Parents, principals and teachers ‘What are values? Values are the belief by which people steer themselves chrough life—they are the basis of our decisions and choices because they are bor ofthe craving for happiness that lies deep within ‘very human heart. ‘Then and now... In the old days, our elders could pass ‘on their values to us withour too much external competition. Now, the family lives ina state of siege. Right within ‘our homes, we have powerful purveyors of values—the TV, video and Internet and several kinds of magazines—that are exceedingly difficule co counteract. That is why itis important that we monitor the values to which our children are expoved and guide chem in developing their values. “This will make them fulfilled ancl happy and enable them co make others happy. In the long run, isn chat what “Therefore, let usenterinto thisexperience with ourehildeen| Our children face the world with an. Wectious cathusiasm, Let uy encouray ‘What is happiness? Whether our values will lead us to true happiness depends upon whar our interpretation of happiness is. we see happiness as material succes, instant ratification, che best electronic gadgets in town, prestige before the neighbours and so on, then the values we live by will be those. Ion the other hand, happiness for us li in relationships of kindness and ‘human dignity, in peace of soul and freedom and loyalty. then obviously those will be the values we pursue. As adults. we know only too well which of these ewo sets ‘of values will bring us real happiness—but do ourchildren? Let us not evade! So, lee us not evade our responsibility co give our children an education founded on values. This is our contribution to the future ofthe nat wr something tobe afraid of, bh rather something t be tackled with zeal rcatest impact if youngaters find Values have the them being lived out by adults whom they like and respect, Remember abso that parents and teachers who are happs, joi andl free are more likely to final young people receptive spititot hopeand conviction. and stimulate them to build a nation where all persons are truly free because they are truly happyFor the pupils Have you read the title of this book, We are the World? Does it make you feel good? We hope so, for that is what this book is all about. We believe that when you feel good about yourself, you become free to out to share your good fecling feel good about others too, and so you re swith chem, co share happiness. This book will help you to do this. So use ic well, enjoy it, and may your happiness grow each year. What the symbols in your book mean: Keyin ey Work by yourself—don't talk! ‘Work together in small groups Share what you think with yo friends, Pass-it-on oN Show your group work to the whole class. Talk to your teacher and fii about what each group did Share-it-around AO® Talk-it-over Think-it-through Sit quietly by yourself! Think about the lesson and what you would like wo do — don’t talk Fakeanin Ik co God about what vou todo. Liscen to Hun: He pt have a message tor you Cony ie thiouph hrouyh Alter the lesson is aver you m > @ & & like to dle something detinaesFrom the authors Some belief at she heart of this approach... We beli es % chat every child has the right to experience those great human values of freedom, justice, sincerity and love as she/he grows to maturiey; F thatevery child has che right to be happy; © that every child has the right to be introduced to the spiritual element in her/his nature, which transcends the narrow barriers of religious and communal considerations; ‘that every child has the right to be reared in that spirit of love, concern and tolerance which is his/her inheritance; ® that every child has the right to be prepared to make her/his contribution to the service of the nation. and some hopes... ‘We hope that schools that use these books: z z will sce value education as a vital component of their curriculum: will take a close look at the valucs inherent in their atmosphere, and adape these to the needs of the situation; will seek to build up a core team of value education teachers prepared to work together; will see the usefulness of allowing experimentation with regard to duration, plac and time of day for their value education classes until norms best suited to their genuine constraints are Laid downs will believe that “it ean be donContents 1. Alook at yourself [ES Set evaluation 2. The highest bid Seltvealsation 3. Yesterday, today, tomorrow FE Si Growing wp 4. Snap decisions My values Think again! Decision-making 6. A meeting point Family relationships . Why should I do that? Arttude towards authority The outsider Including others 9. Isso boring! 10. The written word. Understanding the scriptures 11. Footprints in the sand Spirtual secnty 12, Beyond the world of reason Trot and tat 13. Let my country awake 14. Being an Indian 15, All people are equal, but weignore DIE aSpend some time examining your attitude and behaviour—at school, at home and outside. For cach of the items listed below, grade yourself on a scale of 0-10 depending on how hard you are trying. (This exercise is not about grades or medals but about level of involvement.) For example, if you feel that you study regularly; but you could try harder, give yourself'a grade of, say, 6 Be honest! y At school Studies b+ 0 5 10 Sports {$+ 0 5 10House or team activities Extra-curricular activities (dram: tics, debates and so on) Classroom duties -——_+— 0 Dy School duties (even when not participacing in an event) 10 loHelping your parents { 0 5 10 Helping your brothers and sisters 0 5 10 Helping with cleaning and tidying up ° 5 lo ite aes Helping someone in need pf 0 5 + woBeing courteous to strangers Now answer the following questions: © Have you avery low rating anywhere? Where? What are the reasons for your low rating? Would you like to change any of your aetitudes? If so, where would you like to start? Show the other members of your group how you have graded yourself and let your group ceact to this, They may modity or confirm, more positively, your judgement of yourself Abo, examine, with the help of your tends, areas where you need to change and decide how you can dothi, Hop cach member at your y 4, sup todo thead Choose one person from your group to put together the general ratings of your group and read it out to the rest of your class. Help your teacher grade, on the board, the ratings of everyone in your class. Now discuss, with your teacher and friends, responses to the following questions: © What are the areas in which many students in class have a low rating? + What are the possible reasons for the low ratings? * Do you think that the ratings of the class in general have been honest? © What obstacles would you face as individuals/as a class if you wish to improve your low ratings? What qualities would you need to help you to change? Now, spend some time in silence considering, all that has been said. Write down the important points in the space below.8 Read the following quotation. For every tree can be told by its fruit. | Holy Bible Light a lamp and play some quiet music to create an atmosphere of peace where God can be heard. Then read aloud what contribution you would like to make to help the class improve. ‘As each one reads his/her prayer, the others can pray silently for strength for that person to keep his/her promise. In which areas would you like to change? abe Specify one or two only and write these in the ‘steps’ below.CCC CCC re rer eererereeeeessoneee Today, you will have an auction in class. Your teacher will be the auctioneer, and all of you can bid for the items mentioned below, Items on auction A free excursion around the world . The Mr India/Miss India ticle . An opportunity to work at a healeh v » camp for a month One very sincere friendship 5. A chance to represent your school /state in athletics. . A fully furnished house in a posh locality A one-year pass from a popular fast food place 8. An awareness in prayer of God's presence 9. Forgiveness for your mistakes +Imagine you have % 1000 in hand. You can use this money to bid for any three items. Take five minutes to study the list carefully and decide on the ones you want most. Now, decide how much money you are willing to spend on cach item. Remember, you have only & 1000 to spend in total. In the space below, write down why you have chosen each item and the price you are willing to pay for it. Price you will Reason for etn pay choice Your teacher will stare the auction. Gee ready to bid for what you want. Here are the rules for the auction: The auctioneer calls out the name of the item and the starting ‘bid’ based on the value of the item. «The bidders call out the amount they are willing to pay for the item. «The bidders cannot bid beyond the limit they have set themselves for each item, but they can buy the item fora lower price.