Printer-friendly version- Understand the concepts of having, not having and the feelings associated with these concepts
- Write complete sentences or paragraphs about what they do and do not have and what this feels like
- Engage in meaningful community discussions about the feelings and issues behind having and not having certain things
- Analyze and critique media messages that encourage materialism
- Consider, discuss and describe in writing the possibility of having non-material riches
Objectives
Activities will help students:
- Understand the concepts of having, not having and the feelings associated with these concepts
- Write complete sentences or paragraphs about what they do and do not have and what this feels like
- Engage in meaningful community discussions about the feelings and issues behind having and not having certain things
- Analyze and critique media messages that encourage materialism
- Consider, discuss and describe in writing the possibility of having non-material riches
Essential Questions
- How does it feel to have more or less than somebody else?
- How do media messages make us feel about what we do and do not have?
- Are there deeper possible meanings of the word rich? How can you work to change your own and other’s understanding of the idea of richness?
- How can we celebrate what we all DO have?
Glossary
rich [rich]
(adjective) having a lot of something
materialism [muh-teer-ee-uh-liz-uhm]
(noun) interest in having a lot of money or material possessions
media [mee-dee-uh]
(noun) mass means of communication, like TV, newspaper, magazines, billboards, music videos or Internet
Materials
- Chart paper
- Notebook
- Samples of current magazine ads, pictures of billboards near the school and/or current TV ads
- Thin line markers
- Watercolors
Activities
- What does it mean to have—or not have—something? As a class, brainstorm a list on chart paper of things kids might have that make kids who don’t have them feel jealous. Some common examples might include specific articles of clothing or technology.
- In your notebook, write a paragraph describing an experience you can remember of having something that someone else wanted. Then write a paragraph describing an experience you can remember of someone else having something you wanted.
- In a group, talk about the experiences you described. Make sure you discuss how you felt in both of the scenarios you described. Then make a chart showing what it feels like to HAVE and NOT HAVE things that are wanted.
- Where do we get messages that encourage us to value material possessions so heavily? As a class, examine magazine ads and/or discuss pictures of billboards or common TV ads. How do they encourage viewers to believe that possessing particular things makes us better or cooler as people? For instance, some ads make it seem like if you wear a particular brand of clothing, you will automatically be popular.
- Discuss strategies for avoiding media messages that encourage materialism. Is this possible? What might make it especially challenging, and how can we move past these challenges?
- What does it mean to be rich? Does being rich mean you have everything you want? Talk about the idea of being rich and how it relates to the discussion of having and not having. You can be rich in ways that have nothing to do with material possessions. For instance, you can be rich in family or rich in imagination. In groups, create a chart showing different non-material ways to be rich.
- Independently or with a partner, write a poem describing one non-material way you are rich. When you have revised your poem, publish it on thick white paper with a thin line marker. Then, using the watercolors, create a watercolor image over your published poem that represents the idea you wrote about.
- When the watercolors have dried, put together all of your class poems into a “What We Have” book. This beautiful book shows all the different ways your class is rich.
ELL Extension
When your class brainstorms the list of ways they are rich, you will notice that these are abstract nouns—words that can be hard to remember because you can’t necessarily connect them to a specific picture or object. Choose five new words to keep track of in your notebook. For each word, draw a picture OR write about a memory that you think will really help you recall this word. Your work will be personal, so think about what’s truly going to help you remember these big ideas.
Extension Activity (Optional)
In small groups, create magazine ads or commercial skits advertising a non-material possession that can make you rich. Share your ads or skits with your class, and compare them to the pieces of media you critiqued as part of the lesson.
