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Support System

Lesson 3

PERSEVERANCE Mat Weaving

Learning Goals

  1. I can identify people in my support system.
Preparation:
  • Think of a time when you waited for something and it was successful. You will share this in Step 5.
  • Make 2 mats using the mat making template. One should be well made. The other should be sloppily made.
  • To make the activity move faster and smoother, cut the lines on the second page of the template (the page where the lines do NOT cut to the end) before the lesson.
    • For pupils under 5, consider doing almost all of the cutting in advance –have pupils cut just one or two strips for the mat.
Materials:
  • Perseverance magazine: The Crab-Eating Prince [Dowload]
  • Mat making template [Dowload]
  • Child-safe scissors
  • Glue
  • Example of a good mat from the template
  • Example of a bad mat from the template
  • Crayons/markers for decorating the mats
  • Paper and markers/crayons for making invitations for the festival special guests
Note:
Keep the mats at the school until the perseverance festival for presentation.
Procedures
Step 1 (5 min): Review
Guide Give pupils a few minutes to look at their bean seeds. Then have them sit down.
Ask
  1. What is the character strength that we have been learning about?
    2. Perseverance
  2. What does perseverance mean?
    3. Choose to keep trying, even when there are challenges
  3. What have you learned about perseverance so far?
    4. Let a few pupils share
  4. Have you been persevering in watering your seed?
    5. Yes
  5. What do you observe about your bean seeds?
    6. Let a few pupils share
  6. Are you going to keep persevering – keep choosing to water your bean seed?
    7. Yes
Write
and
Read		 Write the I-Can statement on the board.

Read the I-Can statement as the goal of what you will accomplish today.
Step 2 (5 min). Perseverance Song
Guide Guide pupils in singing the Perseverance Song.

Perseverance
Perseverance
If you don’t persevere
You won’t succeed
Be patient and determined
Be patient and determined
You will be great
You will be great
Step 3 (5 min). Introduction
Ask What is your favourite food?
Let many pupils respond

Pick one of the more challenging favourite foods to make that the children mentioned (e.g., masa). Then ask:
  1. How can you get that food?
    2. Emphasize that the food cannot be obtained immediately or easily, so patience is required.
  2. We are going to read a story about a prince who was about to be coronated. What does the word coronation mean?
    3. A ceremony where a crown is placed on the head of a new king to show that he is now officially the king
  3. In our story, on the morning that the prince was to be coronated – he was going to be crowned king – he was very hungry! Have you ever been hungry, but Mummy said you could not eat? What happened?
    4. Let a few pupils share.
Explain In the story we are going to read, the prince who was about to be crowned king was hungry for his favourite food, crabs. There was going to be a crab feast after the coronation ceremony, but he did not persevere until the feast was ready. Do you want to find out what the prince did and what happened? Let’s read the story.
Step 4 (5 min). Read Alákàn tó ń jẹ ọmọ ọba (The Crab-Eating Prince)
Share Share the magazine.
Read Read aloud Alákàn tó ń jẹ ọmọ ọba (The Crab-Eating Prince).
Step 5 (5 min). Comprehension Questions
Ask
  1. What was the prince’s favourite food?
    2. Crab
  2. What was going to happen to the prince on the day of the story?
    3. Prince was going to be crowned as king
  3. Was he supposed to eat his favourite food before the coronation ceremony?
    4. No
  4. Why not?
    5. He was supposed to fast before the ceremony
  5. What was going to happen after the coronation ceremony?
    6. There would be a feast of crabs
  6. Did the prince wait until after the coronation ceremony to eat the crabs?
    7. No
  7. What did he do instead?
    8. Went hunting for crabs
  8. Did the prince find a crab hole?
    9. Yes
  9. What happened when the prince reached his hand inside the crab hole?
    10. A snake was inside and bit him
  10. Did the prince end up becoming a king?
    11. No
  11. Why not?
    12. They could not find him, so they crowned his brother as prince instead
  12. Did the prince show perseverance?
    13. No
  13. The prince was about to be crowned king. But what challenge did he face?
    14. He was hungry for his favourite food
  14. Did he set his mind to endure until the feast to eat crabs?
    15. No
  15. Because the prince did not persevere, what happened to him?
    16. He got bit by a snake/He lost his throne
Explain Perseverance oftentimes requires patience. We have to wait for something to happen. The prince was not willing to wait to the feast to eat crabs, and he suffered the pain of a snake bite and lost his throne because he was not patient.