# The item is sold to the highest bidder. + No whispering, talking or fighting is allowed among the bidders, # The auctioncer’s decision is final When the auction is over, spend a few minutes 0 note down, in the table below, any item that you have been successful in buying and your feelings now on possessing it If you have not been successful, note down how you feel about the loss. Successful or not Item Feelings With the other inembers af your group, talk about © your chowe of tems and the amount you were prepared to pay for thea He © the reasons forthe decisions you mn. © your fechngs daring the action and now x&& hat each member has to say. Then Listen carefully to wt prepare a group report 0 II that you have discussed. uclining a out the report. Choose one member of your group to Fea Help your teacher to make a summary of the group reports on the board. utes reflecting on the reasons underlying and see what values they reveal. Together, these values into three categories: Spend a few min each of the choices asaclass, try to classify spiritual, social and material. With your teacher and friends, discuss which of these areas is most important to you. Why? Everyone is free to give their opinion, but the class should ery to reach an agreement about this. The following questions may help you. What influences your choices? «What makes you place one type of value above the other? «Will the joy of possessing any of these items be lasting? «Which are these items? Will they help you grow over a period of time? «Do the choices you have made reflect the values you live by? How? In silence, think over the choices you have made. Ifyou were wllowed to choose again, would you choose ditlerently 2 Ln the space below, write what you would deo GoSay a silent prayer asking God to give you the right sense of judgement, which will help you develop into a mature and balanced human being, Also, ask for the strength you need in order not to give in to the pressure of circumstances and the influence of other people. Decide on one small action that can help you to build up your values. On a calendar or diary, circle in red any four days in the next three months. On these days, refer back to this lesson and see whether you have carried out what you planned to do.You are now growing into an adolescent and you have changed meneally, physically and psychologically in many aan rhese are a few avays in which you may have changed Yesterday Today You realise that you are becoming an adult yourself. You heard adults say, “That child is growing up so fast!” Yesterday Today ‘You complained to You can stand adults so that they could take your side in an argument. Yesterday You half-believed in fairy tales. frustrations better. You try to solve your problems yourself. Today You want to know the truth. You are more interested in realistic, factual stories. Which of the above statements do you agree with? Place a ¥ next to these Now look at the following statements and write what you actually do today, Remember that the tesponyes may be different for different people 4,We were used to being Now we. spoon-fed by our parents. We were satisfied doing Now we... what everyone else did. We accepted what people Now we... told us without question, We were happy playing Now we. with our friends at home. We dressed to please our Now we... parents. We studied when we were Now we... told to. We did not bother about Now we... the future. We prayed as we were told. Sit in your group and tell each other what you have written, Discuss the ways in which you have grown over theeb In what other ways would you like to grow? What should you do to achieve this? Prepare a mock TY interview or panel discussion to highlight what you have discussed in your group. Do this as creatively as possible. You might like to ask your parents/ teachers and other adults to tell you what they feel about your present attitudes and include this in your presentation. Present your interviews/ panel discussions to the class. Now discuss answers to the following questions: © What were the important aspects of growing up brought out in the presentations —were they physical, mental, psychological? + Do adolescents like to be treated as children or as mature persons? © What attitudes, on your part, make adults treat you as children (or as adults)? © What aspects of being an adolescent irritate or frustrate you most? « What aspects make you happy? Also discuss: © What adolescent behaviour irritates the adults in your lives? © Conversely, what attitudes please them? In which areas do you wish adults would understand you bettWhen you were younger, your parents, teachers and other adults told you what to do and moulded and influenced you in various ways. Now, you can begin to take responsibility for the adult you are going to be. Remember that you need determination and courage to work for what you want. What are the ways in which you would like to change and develop? Write about them here.& Spend some time reading the following lines. Try to understand what they mean to you. The God of creation who presides over the long evolution of life from its very beginning is also present in my own personal evolution Think about the kind of person you would like to be when you become an adult. Stare working on one aspect of this now: Decide on what you are going to do and write about it,Read the following passage and then spend about three minutes to write down, in the space below, what you would do if something similar happened to you. “Listen,” said Dad, exploding into the room in a state of barely controlled panic. “We have to get out now: We won't be coming back, ever! There’s no time to explain. Just take what you need immediately and be ready to move in ten minutes. The car's outside.” Mum, my brother, my sister and I exchanged open- mouthed looks. “Move, move!” grated Dad with desperate urgency. We did, galvanised. What choices would you make in a similar situation? What would you do/take with you? TaWrite anything and everything that comes to your mind. Do not worry about whether it is practical Now look at the list of the things you would do, anc rank them in order of priority to you. In small groups, tell each other about the choices you would make. Prepare a common list including all that your group has mentioned. Choose one person from your group to read out your group list to the whole class. Your teacher will note the main points on the board. Tick off, on your list, the items that are mentioned by other groups. With your teacher, decide how you can divide the various ‘choices’ mentioned by the groups into different categories. For example, the categories may be personal, macerial, spiritual and so on. Then discuss the various attitudes these choices imply. Whar do they tell you about: «your relationships with people? @ your attitude to material possessions? © YOUF Feacuion fo Variouy yituationy to events, Some of you muy like to shate your own experiences with the clas, but be caretul about mentioning names or being too pesonal about any classmate’ atatudes ston the board again anal dicttsy the responses question e One y torn bast whisk ot che tein avcet vnigsl H buy you Lotng happiness, pouss ot anand and *&& abe Think about the choic: s that you have made. Do you get an honest picture of yourself from them? Now that you have discussed the choice attitudes they re nd the various I, would you like to change any of your choices? Write what you would choose to do now. Reflect for a few minutes on the following words from the scriptures. Always be content with what you fave, never with what you are. | Zend Avesta Reflect on your own life and attitudes. Ask God to show you what priorities He would like you to have. Listen to Him in silence. Make a bookmark and write down your prio ties on it, Keep this where you n see it every day. =rsa Pe rrr. Study the following episodes carefully and answer the questions given after each one. a. Class 8 has a geography test. The teacher is called out of the room. Several students begin to talk to each other and exchange answers Soon the whole class is doing it, except... What would you do? What opinions do you have? Write them below. b. You are practising with your new hockey stick at home and hit the ball through a window. No one notices the one glass pane that is broken, so you say nothing. Two days later, there is a bad storm and the room gets flooded. Then a leak develops in the flat below... What options do you have now?In your group, talk about the options open to you in the two situations mentioned, as well as what you would choose to do. Also, discuss the reasons for your choices. When everyone in the group has had a chance to present their views, make a common list of the possible options in each case. Now, consider each option. Which of these would require a definite effort on your part? Which of these could you ‘drift’ into? From the options you have listed above, choose any one option from each situation to illustrate © acourse of action that would require definite effort on your pare. acourse of action that you can drift into. 4,From this, try to work out, in logical sequence, the various steps needed to reach a decision. In the example shown on the following page, Varun has broken a vase and has to decide what to do. What options does he have? What do you think he will finally do? Look at the ow chart given below. It illustrates the options available to Varun and the steps involved in decision-making. | broke the vase. Mother will scold me. a = Is it right to lie? (Repair the vase. | _ [Tell mother | broke it.) With the help of your teacher, choose one of the episodes— imilar flow chart outlining your course of action. Your flow chart should show: «the steps leading to the present situation, @ the options available to you, @ the steps you will take now. 4,Show the flow chart you have prepared to the rest of your class and explain the steps you have outlined. With your teacher and friends, discuss whether the steps outlined by the various groups can be followed. «Explore the differences between drifting into a decision and deciding positively. Who takes responsibility when you drift into making a decision? «Can drifting be a way of shirking one’s responsibility? + Do you agree with the statement “Any action, even doing nothing, takes place because of a definite decision”? Also, discuss the various factors that influence you when you make a decision. Examine these factors keeping in mind your values and priorities. In the space below, write down the criteria based on which wise decisions are made. Which of these do you use already? OwWhich of these could you easily adopt? Think back over the last month to an occasion when you made an important decision. Which of the steps of logical decision-making (which you discussed in groups) did you follow? Any major decisions in our lives should be taken only af a great deal of reflection, thought and prayer. So take ¥« decisions to God and listen to what He tells you to do. ‘There is nothing that cannot be achieved by those who, before they act, reflect upon the matter and discuss it thoroughly with well-chosen friends Thirukkural Before you take any decision, think of th ' before you. Each choice, it made, hay ditierent convey for you and those around you Betore you make ay therefore, consider the Consequences of your ct carefully. Make the choice that benetits everyone, or at teas does not han anyone *In the space below, outline one or two areas in your life where you can put into practice the skill of decision-making.Here is a questionnaire for you. Read the questions carefully, and examine the possible choices you have. Place av next to what you actually do. Ifyou do something else, write this in the empty space below each set of choices, * When you think your parents are too strict, you... .-teason out the matter with them. -submit for the sake of peace. .