SAFETY NET FOR ELDERLY SATYA BHARTI SCHOOL, RAJASTHAN, INDIA

Arts and Crafts

CONTENT

Arts and Crafts

Use of different mediums for expression

Character

Attitude of gratitude

Global Goal

Skill

Creative Thinking

Age Group

9-10 years / Grade 4

Learning Standards

Knows how different media (e.g., oil, watercolor, stone, metal), techniques, and processes are used to communicate ideas, experiences, and stories (McREL Visual Arts, Std. 1, Level II, 3)

Prerequisite

None

LEARNING GOAL & PURPOSE

This is an inspiring story of children reaching out to their grandparents through storytelling. Loneliness amongst senior citizens is a pervasive malaise. To combat this, children from Satya Bharti School in Rajasthan,  India decided to regularly meet with their grandparents, listen to their stories and note them down. They would then come back to school and share these stories with their classmates. The storytelling sessions reinvigorated the elders in the community and they became more involved in the school, finding meaning in sharing their stories. From the collection, the students set up a small library of stories to share with all.

Lesson Plan

  • Hook: Show the video to students.
  • The teacher can direct the conversation towards love and care for the elderly. She can suggest that students make gratitude cards for the elderly or for anybody else. For example, in 2011, students at APL Global School in Tamil Nadu made cards for every child to feel special in their class to combat bullying; while, in 2012, students at Jiangong Elementary School in Taipei distributed cards to their families to spread happiness.
  • OR students can express their feelings of gratitude towards the chosen people through art, in any medium. 
  • OR The teacher can direct the conversation towards recalling stories that the children know of already. They can create puppets, models, illustrations or comic strips, or even portray through dance or enactment, to tell their stories to an audience. This audience can comprise of younger students, support staff, or even grandparents. For example, in 2014, students at SAI International School in Orissa created a Sensory Wall Storybook for visually impaired people with the story of Goldilocks. Such a gratitude project can take a few sessions to do.