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LIVESTRONG at School

Print This LessonKindergarten - 2nd Grade Lesson 2: Helping

Summary

In this lesson, students learn about how they can help people who have cancer.

National Academic Standards (Developed by the Mid-Continent Regional Standards - McRel)

Health

  • Knows characteristics needed to be a responsible friend and family member
  • Knows strategies that improve or maintain family health (e.g., how one's personal behavior can affect the behavior and feelings of other family members)

Life Skills

  • Demonstrates appropriate behaviors for relating well with others (e.g., empathy, caring, respect, helping, friendliness, politeness) 

Language Arts

  • Demonstrates competence in speaking and listening as tools for learning

Student Learning Objectives

Students will demonstrate the ability to:

  • Discuss how they can help people who are sick

Resources

On the Site

On Your Own

  • Paper
  • Crayons and Markers

PREPARATION

  1. Read the teacher sheet, "Questions and Answers about Cancer". Use the content as background for the lessons and for answering questions from students.
  2. Print the teacher sheet, "How We Feel around Sick People".

THE LESSON

  1. Remind students that you will be talking about cancer today. To help remind students of what they talked about in the first lesson, ask the following question, and have them go to different sides of the room based on their answers:
    If you think that you can catch cancer from someone who has it, go over here. If you think you can't catch cancer from someone who has it, go over here.
    Reemphasize that cancer is not something that you can catch, that most people who get cancer are older, and that many people can live a long time with and after cancer.
  2. Ask students, "How many of you have ever been sick enough to be lying in bed?" If you can, offer one of your own experiences.
  3. Ask students to think about what people around them, such as their mother, father, siblings, or friends, did to help them feel better. Focus discussions on the following questions:

    "What did the people around you do to try and make you feel better?"
    "Are there foods you like better when you're sick?"
    "Are there special toys or blankets you like to have with you when you're sick?"
    "What types of things make you feel better?"
    "Do you think that other people would like the same things when they are sick?"

  4. Ask students if they have ever done anything to make someone feel better or if they have any ideas of things that they could do for someone who is sick, such as:
    • Talk to them
    • Listen to them
    • Give them special foods
    • Make them comfortable 
    • Make them smile or laugh
    • Just be with them
    • Do something for them that they cannot do
    • Take their mind off them feeling sick 
  5. Have students role play in pairs or small groups. One person should pretend that they are sick, and the other person can offer something they might do to help the person feel better. They can pretend they have something that you can catch or something that you cannot catch.
Check for Understanding
  1. Read aloud the two stories on the "How We Feel around Sick People" teacher sheet.
  2. Use the following questions to guide the discussion

    "What do you think might be wrong in this story?"
    "How does that make you feel? "
    "What do you think you could do or say to help?"

  3. Have students draw pictures of ways that they would help to support Jack or Grandma when they are sick.
  4. Tell students that whenever someone is sick, especially if they are very sick with something like cancer, just knowing that people are thinking about them can help them and give them strength to cope with their illness. Though it may seem like a small thing, support from loved ones can help people to LIVESTRONG.

Extension Activities:  If you would like to emphasize this lesson with students, you can implement the extension activity, "Messages of Support" to help your students provide support to someone in your community.  You can also review the Get Involved booklet to learn more about how your students and your school can become advocates for people affected by cancer by participating in LIVESTRONG events in your community, raising funds for cancer research, accessing information about people living with cancer, or increasing cancer awareness.

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