-tevolt openly or slyly. + When your future is being discussed in the family, you think that... you should have a say. .-your parents should do the choosing, .nt concerns nobody but yourself, + When your parents ask you to tidy up your room, you... ...do so immediately _say you will do it later and keep your word. _say you will do it later and forget abou it _refuse to tidy up, oF pass on the job to yomeone eve «When your parents restrict your play time, TY time and so on, so that you can have more time for your studies, you... accept their ruling. accept their ruling, but sulk. .-bargain with your parents and come to an agreement, disobey outright. When your parents ask you about an outing that you have had with a friend, you... ...tell them all about it. .atell them some parts of it and leave out the things they would not approve of. ...show annoyance. .ntefuse to tell them anything. Ifyou have had an unpleasant experience with a boy/girl, you... seek the advice of your parents and try to follow it. ignore your parents’ advice, canever seck advice, a,+ Ifyou want to date or ‘go steady" with someone, you... «discuss it with your parents, -~give up the idea because your parents are too old-fashioned. «do it on the sly. * Ifyou have a misunderstanding with your friends, you. eck comfort and advice from your parents. .ubrood on your own. nt your anger on your parents. In each case, think about the reasons for what you usually choose to do. Judging from your answers to the questionnaire, would you say that your attitude to your parents is: fairly open but could be better? open and friendly? Even if you share a fairly good relationship with your ou could improve it further. a, parents, you may fel y closed and unfriendly?Now, in your group, discuss what you think are the mayor hindrances that prevent some of vou from being open your parents, Make a list of them Then choose an objcet to symbolise each obstacle oF hindrance vour group has listed and draw these in the spa provided below Remember that the same symbol may have different meanings for diffrent people One example has been done for you old-fashioned Present your symbols to the class and caphin why the down what they stan wb that ate common ty all 1 thy grepa? N&& eacher and friends, discuss wh obstacles/hindrances are caused by you or by others in vour family. Talk about ways to overcome the obstacl some concrete steps for this, Decide » to overcome some of these obstacles. Comment on the statement: Ina situation where one person tries to repair 2 relationship, the other one still has the responsibil make an effort Can you remember a time when you had no d your relationship with your parents? Reflect on the class discussion and think about wh. are going to do to build up a beter relationship w parents Read what the divine texts say on openness. The unfailing love of relatives brings prosperity and growth. Thirukkural iThe feart of the discerning gains in Knowledge. The ear of the wise man searches for truth. Bhagavad Gita grow closer to your parents. Write about it here. abe Choose one course of action that you can work on toaga, Read the following statements “Put away your things "Where is your right now." homework?” “Thank you—that was “Congratulations, very helpful.” Well done!” ‘Write down in the spaces below three feclings that come to. ‘Ps 1B your mind when you read these statements, Try to analyse the experiences you had that caused these feelings. Write about them here.Work with a partner, Choose one of the experiences and prepare a short skit of two or three minutes, Prepare to present it to the class. ) ss. When the others are presenting their skits, note down the experiences depicted and the feelings they caused. Read out what you have written. Your teacher will list the feelings on the board under the headings ‘positive’ and ‘negative’. Positive feelings Negative feelings Study the feelings listed on the board carefully. Look especially at the negative feelings. With your teacher and friends, discuss «what causes these feelings. «whether these feelings are always justified. whether there are times when punishment or a scolding is justified whether rules are necessary and whether they need to be enforced sometimes. wt when this is done «how persons your age usually 1 Also, discuss the positive feclings you may have. ¢ Do you tend to forget these eavily? BsBook 8 We are the World Teacher's notes ‘The teacher's notes for We are the World will help teachers use this series effectively. In the student's books, instructions for teachers hhave been built into the lessons naturally. This section, however, gives more detailed guidelines which should be specially useful to teachers who are not initiated into the activity-based method of imparting value education, ‘The teacher's notes for We are the World has the following three sections: 1. Using ‘We are the World’ This gives general guidelines about the series, explains the plan for the entire value education course spanning ten years Of the student’ life—from class 1 to class 10, describes the pyschological readiness of the child at each level, and explains how the themes for each class and the lessons at each level are linked to this. It also gives hints on classroom ma wgement, time mangement, handling group work and testing 2, Some guidelines for teachers ‘This provides help to teachers on the specific We are the World book being used. Here the aim and value of each lesson, the requirements and detailed notes are given for each chapter 3. Exercises for testing and evaluation ‘This gives chapter-wise questions that may be used for estingUsing ‘We are the World’ General guidelines for teachers Course content book, is designed to be covered over the .ssons in each This series of 10 books for classes 1-10, with 16-17 usual 32 weeks of academic schedule. (The remaining weeks are usually reserved for examinations or holidays, Ezach book belps the children to: i. look at themselves and their own personal growth, ii, see themselves in the contest of their family and neighbourhood. iii, explore their inner spirituality. ix: look beyond themselves to contribute their share to society: ‘The same values may be handled differently as the child progresses from class 1 to class 10. For example, self-control dealt with in class 1 would be different from the way it is dealt with in class 10. Relaionships, 100, require different sessions as children learn how to relate to themselves, to others, to members of their family, to people in authority, and so on. A glance at the themes across the books in the series Book 1: Getting to know our world — At this stage, everything is new, everything is ‘wonder’. As children discover the world around them, they feel the wind, the rain, they see colours, they listen for sounds—all their senses can be tuned to the beauty of Nature. We expect that as they grow older this will influence them to observe their attitude and actions which may contribute to the destruction around them. This awareness, we hope, will inspire a change in their attitude and actions. Book 2: Thinking of others in our lives — At this stage, children become aware of other people around them and, therefore, the lessons are designed to help them explore their relacionships with others around them. Book 3: Learning about growing — Going up to class 3 is a big step in their growth. They are bi do a great deal more for themselves—they even have to make several ‘choices’. aning to children need to le: Book 4: Exploring feelings — At this su while they cannot help how they feel, they ¢ to handle their feelings and understand that learn to control how they respond to their feelings Book 5: Understanding oursehes — At this stage, what the children have learnt in the earlier classes will need is tw begin wo know, understand and accept themselves rst step, howeve to be reinforced. The Book 6: A derpening oncern —'The chiklren are now at the pre-teen level, eager toknow more about themselves and their world, stil capable of wonder and the enthusiasm to reach out beyond themselves 0 service and in new awareness, Book 7: The world and 1 — ‘This 1s the be self-awareness are big issues, Yet, at this stage chiklren have the generosity tev teach out angle ise ing OF the teenage period — self Consciousness, self contre to others, If this attitude 6 nurtured and developed nove it will he une tn hater years Book 8: rime tu dow — Auihis stage, we ate dealing, with the beginnings ot adutehoad — youn pooptes nor yet sure of themselves, but straying to fro thew tect in an aclalt work. they realise that liteconstantly offers them many choices and they need to learn how to make th take responsibility for the consequences. Book 9: ieling secure — The awkwardness of the first ten years is over. young adults and the lessons at this stage are designed to build up their cunt them with the tools to decide the path to take. he child Book 10: Happy and frre — The students are now young adults, atthe threshold 0 need time to explore important issues like choice of career, freedom, drugs and should be prepared to cope with the problems th also to be geared up to decide on their furure carcers and be ready to contrib abetter world. Values inberent in content and methodology A glance at the contents of this series will give you a good idea of the values emp! the Basic Plan of each lesson shows that these values are not the only ones the childr activity in each phase of the lesson carries with it its own values and gives the stu and practice, even as they interact with the material, each other, the teacher and their re Child-friendly ‘This is the “do-it-yourself” and the ‘we-don't-want-to-be-told-we-want-to-discar this series, which takes the children right through school from class 1 to class 1 this urge in children, Instead of a moral lecture, a story with a moral, or ‘do’ or ‘don’t do’ kind of ‘well-structured lesson plan on the lines indicated in the Basic Plan on pages 4 and 5 0 vill notice that each horizontal line represents a phase in the lesson and the vertical the child has to do, what you have to do, the values practised and the social and intel by the student, just by carrying out a particular phase in the lesson. Teacher friendly This series does not require long hours to prepare the lessons. All you need to do is i. familiarise yourself with the Basie Plan so