orange. Orange was the colour of the vest worn by rescue dogs. They were looking for survivors. As soon as they found one, they barked loudly so that rescuers could come and save them.
I saw white. White was the colour of the coats worn by doctors and nurses. Some people were badly injured in the earthquake. Doctors and nurses saved their lives.
I saw green. Green was the colour of the vest worn by volunteers. Many people's homes were destroyed. They didn't have any food to eat or water to drink. Volunteers were giving them food and water. They were helping people to live.
I also saw blue. Blue was the colour of the tents. People had nowhere to live. Tents were the only shelter they had. "Disaster relief" was written on every tent in white paint. People were safe there.
That's what I saw in Wenchuan. Wenchuan earthquake was a very destructive natural disaster. Many people died. But among those grey ruins, I saw the brightest colours I'd ever seen: the colour of hope and the colour of unity.
I saw the most beautiful colours when my rain cloud flew over this place - Wenchuan.
Sissy Ma, 13, China
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Until we meet again, be blessed
Marusya Price
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