Share a time when you waited and persevered.
Step 6 (10 min). Introduction to Mat Making
Ask
  1. What is a mat?
    2. Let a few pupils respond
  2. What is a mat used for?
    3. Sit on, Sleep on, etc.
  3. What materials can people use to make a mat?
    4. Palm, Grasses, Etc.
Read Read page 2 of the magazine, Mat Making.
Ask What does it take to make a mat?
Show a seed.
Present The two example mats.
Ask
  1. Which mat do you prefer? Why?
    2. Let a few pupils respond.
  2. Why do you not like this other mat?
    3. Let a few pupils respond.
  3. Which mat do you think is made by a person who persevered? Why?
    4. The nice mat. It looks better.
Explain Now we are each going to make a mat. It is not going to be easy. But with patience and perseverance, you will succeed and make a beautiful mat.
Step 7 (30 min). Mat Making
Demonstrate Demonstrate how to cut along the lines of the first page of the mat making template.
Guide Share the first mat making template and scissors. Let pupils cut the strips. Give guidance and support as needed.
Demonstrate Demonstrate how to weave the strips through the mat.
Guide Share the second page of the mat template that has already been cut. Let pupils weave their strips into the mat. Give guidance and support as needed.
Demonstrate Demonstrate how to glue down the ends of the strips.
Guide Share the glue. Let pupils glue the ends of the mat. Give guidance and support as needed.
Guide As time allows, let pupils decorate their mat with colours and/or drawings, especially as related to perseverance. Encourage pupils to write the word “Perseverance” on the mat.
Ask
  1. Did you persevere in making your mat? Show me a thumbs-up if you persevered.
    2. Let pupils show their thumbs
  2. Were you able to make the mat all by yourself, or did you need help? If you needed help in making your mat, stand up.
    3. If any pupils remain sitting, gently ask them if they really did everything by themselves. Help them to see that they needed assistance.
Explain Making a mat is not easy, especially if it is your first time. We all needed help when making our mats. When we persevere, sometimes we need other people to help us.

Let’s make the Pam Perseverance signal to congratulate ourselves in persevering to make our mats!
Step 8 (10 min). Direct Instruction
Explain In our story Alákàn tó ń jẹ ọmọ ọba – the Crab-Eating prince, the prince had advisors who warned him not to eat crab before the coronation ceremony, but he did not listen. The advisors were his support system – people who can help you persevere. Pam Perseverance wants to teach us more about what a support system is and who can be in our support system.
Guide Have pupils turn to page 3 of their magazine. Read aloud as pupils follow along.
Ask
  1. What is a support system?
    2. People who can help you persevere
  2. If you are struggling, what should you do?
    3. Tell someone in your support system. Ask them to help you
Explain Let’s learn more about what perseverance means.
Ask Who is someone you think might be in your support system?
Let a few pupils respond
Explain When you do the Home Connection activity, you will talk to your parent or loved one about who should be in your support system. Together, you can decide the most important people in your support system.
Step 9 (5 min). Conclusion
Ask
  1. Today we made mats. How did you feel while making your mat?
    2. Let a few pupils share
  2. What challenges did you face when you were making your mat?
    3. Let a few pupils respond.
  3. Did you need a support system to help you complete your mat?
    4. Yes
  4. Who was in your support system?
    5. Teacher, assistant, mates, etc.
  5. Did you persevere to completing your mat?
    6. Let a few pupils respond.
  6. How do you feel now that you have persevered and completed your mat?
    7. Let a few pupils respond.
  7. What does support system mean?
    8. People who can help you persevere
  8. Our I-Can statement for today is I can identify people in my support system. Can you identify people in your support system? Show me your thumbs.
    9. Let pupils show their thumbs
  9. Who are people in your support system?
    10. Call on people who showed a thumbs-up
  10. What did you learn about perseverance today?
    11. Let a few pupils share
Step 10 (30 min). Preparing for Perseverance Festival
Note: When preparing for the cultural festival, make an effort to get everyone involved, especially pupils who may not be the best behaved or most involved in the classroom.
Explain We have learned a lot about perseverance. We have learned and grown in our character. Any time we do something well, we should celebrate it! So we are going to have a festival to celebrate what we have learned about perseverance next week in class.

First, we have to decide who we will invite to our festival.
Ask Who should we invite as special guests to our festival?
Let pupils consider who to invite, maybe administrators, other teachers or staff in the school, parents, etc.
Explain In a festival, different people have different roles. We are now going to assign roles. Everybody will participate in the traditional festival in some way.
Assign pupils to the following.
  • National Anthem (Optional). Select one child to lead in singing the national anthem.
  • Speech. Select one pupil to write a speech entitled: What I learned about Perseverance. They should begin writing the speech during the preparatory time, and the teacher can give feedback before the festival. Have the pupil conclude the speech by leading the Pam Perseverance signal.
  • Drama. Select three (or more) pupils to create a Support System Drama. Two pupils will be the actors, the other(s) will be “directors” who help the actors practice and perfect the drama. The general idea of the drama is that one child tries reading their book but it is hard, so they ask someone in their support system to help – either a teacher, older sibling, or other
  • Speech about Perseverance and Seed Planting. Select one pupil to give a brief speech about how they persevered in watering their bean seed. Encourage them to write out what they will say.
  • Speech about Mat Making. Select one pupil to give a brief speech about how mat making shows perseverance. Encourage them to write out what they will say.
  • Share bean plant. Select about 3 pupils to show their bean seeds to the others in the audience during the march pass.
  • Share Mats. Select about 5 pupils to show their mats to the others in the audience during a march pass.
  • Choir Master. Select one pupil to lead the singing of the perseverance song
  • Vote of Thanks. Select one pupil to give the vote of thanks. Encourage them to write out what they will say.
  • Create Invitations. Have some pupils write/colour invitations to give to the invited guests with the date, time, and venue of the celebration.
Printable version of Support System Lesson [Download]