that you know what the children and phase of the lesson. ji, familiarise yourself with the actual lesson by reading it once or twice and identfing the p in the Basic Plan. ili, refer to the aim of the lesson and any other specific instructions wiven later in the te ix. be clear on the initial instructions given in the Koza phase id they know what to do, your role will onl come inte pl Once your students have settled down ‘Talk-i-aver phase when you help the class to analyse their own thinking in the | te texts, human experience, common sense, and so forth, In the notes for cach specitic many suggestions to help you. It is at this point that you teach them how to ‘think’—the preatest shill they need for the 20) 6 E the underlying values in their & here that you challenye their thinking: and help them exp! building up in them the power tw discern eritically and 10 act conypassionatel, so badly as we do now, For the quict time at the end, your role small, Only bring the children to Goad & creating a serene reflective atmosphere andl then leave them with HinyThe Basic Plan Poetry | Woats alone on the material set in the lesson | of a maximum of eight with hisher classmates | and shares the results ofhisher personal work. This may toa discussion and or some group activity such as chart making, role pays etc ‘What nallectual and Pere rere tos Sees oer Peet eran! Freedom, sll awareness, ‘openness, responsibilty, | ~ the courage to formand | child works alone. | express an opinion of his | Give reassurance that__| her own | there are no right rong \- answers, Give guidance, itneeded, so that the | Rt ed | The aby to ‘concentrate read, understand and evahate = work independent articulate ideas Provide an atmosphere which is rloxed yet quiet and insist that each | child knows what todo. Sits ina small group The group presents its| findings tothe whole class, either through @ rect report or through whatever group activity ithas prepared. The class is quided into | analysing the material presented inthe Pass ‘tan phase so that they clearly understand what values their presentations reveal | ‘nd how thes values compare vith those of the great relgous or | social leaders of nda | and the word. Talkitover | actually practise. Encourage | sone honesty sees that Love and concern The abilty for others, steing express ideas clearly Circulate from group © | with compassion and | ~ listen with ‘r0up. Donat interfere | sympathy, trust loyalty, understanding ‘Unless the group is ‘openness, honest, ~ respond to new ideas ‘obviously out of hand and | mutual respect, tolerance, ~ plan needs tobe settled. | acceptance, cooperation, | ~ be create Give as much freedom as | communicatveness, — ‘make decisions possible | iniative, leaderstin = choose matenal Provide guidance only ifrequeste, but not solutions oranswers. | Ustencareuly towhat | Selt-confidence, the The abity to. is said, for points orideas | courage of hisher = communicate which canbe discussed | convictions, the abity to. — think logically later. Wie these brely vk aspartofateam, —~ speak clearly nthe boar. Especialy | learning tobeuseful | ~ present matenal ‘note statements or general coherently comments, which reveal sythesise material values that need tobe make connections challenged. (Ths is mainly ‘atthe adolescent stage, but ‘younger childen wil also ‘express negative values which can cause concem,) Prompt the class trough | Lovelor truth, honesty, Heips develo. meaningful questioning and | hurity, the ality to logical thinking the difrence | listen and respond, the ~ comprehens-on theyknow | courage to uphold one's - commurscation sks tho oa! and what they | convictions orto change — the ability t2 interpret, analyse ant tho children to mtorat with | ono is wrong summanse, make ‘each other and insist on | decisions, and ge pathamentary procedures eas and atttues listening to others bofora | croatwty responding. Do nat alow sphnter groups to start dhscussing thgs among ‘themselves| insights or important Rien Sits alone to evaluate what hshe has leamed from the lesson, and notes dawn points that struck himy hee. Provide a quiet, relaxed atmosphere (perhaps by ‘laying appropriate music) Ensure thatthe children do not disturb each othr Lot them reflect quietly onthe insights provided to them bythe lesson. Alter some time, elicit thse from the Introspection, self assessmont | Develops. | — intellectual honesty | = elaty of thought = accuracy Sometimes, especially in junior classes, one or other of the earlier phaves may be dropped Mowcten, sine th cach lesson is ta lead the cild to self avareness and growth, the “Vhink- it throw) de dropped. 13s thay have decided they shave their thoughts with ‘must bo thor own ‘ot matter. Over a period ‘a yoaro so, experience respond to this system Wits ‘used with competence and (eruine understanding wall show that most children | and “Take itn’ phases sh class and wite down the | | mera om ne | bowl [Dorot cote the silence for too long ithe | aherm me yoy nets) Teisitin | Connes toate | Leadtte session quety | An ovrens ofthe Leon ‘The idea'is to develop | from the decision-making of | spiritual dimension in = concentration | etal sone erd | WeTiicearough sane | cent 2 Stoayes cantomain, Stn | tte pital operas = Stimcabout ser fom rptens" | ef secs witch's wet ond anes crastoangauet” | Weplselslooar ceceaetient | tele weenie trogenavay one | toefatarss soe Treeard | decimal seg see | duereresinmhih | ethane art doar | charm pry rate__| mt oe ped he | tare ik at the and oxnine tet owmandebe’s pe Caereimegh | Cares eu whto | Ds a nites ely | Penal eset, | Tana oT sonctataiad’” | attewioneetsoyeh | persattacacee | mote SSdesencog tw | cinpoent opto | arn = Baraca oe teson andalow te chaten toa | penevrncePlanning the time Itis clear from the Basic Plan that this type of lesson cannot be completed in the usual 40-minute period. For the very young children (classes 1-4), a 20-minute period daily would be more useful than a 40-minute period. For slightly older children (classes 5-8), three periods clubbed together once a better than three separate 40-minute periods. It is strongly recommended that at the senior level (clase 9 and 10), a full day is set aside once a month so that the students get sufficient time to realy explore t son, plan 40-minute sessions, preferably ov issues involved. If this is not possible for any practical consecutive days in the week as follows: Key-in Pasicon | Think-it-through > — Share-it-around ‘Talk-it-over Take-it-in Carry-it-through 40 minutes 40 minutes 40 minutes You may have to regulate the time into such sessions, taking your students’ needs and their rea account. If, for instance, a group activity is included in Share-it-around, you may need one more session, Similarly, Passit-on and Talkeit-over may need two or three 40-minute sessions, depending the maturity of the children. Always have the session that follows planned in advance and try 9 Kesp sessions linked together as shown above. Organising the class for group work “There are three possible ways in which the classroom can be organised. These are as shown below Fou oie sts desks are ararged ere he Ramtec gars te was 10 ‘acto Thais paul seit the children tera rows 27508 Se mate The chen ‘ou ha th elstonm space sr the ‘onthe chars an Benches cnet ete sgh ‘ows mena ext 2S" Vhe closer the daldren sot together when they discuss, the better the mteractions, Vberefire, the first are of possble Making the groups jrtant notte force’ promp together, but vit formnatselt ith a fle help tray yous Hew are sont 8 © Prepare a number af pictures oF picture posteans equal tthe number ot groups your will wor © (usually, 5-7 groups of ophy) Cut each pteture into eight preces (or accorainge to the number i the ge and mix the pace seca chia piece AILthose who have precesat the same picture frit ane gu You ean abo use ¢ Is, namics of rivers, ete an the “© Make a set of eight-word sentences which carry ame x¢ of some kind for the day for example, I frisnd in need isa fiend indeed’, Write out the sentences on a piece of card, then cut up the sentences and mix th words Each child gets one word, and tries to find :he rest of his/her group to build up the whole sentence Note. Bight is the optimum number for a group. While there may be fewer children in a group, try © avoid having more, Class atmosphere Ie is important to remember that value education: * Creates opportunities for children to experience things, not to gain theoretical knowlede * Requires a relaxed atmosphere, but this does not necessarily mean noise. © Helps children interact in a disciplined way because they are interested and they are free. A very nots wildly excited group is unlikely to achieve anything because no one is listening to anyone else @ Is nora time for entertainment. It is an activity which can be very enjoyable and your p can enjoy serious things too, It you are relaxed but in control, your pu a license, but it carries its own responsibility witk it Is will be as well. Fre thor of these ways is really usotull Prayer Most children, especially older children, enjoy prayer it you create a quiet atmosphere for it and it careful not to make i too long, (If you de H will be aware Of restlessness. Stop there! All lessons endl with a quiet spiritual session and » have a specttic set of pravers as welll Bor special prayer services, make the following mvaniably availalie © A diya or light which forms the focal point uf the prayer sersice anndis a symbol at the spuritaal presence acceptable 16 ah © Flowers if possible, or the childien may seish tes draw nun 4, kala slexygnis ow the floor © Some devotional music on ape or lve W there ma chikl who can phy an anstrament well 7‘The most important preparation for prayer is to create a quiet atmosphere. You could use music to bring this about. Speak gently and softly, and give the children time to settle down before starting the prayer or the teading, Train the children not to disturb the prayer by loud, noisy entries if they come late, Once the prayer has started they should sit quietly just inside the door. ‘The usual sequence is as follows: a prayer song or devotional song, a reading with short explanatios where necessary, a time of silence, an invitation to pray aloud (no pressure!), a short time of silence, a closing prayer song or devotional song. You may vary this as you wish, but the