GOOD NEIGHBOR
Love your neighbor as yourself.
1. WORKSHEET: Ideas are tricky to convey in a second language class! Illustrations can be more powerful than words–especially in the realm of ideas! Print a “cartoon” worksheet for each student to fill in and keep.
2. VOCABULARY: Learning new vocabulary words can become tedious. Try exercises that train students to think and use reasoning skills while they learn new vocabulary.
A. Robbers: People who steal from others.
B. Attacked: To hurt or cause pain.
C. Bleeding: When a person has blood coming out of a wound.
D. Injured: Hurt very badly.
E. Enemy: Someone who is against you, not a friend.
F. Bandages: Pieces of cloth used to cover an injury.
G. Obligated: Required to help.
COMPETITION
A. Before class write the list of vocabulary words on the board.
B. Pronounce each word. Students repeat.
C. Explain the contest! Teams of 2-3 race to look up the words and compose one example sentence using the word. First team to give the definition and use the word correctly in a sentence scores 2 points. Other teams can score 2 points for a correct sentence.
D. Do all the vocabulary words in turn.
3. CHARLIE CHAPLIN DIALOG: Charlie Chaplin was the star of silent movies. Silent movies were popular in the early 20th century because new immigrants to the US could enjoy them without knowing English. This clever type of dialog and activity introduces the theme of the lesson.
A. Write the dialog on a paper. Ask two volunteers to come to the front and say the dialog to the class three times.
B. The fourth time, the two volunteers are silent — just mouth the words– while the class says the dialog aloud! Prompt them if necessary.
DIALOG:
A: I never expected that – did you?
B: What didn’t you expect?
A: I never expected Teddy to help me.
B: Teddy helped you?
A: I was surprised.
B: Wow! You owe him big time!
4. QUOTE: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Ask the class to guess the meaning. Ask how the quote relates to the ideas in the lesson. Last–ask if they have a similar quotes in their own language!
5. WHO’S YOUR NEIGHBOR?: Circles
Who are we obligated to “love as we love ourselves”?
A. Small groups: Label the circles on the worksheet — the inner circle represents the people who are their first obligation and so on.
B. Then, everyone find a group and explain their ideas to each other.
C. Here’s one possible scheme you might present AFTER they have given their opinions.
1. Inner-most circle: family.
2. Next circle out from center: extended family.
3. Third circle out from center: friends, colleagues.
4. Fourth circle out from center: everyone else – including your enemies and people we’ll never meet.
6. PERSONAL STORY: Can you guess what Book is 10% exposition, 15% poetry, and 75% narrative/story? Story is powerful. Personal stories are a good device to reveal something about yourself, your dreams, your ideas, or experiences.
A. Tell about a time when someone did something for you they weren’t obligated to do.
B. Students tell their group/neighbor about a time someone did something for them they weren’t obligated to do.
7. THE GOOD NEIGHBOR: Story
Language class is very predictable — with drills and recitation. Theatre in the
classroom is magic. To pretend and imagine is universal.
A. Listen to the podcast and rehearse telling the story before class.
B. This is theater. Select volunteers to be the actors and perform the story. Get as many students involved as possible. Use simple signs and props to make the story come alive!
C. You TELL the story and the actors act. If you have a large class let many groups perform at once!
8. QUESTIONS: Jingle Bells
Questions can teach students HOW to think rather than WHAT to think.
Ask questions that will require reason and imagination.
Two Teams: The first person on each team stands with their hands on the desk with the bell between them. Ask a question. The first person to ring the bell answers the question–1PT. Those 2 people go to the end of the line and the next person in each line comes up. Try candy as a prize!
A. Why do you think the merchant and the lawyer didn’t stop to help the injured man?
B. Why do you think the man’s enemy helped him?
C. Which one of these three men do you think was the injured man’s “neighbor”?
D. Why do people sacrifice their lives for people they don’t know – such as firemen who rescue people from burning buildings?
E. Who is your neighbor?
F. TRUE/FALSE: We are obligated to love our neighbor.
9. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?: Begin re-telling the story line-by-line — but stop and let the students yell out the end of each line.
10. LOVE – Emotion or Action?: TV Commercial
Apply the ideas in the lesson in an imaginary TV commercial.
LOVE: Two kinds of love are:
A. Love based on emotions or feelings. It can fade as time goes by or if feelings change.
B. Love based on actions or deeds that show love.
QUESTIONS: True or False?
1. Some people are impossible to love.
2. In the movie “Titanic” Leonardo DiCaprio used actions to show love.
3. Emotions are more powerful than actions.
4. You can decide to love your enemy.
TV COMMERCIAL
Small groups create a 30SEC TV commercial that contrasts these two types of love. Perform for the class.
11. RE-TELL THE STORY
A. Make small groups. Each group will pretend a pen/pencil is the microphone.
Have one student begin telling the story. When you give a signal they are to pass the microphone and the next student shall continue the story. Continue until all have a turn. The last person should finish the story.
B. Then mix up the students and divide them into new groups to re-tell the story again.