Kindergarten - 2nd Grade Arthur: Taking Action

Summary

Students feel empowered when they engage in small acts of kindness to help someone touched by cancer or another illness. Learning about community service projects and volunteer activities in the fight against cancer inspires and motivates children to make a difference in the world. In this lesson, students listen to and discuss a read-aloud story before watching the ARTHUR episode about cancer, “The Great MacGrady.” After responding to the episode, students create a Kindness Quilt that showcases what each of us can do to reach out to people and families who are coping with cancer.

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

Health:

• knows environmental and external factors that affect individual and community health

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
• demonstrates viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media
• demonstrates the general skills and strategies of the reading process
• demonstrates the general skills and strategies of the writing process

Civics:

• understands the roles of voluntarism and organized groups in American social and political life

STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will demonstrate the ability to

• discuss what it means to be kind to others
• understand what communities can do to support people and families who are coping with cancer

Resources

On the Site:

• Worksheet, "Quilt Square"
• Family Booklet, When Someone You Know Has Cancer
• Teacher Sheet, "How We Feel Around Sick People"
• Teacher Sheet, "Questions and Answers about Cancer"
• Extension Activity: "Messages of Support"

ON YOUR OWN

• Picture book: The Kindness Quilt by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace (Marshall Cavendish, 2006).
• ARTHUR video/DVD: "The Great MacGrady"
• Computer or TV
• Quilt or photograph of a quilt
• Chart paper and markers
• LIVESTRONG wristband(s)
• Crayons, scissors, glue, and tape

PREPARATION

1. You may want to do this lesson in several sessions. Plan out what you will cover in each session.
2. Read the book, The Kindness Quilt.
3. Download and watch “The Great MacGrady” from the video player at pbskids.org/go/video or from iTunes. As you watch, take notes on the different ways the characters help Mrs. MacGrady’s.
4. Print out the Teacher Sheets: “How We Feel Around Sick People,” "Questions and Answers about Cancer," and the Extension Activity, “Messages of Support,” and review the "Get Involved" lesson and booklet.

THE LESSON

Introduce the Theme

1. Display the cover of The Kindness Quilt. If possible, bring in a quilt or a photograph of a quilt to show students. Ask students to tell you how they think a quilt is made and briefly discuss the process.
2. Ask students what they think the word kindness means. Point out acts of kindness that you observe in the classroom each day. Ask students for other examples.
3. Write the words “We can be kind to others” on the top of a large sheet of chart paper and read the statement aloud. Have students brainstorm examples of ways they can be kind to children and to grown-ups in their lives. Ask,
   
   • How can we be kind to people in our family?
   • How can we be kind to other children in our classroom?
   • How can we be kind to teachers and other grown-ups in our school?
   • How can we be kind to children and grown-ups in our neighborhood?
     
4. Read aloud The Kindness Quilt. Be sure to read all the print in the artwork. As you read, pause occasionally to encourage students to make connections to their own lives. Ask, Have you ever picked up the trash like Minna? Have you ever helped a younger sister or brother or friend?
5. After reading, show and read some of the quilt squares displayed in the last few pages of the book. Continue to encourage personal connections: Have you ever helped a friend who got hurt? Have you ever sent someone a get-well card?

View and Respond

6. Tell students they are going to watch an ARTHUR episode called “The Great MacGrady.” Before watching, talk about the ARTHUR TV series. Do students watch the show? Who are some of their favorite characters? In this episode, Arthur and his friends learn that Mrs. MacGrady, everybody’s favorite lunch lady at Lakewood Elementary School, has cancer. Set a viewing focus: Ask students to notice the kind acts Arthur and his friends do to help Mrs. MacGrady when she is sick.
7. As you watch, ask students to raise their hands when they see a character do a kind act to help Mrs. MacGrady. At the end of the story, pause the video and ask students to recall some of the kind acts Arthur and his friends did to help Mrs. MacGrady (for example, bring her food, make her smile and laugh, knit a scarf, help with the gardening, organize a bike race to raise money). Add students’ responses to the “We can be kind to others” chart.
8. Tell students they are about to see how a real classroom helps out when students find out their principal has cancer. Resume the video and watch the life-action segment that features actual students at the Mason-Rice Elementary School and their principal, Mr. Springer, a cancer survivor.
9. After viewing, ask open-ended questions that encourage students to express their thoughts and feelings about the ARTHUR story and the interstitial and to make connections to their own experiences. Here are some questions you might ask:
   • What did you learn about cancer from the show? Do you have any questions about cancer? (You may want to refer to the Teacher Sheet, “Questions and Answers about Cancer.”)
   • Mrs. MacGrady’s sister says that Arthur, D.W., and Muffy can be part of Mrs. MacGrady’s support team. What is a support team? What do you think you might do if you were part of Mrs. MacGrady’s support team?
   • Who is Lance Armstrong (in the video)? How is he kind to Francine and the other children? How is he kind to people who have cancer?
   • What did the students at Mason-Rice Elementary School do to help their principal, Mr. Springer, when he got cancer? How did wearing caps to school help Mr. Springer?
10. Show students a LIVESTRONG wristband. Talk about what the wristbands mean and how wearing them helps people with cancer feel strong and supported, just like wearing hats helped Mr. Springer.
11. Ask students, Does the show give you ideas about things you could do to help someone you know who has cancer or another illness?
12. Invite students create their own Kindness Quilt. Organize students into groups of four. Provide each student with a “quilt square,” and each group with colorful paper, scissors, markers, crayons, and glue. Have students in each group draw and write in their squares one thing they would like to do to be kind to someone who is sick with cancer or another serious illness in your community. (Depending on the circumstances, students can also choose to dedicate their quilt to Mrs. MacGrady.) Younger students can dictate their statement. Help each group tape or glue their squares together. Then tape all the squares together to form a large quilt. For ideas about sharing the Kindness Quilt with a larger audience, see the extension activity below.

Check for Understanding

13. Read aloud the two stories on the Teacher Sheet, “How We Feel Around Sick People.”
14. Use the following questions to guide the discussion. Students can refer to their Kindness Quilt for ideas.
    • What is happening in the story?
    • How do you feel about (your friend/your grandma) being sick?
    • What could you do or say to be kind and to help?

Extension Activities: You may want to try the extension activity, "Messages of Support," which encourages students to write and draw letters of support for individuals affected by cancer in their community. Students can also present and talk about their Kindness Quilt at a school-wide assembly as part of cancer awareness initiative. After the assembly, you can prominently display the quilt and invite other classes to add their own square to help the quilt grow. Or you might partner with an older class to create a cancer awareness exhibit for your school library, local library, or other community venue. The display could feature the Kindness Quilt, along with informational posters about cancer risk and prevention created by the older students.

You can also review the "Get Involved" Booklet and the "LIVESTRONG" lesson 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.

This lesson was developed by the WGBH Educational Foundation. Arthur is produced by WGBH Boston and Cookie Jar Entertainment, Inc. Funding for Arthur is provided by public television viewers. Corporate funding is provided by Chuck E. Cheese’s®. All characters and underlying materials (including artwork) copyright by Marc Brown. Arthur, D.W., and the other Marc Brown characters are trademarks of Marc Brown.