session itself, and creating a prayerful atmosphere, is essential. A word about the levels Remember that children at the primary deve/will not be able to talk shings over or think things éhroagh like the olde children do. Activities with young children call for more practical approaches. These lessons have therefore been planned with a kind of reinforcement, which is not found in the higher-level books. Time for silence and prayer is shorter. Children at the middie schoo! level (classes 5~7) are beginning to analyse their thoughts, but will continue to need your help, prompting and guidance. They can sustain longer periods of silence and prayer. Secondary school children (classes 8-10) are capable of analysing and formulating their thoughts very well ‘They will need a referee or animator kind of person circulating among them as they discuss and argue out issues for evaluation themselves. If they are well prepared, they can sustain long periods of prayer and silenceEvaluation It must be kept in mind that there are two kinds of values—Head values and Heart values. Some ‘examples of these are given below: Head values Heart values Honesty Cleanliness Discipline Joy Acceptance ‘Freedom ‘Suiving Respect Success Success Love Recognition Piinceuality Obedience Hard work Sincerity Friendship Forgiveness Responsibility Duty Loyalty Appreciation ‘The aim of the course is to prepare young people to take their place in society and to contribute positively to its improvement and growth. To do this, the course trains them to discern the underlying values (positive and negative) in the very choices that life presents to them, challenges them to choose what they believe to be the best, and finally places trust in that decision, The course thus provides guidance to the decisions and actions the students take so that they develop the ability to think freely and to choose what is right without force. Our country needs people of conscience once again as she had thousands of years ago. To evaluate such a course, therefore, one needs to look at: i. behavioural changes. ii, attitudes which reveal values and skills which reveal the capacity to discern . ‘Some lessons are designed to provide an emotional impact rather than an intellectual one. Such lessons do nor lend themselves easily to written evaluation. Itis difficult for example to set an intellectual question on a lesson based on ‘Joy’. Hence, we do not really advise tests and evaluation set on the lessons. Some testing questions have, however, been included in this edition for each lesson to help those who strongly feel the need for written evaluation. ‘The testing questions given along with the notes for each book are designed to elicit from che student how she/he feels and what his/her attitudes are. They are not content-linked questions. The student who simp reports what she has learnt by heart from a lesson does not get credit. The questions allow the students to explore an issue, or even to disagree and hold their own opinion which, even if itis directly contrary to what their teacher believes, should get credit if they can provide a logical reason for holding that opinion. The questions provided, therefore, are open-ended and any attempt at giving marks for what is written in the book ‘will spoil the whole aim of the course, which is to produce young people of discernment, able to arti their ideas and to choose the right path ev Note: A word of canton 0 teachers and prindipals—xgring marks om a writin exsomin ensure thatthe students answer according to what they belive the teacher mants rather than be bonest and oper. I ten atthe mse of this happening, the scl peli continues to demand a writen test, the following whem of marking my be n the midst of eonfusinys messages in Society around them Aturudes and values honestly expressed 30% (for example, the stuskent who says that her bis espenieace ete her/him cold when everyone else was enthusnsne Reasons piven in supp w Use of personal expenence: 30 General presentation, 10% TOTAL. HaasEvaluation for behavioural change Since this course is geared to behav ioural change, a realistic method of evaluation has been given below based on the student’s behaviour, indicating how the values developed through the lessons are actually being experienced oe EVALUATION SHEET a Student’s name: Class: Date: Ring the number in each case which describes the student’s behaviour most clearly. A. General attitude B. Responsibility 1. Openly bored 1, Cannot be depended upon to complete the 2. Apathetic task assigned 3. Interested 2. Cannot be depended upon and needs 4. Eager close supervision 5, Enthusiastic 3. Can be depended upon with routine responsibilities 4. Needs no supervision 5, Will take on extra responsibility if the ‘occasion demands | C. Relationship D. Openness and generosity withdrawn 1, Is not open Will share very litle | Will share only with friends Will share gererally with others Is prepared to be very open and generous 1. Refuses to relate- 2. Arcempts to dominate the group . Relates well with friends only Relates well with all Is warm and caring and helps 4 to bring the group together even if itis athis/her cost E. Leadership 1. Will nox cooperate 2. Will do as told bur will tke ne initiative 3. Will cooperate with others bur not as a leader 4. Is well accepted as a leader 5, Can Head others so thar they to develop Yo check the sore add up the total of the numbers ringed and grade as indicated below a2 Gude 16-20 Gruk W | no Grade ¢ | Wont behw Grade Hy percentayes are required mnataply thy sere ft 8 wBook 8 Some guidelines for teachers A time to choose Before you use this book: The text for the students is more or less self-explanatory. Given below is the aim of each lesson and whatever other information, if any is required, for each phase. Please check the aim of the lesson first and then go through the student’s text thoroughly, making sure that you see connections between the lesson and the aim. The aim states the realisation or awareness that the student should get from the lesson. It does aot say how the student should react or what the student should do. We believe that students should be left free to make their own decision. If the lesson is effective and the awareness is genuine, the students will be moved to change from within themselves—they will not need to be told. The questions given in the Talk-it-over phase are only ‘taking-off points for exploring the topic. Please feel free to alter them or add more questions according to the needs of your students. In the Talk-it-orer phase, broad guidelines are given on the understanding that the teacher will go as deeply as possible into the topic. Care should be taken, however, to see that time is not spent on debates and sentiments which may be irrelevant to the main issue. [Always keep the aim in mind and guide the discussion towards helping the students realise what is outlined in the aim for them, You may wish to extend some of the activities. However, ensure that students do not forget the aim in che excitement of the activity. Build in 10-15 minutes of ‘quict time’ for the Think-it-through and Take-itin phases. You may like to teach the students a hymn, song or bhajan appropriate to the lesson or simply play some soft music to help them settle down and focus their attention during these phases.LESSON 1: A look at yourself / pages 1-6 Life shill Self-evaluation Aim: To help the students assess themselves and become aware of their own strengths and weaknesses ‘They are moved to make changes where necessary What you need: lamp/candle for the prayer service, some quiet music The teacher's role. The lesson provides motivation for the students to improve themselves and enhance interpersonal relationships as they learn to accept and help each other. Ensure that the students understand how to assess themselves. Create a nonjudgmental atmosphere so that the students feel free to express what they reilly feel and think. It is important chat personal comments are not made, for example, “I don't think you are really working hard.” During the Shareit-around stage ensure that when the students react to each other's rating they do so in a constructive, positive and supportive manner. Help the students identify areas where a majority in the class have a low rating. Guide them to discover reasons for this and show them how they can improve themselves in a particular area. Questions that may help: © Why's it important to rate oneself honestly? ‘# How does this help us progress in life? + How can we help one another improve? LESSON 2: The highest bid / pages 7-11 Value: Self-realisation Aim: To help students discover the underlying reasons for the choices they make. They clarify their thinking and begin to perceive the true values on which their Future happiness can be built. This leads to the realisation of ‘what makes them tick’ What you need: a mallet for the auctioneer The teacher's role: Build up 2 ‘fan’ atmosphere in class sc that the students really feel they are participating in an auction. No hints should be given (verbal or non-verbal) as to which items in the list should be chosen both in the Ken stage and during the actual auction. The values underlying the choices may be classified as follows: Sucial values: values we need to live happily with others “Material values: values to do with what we have or want to have Spiritual values: values needed to develop our spiri Be alert to the fact that material possessions may be very important to those who come from a deprived background. Questions that may belpe ¢ Tf you could choose ayain would you choose differently? @ What is the difference between pleasure and happiness? Which is more lon: Lasting: ¢ How do the choices we make affect our lives? How do our fends and relatives influence our ehoiees? 