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2 Lesson plan 1: Families We are going to learn about elephants and how they interact as a herd and compare them to human families, thinking about their life cycle, from when a calf is born, to when an elderly elephant dies. Background information Explain that elephants are very social animals, can show emotions, and develop strong family bonds, just like humans. In the wild, elephants live in family groups called herds. They move as a herd to find the best watering holes and to find food. Calves spend most of their time with the herd / family and are dependent on their mothers for years,
3 What do you know about elephants?African Elephants Video Together, list what the class already knows about elephants, then watch this video clip (on the next slide) and add new information learnt to the list: https://youtu.be/4F4g5w-8JJI Or, provide the opportunity for students to research information online and find their own relevant video clips / information.
4 Link to video https://youtu.be/4F4g5w-8JJI
5 The similarities and differences between human families and elephant herdsHumans Elephants Information - The similarities and differences between human families and elephant herds Elephant families gather at watering holes and spend time socialising and communicating. Elephants show joy by gently touching trunks, entwining their trunks together and flapping their ears. They “talk” using very deep, low rumbling sounds and, if annoyed, make loud screeching noises! Discussion What do you think elephants do when they meet each other? What similarities and differences can you think of in the social behaviours of elephants and humans? OR Discuss the students’ answers to these questions or the students’ research findings.
6 This is the story of an elephant herd that comes across the bones of a dead elephant.Having watched the video, what is your understanding of grieving and what it means? Video clip - Elephants grieving When an elephant dies, the rest of the herd demonstrate grieving behaviours. They show this by gathering around the body of the elephant, appearing unwilling to leave it. They do this with what appears to be great care and concern for the dead elephant. Stop the video at 00:02:34: https://youtu.be/C5RiHTSXK2A
7 Reactions to grief How do you feel about how the elephants reacted when they saw the elephant carcass? How might people react when someone significant in their lives dies? E.g. someone in their extended family, a famous person they admire, or a pet. Discussion about how people react to grief. They can write some of their thoughts down in their class book or on paper. This will help with activity 1 (next slide).
8 Activity 1: Reactions to grief worksheetDivide the class into four groups and give each group a different heading from the worksheet: Emotional (feelings), Physical (sensations), Cognitive (thoughts), Behavioural. Look at the reactions given on the worksheet and attempt to categorise them by writing the reactions in the correct box. Extension: Students could add some of their ideas (previous answers) or new ideas and share their group’s ideas with the class. Answers-on next slide
9 Abnormal eating patterns Restlessness Difficulty sleeping Anxiety Fear Anger Guilt Relief Loneliness Over-sensitivity Yearning Helplessness Abnormal eating patterns Restlessness Difficulty sleeping Social withdrawal Shock Numbness Hollowness in stomach Tightness in chest Tight throat Dry mouth Weakness Breathlessness Fatigue Disbelief Confusion Absent mindedness Imagining things Discussion: ‘Emotional (feelings)’; ‘Physical (sensations)’; ‘Cognitive (thoughts)’; and ‘Behavioural’. Explain to students that all elephants and people react in different ways, that there is no right or wrong way to grieve. Question: Did they find it difficult to separate out the reactions into these separate headings?
10 Activity 2 Suggestions When someone has been bereaved, what do other people do to try to help? Note which might be more helpful or less helpful Activity 2: Elephant suggestions worksheet 1) What is helpful? Ask the students if their friend was grieving, what do they think might help them? 2) Hand out the Elephant suggestions worksheet for students to work on, on their own or in pairs. Student group work - Discussion: 1) Ask students to fill in the elephant suggestions worksheet, identifying things people often do to try and help when someone has been bereaved. 2) Ask the students to identify which things they think might be more helpful and which might be less helpful. Lesson conclusion It helps to recognise that grief can cause complicated and conflicting emotions. We are all different and when someone dies we can feel differently and react in different ways. The best way to support someone who is bereaved is to continue to be a good friend, if that’s what you are to them. If you are not sure how to help a friend, ask an adult, there are people in school who will listen.
11 Lesson Conclusion Sometimes it is difficult to decide if a suggestion is helpful or not because we are all different and what helps one person might not help another. How we feel can change over time and this is completely normal. You can ask the class what they have learnt from the lesson (Lesson Conclusion).
12 Extension activity 1 - Research taskThink about a famous person who has died recently, such as an actor, sports personality or entertainer. Research how the death has been reported in the media and online. Consider: • What was the media reaction? • Was the reporting fair? • How do you think the family might have felt about the way it was reported? Extension Activity 1 This can be done individually or in small groups.
13 Extension activity 2 - Group activityWrite down any emotions you have experienced yourselves or have seen in others Extension Activity 2 This can be done in small groups with each group working on a different category (appropriate to students’ needs and abilities). Feedback can be undertaken as a whole class activity. Add the student suggestions to the board/slide.
