Karen Mildener Grade 2-3
P.S. 51 Social Studies / China

The Boy of the Three Year Nap
By Dianne Snyder
Illustrator Allen Say

Synopsis of Story:
Widowed mother has a lazy son. Son devises plan to make their living situation better. He gets wealthy girl to marry him … happily ever after.

SEL Understandings

• Understanding what is required to achieve a goal
• Knowing when to regroup and think of new solutions
• Knowing what people value and how that influences goals
• Knowing goals can be set
• Knowing how to achieve goals
• Understanding how to solve a problem and plan accordingly
• Knowing how to delegate and give others responsibility

Objectives

SEL:

• Students will be able to identify different ways people get what they want.
• Students will explore how values influence our goals.

Literacy:
Students will use the context of a story to rewrite its ending.

Pre-Reading

Share a time in your life when you did something you did not like to get what you wanted. Ask students to tell their reading buddies a time when they did the wrong thing to get something they wanted.

Discussion Questions

What do you think made the mother go along with the son’s lies?
What do you think Taro, Mom, and Merchant were feeling?
What did you think about Taro’s actions?
Have you ever deceived anyone to get what you wanted?
Does the setting (time and place) of the story make a difference?
What did the main character learn in this story?
What did you learn from this story?

Activity

Brainstorm ways that Taro could have achieved his goal. Discuss how values influence our methods of achieving our goals. When our goals and methods are in keeping with our values, we are more likely to achieve our goals and be happy with our success.

Pair up students with their reading buddies. Ask them to look over the brainstorming list to find a method that will help Taro reach his goals without giving up his values. Ask pairs to rewrite the book's ending.

When done, combine pairs into groups of four or eight to share their endings. At the end of the activity, process it with these questions:
1. What have you learned from this activity?
2. If a friend told you that they did something wrong because that was the only way to get what he or she wanted, what could you tell them? How could you help them?

Class Extension

• Share books in which authors rewrote earlier versions of a tale.
• Ask students to select a time they did something because they thought that there was only one option. Ask them how they might have acted differently to get a different ending.
• Integrated learning - Ask students to find examples in current events of people doing the wrong things to achieve their goals. Create a TV news show that recounts these stories. Students can create commercials, weather forecasts, sports, etc. to complete their program. If possible, videotape the rehearsed show.

Home and Family Connection

Send copies of the story home with students. Have them read and discuss it with their families. Find out if their families think that Taro did the right thing. Talk about ways to get what they want. For example, they may wish to discuss with students how whining or using a nasty voice will guarantee a “no” answer when it may have been a “yes” answer. Discuss responses in school and set up a winning ways chart.

Watch several television shows together and discuss the ways the TV characters tried to get what they wanted or needed. Discuss how the screenwriters might have chosen other ways for the characters to get what they wanted or needed.

Counselor Reflection

Think about your own style of getting what you want. How do you do this in your personal life or work life? Have you always done things the same way? Would you consider your approach mature or manipulative (or both). Are you ever deceitful? Do you believe it is justifiable? How do you feel when you are dealing with certain people? How does it feel when you "win" or "lose" in a conflict situation? What students in your class know how to “play you”? How do you manage your feelings when a student turns you off? Do you believe “the ends justify the means”?

Counselor Evaluation
Were my students able to identify ways to achieve their goals?
Were they aware of their winning ways?.