2LESSON 3: Yesterday, today, tomorrow / pages 12-16 Life skill. Growing up Aim: To help the students identify ways in which they have changed and grown over the years and come to terms with themselves as individuals. This, in turn, will lead to self-acceptance and the understanding that growing up involves pain and joy, freedom and responsibility. The teacher's ole: Help the children identify areas in which they have changed and grown over the years and guide them to identify what this implies. This could lead to an important discussion on the changes connected with growing up. Remember, at this stage the children are going through a period of traumatic changes. They have to learn to face these changes and emerge as mature young men and women. It is vital that the teacher is sensitive to the unspoken needs of students because they may find it difficult to verbalise their feelings. Be available but non-interfering, Questions that may help: '* How would you like to be treated by older people—at home, in school, in the neighbourhood? What role do you think you can play/should be allowed to play in decision-making? «What new responsibilities can you take on at home, in school of in the neighbourhood? LESSON 4: Snap decisions / pages 17-19 Value: My values, Aim: To guide students to recognise their own value systems and their attitudes towards m: possessions and to people around them. This lesson will also help the students become more able to deal cial with unexpected situations. The teacher's role: Leave the children free during the Kein stage. Do not comment on the choices they have made or make value judgments. Guide them when they categorise the choices. Here, too, remember, there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ choice. During the discussions, lead them to understand the values which influenced the choices they made and let them discover for themselves the choices that bring lasting peace of mind and contentment, Motivate the students to examine their own priorities and decide whether they wish to make a change in their attitudes. This should be done with sensitivity so that the students feel the need to make changes in thei lives without feeling they are being manipulated or making a choice because itis considered ‘better’ Questions that may help: © What influenced the choices you made at the beginning of the lesson? What or who were you thinking of at that time? ‘¢ How will these items help you or bring, value your life? © What other items did you want but choose to leave behind? Why? LESSON 5: Think agai / pages 20-26 Lije skill: Decssion making, What you need: sheet of chat paper for exch group Aim:’To help students learn the process of decision making, annl the Lactors that influence their deeisions 13The teachers ros The children lesen to take small decisions and look logically at the ethical consideration underlying their decisions. This will help them become more independent, focused andl thoughtful They also become awate of the fact that when they say ‘yes’ £0 something they are offen saying We) They choose to do is in their hands and Ato realise that an something else, It is important that the students realise that what « y do not wish to do. They are led no one can compel them to do what 1 decision /choice they make, however small, may have lasting repercussions. Questions that may help: © What factors influence your decisions? ‘¢ Do you find it difficult to come to a decision? Why, or why not? ‘© What are you feelings before and after you take an important decision? © Do you tend to consult others when you take decisions? ‘¢ Who are the people who influence your decisions? LESSON 6: A meeting point / pages 27-32 Life skill: Family relationships Jim: To help the students realise that relationships, especialy those with parents, are imporsat and should be carefully built. s. hachr's rl: Family relationships are not static but dynamic and need to be nurtured. This lesson chubles the child to be an active participant rather than a passive observer in the affairs of the family. Ac the Kovie stage ty to ensure that the students tick off what they actually do and not what chev think they ‘hould do, To do this try t0 avoid all ‘shoulds’ and ‘should nots”. During the SAareitarnd stags be srevliblc but do nor interfere unless you are invited to do so, Be aware ofthe fact that some children as rave diffeul lives, Ensure that privacy is protected. At the same time, create an atmosphere oF «russ 59 thet the students feel free to open up. During the Telé-itarer stage, discuss situations at home without Ships and help them find ways in which being personal. Help students analyse the obstacles in their relations 1 it down 10 the individual effor of “I need 10...” and do not leave at “Parenss to overcome them. Bring should...” or “Everyone should...” Questions that may belp Do you spend time together with your family —desing, meals, watching TV, Istening co mass, GS out or praying? e What effect do such activities have? What do you do if one member of your family is worried ents? Hoy ean you improve your relationship with chem? ill/upyer® Do you think you are open with your P Whar could be the major hindrances that prevent yout from Being, epeny with then «tow ean you deal with these hindrances thatthe elawonships watin your Eats mypeos? LESSON 7: Why should J do that? / pages 33-36 Life shill: Auitade towards authonty Line‘To help children examine their arutindes tw Her realise hat eortection and fearon fron anistakes at way a geonetig, Che stares 4 aay Figures of authority aint anderstaned what caused these arutudeqi also realise that their teachers are people subject to the same kinds of moods, feclings and needs as nes themselv The nacher’s re: During the Key stage, guide the students to identify feelings and not concentrate on Ul be the focus of the Share-itamund stage too. Do not let the students ger involved in a pat specific people, especially if they are from your own school, but help them analyse their People and situations. The analysis will help ‘unlock’ feelings that may hase been hidden, ress their emotions and look at past experiences in a new light. Motivate them to ger rid of negative ins and reinforce the positive ones. people. Th that may bel were the common feelings brought out? feeling justified always/sometime ¢ Are their mes when criticism or unishment is justified? «Are some rules necessary? Do teachers need to enforce these? «How do you usually react when this happens? © How do 501 «Do sou remember positive feelings or do you forget them easily? ‘cel when sou are praised or complimented? LESSON 8: The outsider / pages 3740 Lp shit: Including others im To guide the students to realise their attitudes towards ‘outsiders’ (those who ate di from some way) and to motivate them ro take the initiative when required. This leads to a crow ‘Svity to the unstated needs of others and a realisation of unconscious behaviour patterns that le: Zsceminaton against or isolation of others. ed: space to play the game “:roles The lesson starts with a ‘group dynamic game’ which is a taking-off point fective method to bring home a lesson in a fun way. Get the 6-7 students who have vol in a circle holding hands. The last volunteer stands outside the circle. The students are to exch other. They are told that the purpose of the game is for the person outside t get inside. The automatic reaction of the people in the circle is to close up and nor allow ¢ Person outside may try several methods to come in—pushing, fighting, finding 1 weak Ln tame with different volunteers to show different reactions. You may also play Rot to inside the circle uying to get out. the game, help the class analyse attitudes and reactions. The circles © de the students in discovering real-life situations where we tend to keep others out. Discuss @ 1s of this tendency and identify what they can dh to change these coming te others who want to join their circle Wea have played the game with a person inside trying to yer out, analyse what fe could be a student in class who does not wane to succumb 10 pect pressure bot the orhery et difficult for thiy person to break free 15Questions that may help © What makes us regard someone as different/an outsider? Are these atitudes justified? + What do you think the ‘outsider’ feels? How would he/she fee if he/she is welcomed into the group? © How would the ‘outsider’ feel when kept/pushed out? © Have you ever felt like an ‘outsider’? How did you feel? Why? © Have you treated anyone as an outsides? Why? What happened? © What effects do such attitudes have in class/school/ society? © What other problems would such attitudes create? ‘* What solutions can you offer to change such attitudes? LESSON 9: It’s so boring! / pages 41-44 Life shill: Self-discipline Aim: To help students realise that effective study is studying not only for information and results, but for overall growth and for dealing with life. They realise the importance of self-motivation as distinct from external pressure to study. This leads to the development of staying power/perseverance and the ability to handle boredom. What you need: chart paper, crayons or felt-tipped pens The teacher's role: During the Key-in stage guide the students to identify their feelings regarding studies, ‘especially those areas which they find difficult or boring. Help them to understand that it is natural to feel frustrated or even bored with a subject or a study topic that they find difficult or uninteresting. The importance lies in keeping at it, rising above the negative feelings and not giving up. The students should be challenged to put in their best effort whether they find the topic interesting or not, Remind them that they are being taught not just facts but ways to solve problems and to think for themselves, which will serve them well whichever field they choose to take up later. Draw the student's attention to the current highly competitive trends in scciety and lead them to realise that undue emphasis on results alone may leave many with stunted personalities. Guide the students to analyse what effective study is. Questions that may bep: © What attitudes make studying effective? «How do you develop good study habits? «© Doyou think you are studying effectively? Why, or why not? 2 Mention a few concrete steps you could take to improve your study habits, LESSON 10: The written word / pages 45-48 Value: Understanding the scriptures Aim: To help the students leads to a deepening of the spirit What you need: soft background music, if possible lise the importance of God's revel lations through different scriptures, This aspect of the personality and a prowth in serenity The teacher's roe: ‘This lesson is about ual growth and not one of intellectual analysts, Vocus on the 16spiritual experiences the students may have had and help them to share these with each other. Build up an atmosphere of joy and trust. Do not, however, force the