14 Extension activity 3 - DiscussionSometimes people find out about a death of someone they have known personally through social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter. What do you think about finding out this way? If you were sending a message via social media to a bereaved friend, what would you say? What do you think should be done with social media profile accounts when someone has died? Do you think families should have access to social media accounts of family members who have died? What might be the benefits of this and what might be less helpful? Extension Activity 3 – Discussion groups, whole class activity or homework
15 Lesson plan 2: Memories IntroductionTell the class that they are going to think about the importance of memories, for elephants as well as for people. When a person dies, even though we don’t see them anymore, we still have memories of them.
16 Activity 1: Quiz Activity 1 - elephant quiz worksheet 10Recap learning from lesson 1 with an elephant quiz.
17 Answers: 1. African elephants are heavier, taller, have larger ears and wrinklier skin. 2. Flap their ears to create a gentle breeze; squirt water over each other; roll in mud to protect their skin from the sun. 3. 6 tons (5,443 kg). To put that into perspective, a school bus weighs 7 tons, without students! litres. (A bath full!) Elephants drink from waterholes, natural depressions in the land where rain water gathers. Elephants don’t drink with their trunks but use them as a tool to drink with. This is accomplished by filling the trunk with water then using it as a hose to pour it into the mouth. 5. Hannibal. He is considered to be one of history’s greatest military commanders. By the time he reached northern Italy only half of his troops had survived and he had lost one of his own eyes and all except one of his elephants! 6. Elephants are herbivores and will eat almost any vegetation, from shrubs and bushes to fruits and flowers. Elephants can spend as many as 18 hours a day foraging for food and water, consuming 150 to 350kg a day! 7. True. Did you know, elephants are the only mammals that can’t jump?! 8. Yes. Elephants swim with their heads above water and their mouths below, and they use all four limbs as paddles. They use their trunk as a snorkel! 9. Elephants comfort each other by gently touching trunks or wrapping their trunks together. 10. The average life span is 60 years. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the oldest elephant was called Lin Wang, who lived to 86 years of age. Correct the answers to the quiz.
18 An elephant never forgetsWhat have you never forgotten? What would it be like if you woke up one morning and had no memory of any of your family members? How important do you think memories are? How might you remember someone who has died? What might help you to grieve? Discussion – They say ‘an elephant never forgets’. There is anecdotal evidence of this. People who work with elephants have observed that they have very long memories.
19 Functional Emotional Survival Activity 2 -Discussion - MemoriesMemories can be categorised as: Functional - Remembering where you left your PE kit Emotional - Remembering something frightening that happened or how you felt on your first day of secondary school Survival - Remembering to put your seatbelt on in the car It is helpful if the teacher brings their own experiences to the discussion. Share a memory of a significant person who has died and show a memento, such as a photograph or keepsake. Share something you remember about the person and a memory that is both happy and sad. Activity: Ask students to draw three columns titled ‘Functional’, ‘Emotional’, and ‘Survival’. In pairs, ask students to come up with a couple of memories that might fit in each category. Add to the board/slide. How do each of these different types of memories help us in life? Would anyone in the class like to share a memory of a significant person who has died, maybe someone famous or someone they admired?
20 Activity 3: Creative writing (story)Read the illustrated story book for younger children, The Day the Sea Went Out and Never Came Back by Margot Sunderland (2003). If you have more copies give out to the students to read and analyse. Buy the book or download.
21 Activity 3: Creative writing (story)What is the core message of the story and what is it trying to teach you about death and memories? Why do you think the author chose to write about animals, rather than humans? What do you think about the illustrations? How do they help? If you were to write a book that conveys the same message, would you use illustrations and what type of characters would you write about? Discuss the questions on the slide.
22 Creative Writing (Poem) You Were Never a BurdenDiscuss: What is the message of this poem and how did the poem make you feel? How might writing a poem help someone who is grieving? Try writing your own poem about someone who has died, or a difficult time that you have had that has made you feel sad. NB This poem makes reference to Heaven. You may choose to use a different poem, or use this poem to open up a discussion about different faiths and belief systems. Lesson conclusion Written by Josephine, aged 14, who was supported by CBUK after her father died.
23 Lesson Conclusion Memories play an important part in grief. Although memories can sometimes be painful, they can also be happy and it can help to remember the person that has died, rather than trying to forget them. You can ask the class what they have learnt from the lesson (Lesson Conclusion).
24 Extension activity 1 – Memory pictureCreate a memory picture that represents someone significant to you who has died. This could be someone you know, or someone you know of and admired, like a favourite sports person or musician. You can use Google to research celebrities who have died recently (if you cannot think of someone you would like to commemorate). You could also use Google Images to search for pictures that represent the person who has died; their likes, passions, achievements. Extension activity 1 – Memory picture Pictures could be either be printed off and cut out for a collage, or used as inspiration for a drawing.
25 Extension activity 2 Memory treeThink about person (or pet) you want to remember, the memories you have of them and time you spent together. 1. Trace a line around your hand on coloured paper and cut out. 2. Write the name of the person or pet on the palm and one memory of that person on each of the fingers. Extension activity 2 – Memory tree All the hand drawings are combined on a large sheet of paper or table and laid out as leaves on a big tree. If a student does not want the class to read what they have written on their leaf, theirs can be displayed upside-down.