students to share if they are not ready as there may be some children who are tempted to seek attention by describing imaginary experiences. LESSON 11: Footprints in the sand / pages 49-52 Value: Spiritual security Aim: To help student realise that God is with us in times of joy as well as sorrow. This leads to a growth of inner strength. What you need: a recording of the song Footprints in the Sand by Cristy Lane, if possible The teacher's role: Create an atmosphere of calm and silence. If you do not have a recording of the song, read it out slowly and explain its meaning fully. During the Keyin and Shareit-around stages, help the students identify the ways in which God carried them in difficult periods in their lives. Guide them in cheir discovery of God caring for them. As in the previous lesson, focus on discovery and experience and not academic analysis. During the Shareitaround stage sce to it that no student is forced to share a sorrowful experience, especially if itis a recent occurrence. The sharing stould be voluntary. If anyone seems agitated or upset, help him/her to calm down, LESSON 12: Beyond the world of reason / pages 53-55 Value: Trust and faith Aim: To help students realise the basic spirituality within each one of us that goes beyond the world of reason or science. This leads to a deepening of the spiritual aspects of the personality Wat you need: a lamp, lowers, etc., for a prayer service The teacher's role: Create an atmosphere of calm and silence. During the Key-in stage, let the children be free to express what they really feel. Guide them to go beyond the conventional concepts of God. During the Share-it-around stage, allow them to experience and be in touch with their feelings. Ensure that all the students are comfortable with the exercise. Explain to all that the pictures/designs are representations of their emotional response and not pictures of God. Try to see that the students are comfortable with the prayer service. LESSON 13: Let my country awake / pages 56-59 Value: Patriotism Ain: To help the students develop national feeling, What you need: material for preparing a mural or a banner: a large sheet of paper (a double sheet of brown Paper or newspaper should do), crayons, pencils, paints and brushe: pictures from magazines, glue, ete The teacher's role: Guide the children to identify what being an Ind Preparation stage, try to ensure that everyone has a chance to draw or write, Help the students find Poems/passayes that express patriotic feclings. During the discussions, bring out attitudes and feeling towards the country. Guide the students to identily their own a way they dress, talk or behave an means to them, During the mural nul analyse how these atfect the 7ye country Fa Vcad the students to understand that it is not ‘enough to complain about the problems the We need to understand the sacrifices made by others to bring our country to its present actively participate in its growth. ate and have to Questions that may help © What makes you proud to be a citizen of this country? © What can you do as an indiv al to improve your country in some way? * What can you do as a group in school or in your neighbourhood? LESSON 14: Being an Indian/pages 60-64 Vaine: Fundamental duties Aim: To help the children realise that ours may not be a just society in practice and that the fundamental rights promised by the Constitution to all citizens are not, in fact, available to all, but are enjoyed only by a privileged few. ‘The students also realise that people often claim their rights without wanting to perform their duti The teacher's re: Guide the students to discover how their actions and attitudes are an enactment of or a violation of certain fundamental duties, Help them realise that many people in the country are deprived of their fundamental rights and-are exploited by a small minority of people with social or economic power. ‘Through the discussions, bring out the fact that a majority of people talk and complain, but very few actually work towards bettering the country. It would be effective if you could collect some data from magazines, newspapers, etc., on violation of fundamental rights, particularly on your own state, city, town or district. As a follow-up, the school could invite a few NGOs to visit the school and speak abcut the work they do to help better the country Questions that may help: ¢ What are some of the ways in which we (in out daily lives) can perform our fundamental duties? ‘* Describe instances when we neglect these duties, © What are the effects of this neglect? © What attitudes lead people to neglect their duties? ‘e Inwhat ways can you as students contribute to the welfare of your country? LESSON 15: All people are equal, but... / pages 65-68 Value: Fundamental rights Aim:"To help students realise that our fundamental ights are enjoyed by a privileged few. They are moved to work for greater justice. What you need: paper for charts and headlines, space for the students to act out their mimes The teacher's ole: This is an extension of the previous lesson and the two lessons can be taken as one unit Ensure that the mimes portray real-life situations. Help the students understand that itis aot justifiable 0 claim any right as our own by denying others their rights, Let the students come up with ide prevent violation of rights or set right an existing violation, s to either 18LESSON 16: A world we ignore / pages 69-74 Life skill: Service Ain: To make students aware of the injustices in society through-conducting a survey and to move them to take positive action. To guide students to learn how to conduct a scope for practice. What you need: graph paper, pencils, flt-tipped pens, etc. The teasers rok: You may need to have a rough idea of the atea of survey and the kind of questions that may be asked. During the Keyin and Shareit-around stages, guide the students in the preparation of the questionnaire. At the Pasi-i-arownd stage instruct the students on how to catry out the interview with sensitivity and without giving offence. Guide the students when they are presenting the data. After the presentation of the data, bring the discussion home to the individual so that each student can identify his/her role and can decide in what ways he/she will contribute, in interview and a survey, and have 9Book 8 Some questions for evaluation Lesson 1 , s you think you may 1, Work out an action plan to improve your personality. Mention the difficulties y think y y face and the help you need to work out solutions to the difficulties you anticipate io areas of 2. You were given a questionnaire to rate your level of patticipation/contribution in vanelf very low? your life. In which areas did you rate yourself highly and which areas did you rate you Explain why you rated yourself like this. 3. ‘There are times when teenagers can be irresponsible and selfish. Have there been times when you were less responsible than you should have been? Explain the situation, 4, Do you know of other teenagers who have been irresponsible or selfish? Explain the situation. 5. How do feel about responsibility and selfishness? What do you plan to do in future? Do you think you will be successful in your plans? Why? Lesson 2 1. Write a paragraph explaining what values and attitudes motivate the choices we make. Which articles did you plan to buy in the auction in class and for how much? Why did you choose these rather than the others, and what values did you place on them? 3. What kind of value did each of the articles represent for you—material, social or spiritual? Justify your answer. 4, If you had to make similar choices in real life would you choose the same things? 5. Among the articles offered in the auction, some were more likely to make a person contented and satisfied for a long time and others may only have provided very short-lived happiness. Select one of each kind and explain briefly which you would prefer and why. Lesson 3 1 Write about any two aspects of growing up. Focus especially on its joys and problems. List three ways in which you feel you have grown in the lst year, Has this growing up helpe. to relate better to the adults in your life? rowing up helped you In what ways do you find yourself behaving more like an adult? What roles would you like to play at home and in school? In what ways could you change your present attitudes to become more mature? 20Lesson 4 1, Give a brief description of the choices that two of your friends/acquaintances have made recently. Explain how the choices we make reflect our values and attitudes. When you had to make a choice, what in your life did you find most precious? As a result of that choice, what new things have you learnt about yourself? 3. How do you react at a time of crisis? Do you think mainly about yourself or about others too? 4. What do you think are your most dominant values at present? Would you like to change any of these? If so, why? Lesson 5 1. On what basis are wise decisions made? 2. How can you judge whether a decision you make is wise or not? 3. Do you consult others before you take decisions? If yes, whom do you consult? 4. There are two ways of responding to a situation. You could decide to take definite action or you may decide to let things run their course. Which is better? Why? Give an example to justify your answer. 5. Give an example of a situation which became worse because no one took any action. 6. Give an example of a situation where prompt action was taken which brought positive results Lesson 6 1, Write a letter to your parents explaining what you have discovered about yourself and your relationship with others in the famil 2. Some people your age enjoy a very good relationship with their parents, while others do not. List reasons for this 3. Why is it good to have a happy relationship with others in your family? 4, List the adjectives which could be used to describe a happy and healthy relationship at home 5. List the adjectives which could be used to describe an unhappy and negative relationship at home 6. What can you do to make the relationships at home better than they are at present? Lesson 7 1. Wri Jon of your earlier attitudes towards persons who had a position of authors 2. Describe your feelings and say whether they were justified or not 3. Write a brief account of what you discovered during the lesen about your relationship with your teachers, othe avlults and others in charge, for example class leaders, 214. Why do teachers sometimes find fault with students? Are they justified? If yes, when? 5 Is it acceptable for teachers sometimes to punish students? 6. Write a paragraph on what you could do to improve your relationship with your teachers. Lesson 8 1. Write an account of present-day soci feel that they are ‘outsiders’. yy bringing out the ways in which some people are made to Make a set of rules about how newcomers/outsiders should be welcomed in class. 3. When you see a new student in school/in your neighbourhood what do you usually do? 4. Why do we tend to stick with our own friends and avoid including any new people? 5. Write an account of a real-life situation when a new boy of girl joined your class. Explain what you and others in your class saw and did, Lesson 9 1, Imagine you are writing a letter to a younger brother/sister who does not bother to study. What advice would you give him/her? 2, Write an article on ‘good study habits’ and explain how these will help you in future. 3. What attitude do you need to develop to study more effectively? 4. What can you do to make your studies enjoyable? 5. Make a daily time-table for your study time at home. Lesson 10 1 Write a paragraph explaining how you feel after reading the verses from the different scriptures “Prayer is giving time to God.” Do you agree with this statement? 2 3. Write a paragraph on your own relationship with Goa. 4, What is God’s message to you? 5. What is your response to this messape? Lesson 11 1. Write a deseription about how you felt after tstening tthe sey, Fowpnings nthe Nn 2. Write an account of any occasion when you felt the presence of Gead in yeu hte 3. Think of an occasion when you were m great Wouble or dltculty. What helped yous most 4 a time? I you felts question sn appicable sy, answer the allan ne 2 —_—_————————4, Think of an aceasion when someone you know/have heard of was in great trouble or difficulty What helped this person most at that time? Lesson 12 1. How did you feel when you did the exercise on expressing your feelings about God in class? Describe one occasion when you felt you were very close to God. Draw or use colours to deseribe your feelings. 3. Write about a time when you felt that God had deserted you. How did you/will you overcome this feeling? Explain how you felt then and how you feel now about the occasion. 4. Write a short prayer to express your faith in God. Lesson 13 1, Write a description about your feelings about what your country means to you. Write a brief account of 2 person of your country of modern times who has brought honour to the nation or who has made you feel proud to belong to this nation, Write a letter to 2 young relative who has always lived abroad telling him/her about your counsry and why he/she should be proud to be its citizen, Choose one and deseribe it 4. Do you feel strongly about any issue that affects the country today briefly. What can you as 2 student do to rectify the situation? Lesson 14 1. List three duties of a citizen as spelt out in the Constrution of your country. Write about how any one of these is implemented in your country today. 2. Deseribe an instance where the neglect of duty has led to the destruction of valuable resources or any other such problem, ne which reports someone neglecting his/her duty and 3, Find on article in a newspaper or mag others being denied their rights as a result of this, Find out what happened, Deseribe the ettects of this and suygest possible solutions ‘own and describe your plan of action 4, Choose one solutinn that you ean carry out on y Lesson 15 1. Pick aut a recent iter in newspapers oF on TV which describes the sialon af someone's hes Comment on it extically 2. List three fundamental nyghts that should be enjoyed by all atizens af yen county av4. Does everybody enjoy the rights you have listed? Who does ot and why? What can you de about this? 4. What would you do ifyou were witness toa serious violation of fundamental sights? Lesson 16 1. Write a leter to the newspapers describing your experience during th Je survey and urge others % join you in your work for fundamental rights forall 2. Describe how you would carry out a survey un data, collation of data and presentation of data. der the following headings: preparation, collection of 4. Write a lener to a friend describing your findings during the class survey and descnbe ow 1 affected you.+ Do you remember the teachers who taught you when you were younger, or are you indifferent towards them? + How do you respond when adults are kind to you? = Examine your attitude to adults and to authority. && « Areyon sometimes unnecessastly crttical a and rebellious? + Does this affect your relationships with > your teachers, parenns and others? 5 - S 2 «What can you do co improve these relationships? Write about it here, aN 8 Remember, the scriptures say: Don't find fault with others, nor look into what has been done by others, but probe tty your own heart and mired Dhammapada 4a aSpend a few moments in prayer. Probe your own heart and mind for the message God has for you in these situations. Recall a happy experience you have had with a teacher or think of an adult who has influenced you positively in some way. What can you do to thank him/her? You may send him/her a card or a letter of appreciation, or if possible spend some time talking to him/her.Today, you will play a game in class. For this, you need six or seven volunteers to stand in a circle, holding hands. One more volunteer is required to stand outside the circle. ‘The main aim of this game is for the person outside the circle to try to get into the circle. Those who form the circle should try to prevent him/her from entering, The players are not allowed to talk to each other. ‘The game may be played several times with different volunteers to show different reactions. Watch carefully while the game is being played. Then answer the following questions: ¢ In real life (in school or your class, for example), whae could the circle represent? 4,Aaj # Who does the person outside the circle represent? © What did you observe while che game was being played? «Could the person outside get into the circle easily? Get into small groups and discuss the answers you have written. Try to understand the feelings of the people forming the circle and the person outside the circle. Now, spend few minutes to study the situations of the following students: + anew boy/girl at school « astudent who is handicapped in some way « apoor student among well-to-do students + aboy/girl entering a classroom where there are many members of the opposite sex «+ aboy/girl who is friendly with a member of the opposite sex «a boy/girl whose grades are much better than those of the othersab Discuss how you would react, in each case, if you werea member of the larger group and how you would fee if you were the one who was different, Choose one of the situations mentioned for your group to act out. Plan on how to bring out the reactions and feelings involved. Remember that you should highlight the reactions of both sides. Present your role-play to the class. Take notes on the other groups’ presentations. After all the role-plays have been enacted, discuss the following questions with your teacher or friends. + Were the role-plays realistic? © What do you think were the feelings of the individual in each case? © What were the feelings of the large group in general? «What attitudes predominated on both sides? # Does such exclusion happen in real life? «Why are people sometimes excluded from the larger group/society? «sit fair to exclude people from the group because they are different in some way? ve in this way? How does what © What makes a group beh a group of people do differ from a mob reaction? © What can be done to prevent negative reactions and co encourage positive reactions? Kions in your + Can you do something about similar situ class/school? Bnat school or at Have you come across exclusion—either home? You might have heard about such cases on TV. What have your own reactions been? Do you treat people fairly, or do you merely go along with the group? Are there areas where you need to change your attitudes and behaviour? g Let us see whae the scriptures say about this. Lord, may I ever have love for all beings, Joy in the meritorious, ‘Unstinted sympathy for the distressed and Tolerance towards all. Jain sources do in similar circumstances in future? Can you foresee and g Make a resolution to treat all people equally. What can you plan ahead for this?E Examine the following statements about studies, / \Wt’sfun to Since “ ) _LSince | have to >) / This is such a (learn different ) eae I'd better do) useless subject. shings!_~ OQ, It’s okay if | fail in it~ q “| just do the \ minirum needed { ) ~~ {tt do my best, I might even My parents Studying i b will punish me \ ‘s0 boring eee A. if don’t studs - ~. the subject! if | don’t study. co LS /W's important \ _—'that | work hard = NY at the subjects | (1 must work harder. | \C don't like (have to do better (than Kamaljeet —— ae = (vm terrible at \ ( this. | might as (well give upp \ >, Fz ces 7 7 ONS © “only need to >>) study what | like and >) forget the rest.) <ab Read each statement again carefully. * Place a v beside the attitudes that make studies enjoyable. # Place a x beside the ones that hamper effective study. # Place a k beside the ones you ‘feel’ or agree with yourself In your group, talk about your views and help each other to analyse your attitudes towards studies. Then, combine all your ideas to complete the following definition: Effective study is because ‘Write this on chart paper in the form of a slogan using = ble illustrations. Present your slogan to the class and explain why you chose to write this particular one. Help your teacher to put together all the group slogans/ definitions. Then, with your teacher and friends, discuss: «the attitudes that make studying enjoyable. «the attitudes that make studying boring and frustrating. «the attitudes you must develop that will lead to effec study/study habits. Also, discuss: «the problems you face in your studies, © what stops you from studying or doing your best. why you think itis necessary (or not so) co study subjects you do not like o the ones you think ate quite it to what you want to do late “ irrele s ant in life.