Thursday, April 27, 2017

PAL Drama Lesson 7 - Baz the Vandal



Lesson 1 out of 1

Level : Primary 2

Duration : 2 Hours per lesson, 2 lessons

Domain : Performing Arts – Drama

Lesson Title : BAZ THE VANDAL

Adapted from: The Teddy Bears’ Picnic and other stories, Jo Boulton and Judith Ackroyd, © 2004 David Fulton Publishers

Reproduced by permission of Taylor & Francis Books UK.

Prior knowledge and skills

Students should be able to:
1.  Recognise when the teacher is taking on a role
2.  Respond to the issues in the imaginary situation with their peers and teacher

Drama Objective/s

Students will be able to:

1)  Make:
•Remain committed to the role-play by believing in the imaginary situation
•Contribute ideas for the Drama to unfold

2)  Present:
•Able to control the body and limbs to form Freeze Frames

3)  Respond:
•In-role:
i.  Respond to the imaginary situation with their peers and the teacher
•Out-of-role :
i.  Respond to the issues in the imaginary situation with their peers and the teacher


Value


•Responsibility


SE Competency
•Responsible Decision-making

Specific Skill
•Understand how one’s action can affect others.
•Persuade someone to change their behaviour.

Outcomes of SE Competency
Students will be able to:
•Consider the social implications of graffiti;
•Create a context in which the children need to negotiate with an antisocial character;
•Evaluate the most appropriate way to produce a change in someone’s behaviour.

Materials Required
Picture of cafe
Baseball cap and mineral water bottle
Drawing papers and colour pencils
Tambourine / Bell

Synopsis for the lesson:

Everyone in the neighhourhood enjoys going to the park. The children especially like to play at the playground. Next to the playground is a café run by Auntie Chia, the old and kindly owner. Baz the vandal likes to write his name on the slides in the playground and on the walls of the café. The children meet with him to have a chat.


LESSON 1
1 PHASE 1: SETTING THE CONTEXT
Discussion (leading in)
•Do you like to go to the park? What are some
of the things we can find in the park?

Warm up  activity:
Creating  a  park  [Yes!  Let’s!] •Teacher makes a list of the things that they
can find in a park.
•Arrange the class in a circle. Teacher leads
the class on this with “Yes! Let’s!”
o For instance, “Yes! Let’s sit in a circle.
Shall we?”
(Invitation into the drama)
•As the teacher says each thing on the list (e.g.
“Yes! Let’s be a flower!”) all students will echo and use their body to represent the thing/object/person in a Freeze Frame. [For bigger   objects   like   benches,   2   or   more students can form the   freeze frame for it] Examples of things that could be found in the park:
o Café (tables, chairs, etc.)
o Pond
o Slides
o Swings
o Dustbins
o Lamp posts
o Exercise stops
•Once the list has been completed, teacher


To introduce the context for the drama


PRESENTING

informs the class that they are going to create the park and there is a cafe in this park
Ask the students what they might want to be, and point out where they might form the freeze frame in the room
At the teacher’s signal, “Yes! Let’s be a park!”, students are to move to their positions and freeze.


2 Setting the scene
•While the students are in position and holding
their position, 
tell the children that the class is going to explore a story that happened in a café that is in this park. 
Ask the students if they know what a café is and how it might look like. Teacher to explain that a café is a place where they sell light meals and drinks.
•Ask them to close their eyes before teacher narrates:

One dark night, 
when it was late and all the stars were  shining  down  onto  the  park,  

a  shadowy figure appeared from behind a café in the park. 

It was a boy wearing a baseball cap and a jacket with the collar turned up. 

The boy crept along by the wall silently until he reached the children’s slide. 

Suddenly, from inside the jacket, he produced a can of paint and began to spray a pattern all over the slide. 

It was a name– BAZ. He then did the same to the door of the café.
Show pictures of cafés to the students


The next day, as people gathered in the park,
they saw the name on the slide and on the door of the café. 

They began to talk about it and wondered  what  Auntie  Chia  might  say.  

Auntie Chia worked at the café and had always been nice to the children. 

People wondered if the children would want to play on the slides today.

Impact of Vandalism •Inform the students to pretend that they are
people who have arrived at the park. They will unfreeze and move back into the circle.

•Ask  them  some  of  the  following  questions
(Write  these  questions  on  the  board  for
students’ reference):
o What happened here?
o Did anyone see anything?
o Why would someone do this to poor old Auntie Chia’s cafe?
o What do you think the children who play at the park would say when they come here today?
o What  would  we  say/do   if   we   caught someone doing this sort of thing?


•Teacher to pair students for the next activity
(teacher to partner the single student, if any).

•Each student can pretend to be one of the children, a visitor to the park or anyone who knows the café well.

Outcome: Consider the social impact of vandalism* *Vandalism is different from graffiti, which is a form of street-art.

•At a signal (to be decided by the teacher), all
to begin discussing the questions while pretending  to  be  the  character  they  have
decided on.
•Teacher is to facilitate the whole class
discussion after the students had a chance to discuss with their classmates. PRESENTING/
RESPOND


4 PHASE 2: BUILDING BELIEF
Setting up Teacher-in-Role as Baz

•Ask the students to sit in a circle. 
Lay the baseball cap and spray can on the floor in the middle of the circle. 
Invite the children to think about what the owner of these items might be like.

•Taking turns, the children speak one word or make a statement which describes what the owner of these items might be like (e.g. He is very   tough   and   scary;   he   has   many/no friends.)


[This activity may bring out stereotyped views of a vandal (e.g. bully, gangster, etc) which can be addressed when the teacher is in-role as Baz. Teacher can choose to live the stereotype or challenge the stereotype later in the lesson]
Hand out drawing paper for the students. Each student is to draw their impression of Baz (even a stick figure will do).
•Get  the  children  to  repeat  their  words  to
describe Baz  and  write  them  around  the figure.
•Keep their drawings for the next lesson.
•To  get  students to use skills of arguments and persuasion.
•To practise giving alternatives.
•To encourage listening to alternative viewpoints.


MAKE/RESPOND
Baseball cap and spray can (can be made  from mineral water bottle)


Drawing paper and colour pencils.

The teacher can assist in their writing with using word splash first.


END OF LESSON 1



PAL Drama Lesson 5 and 6 - The Lonely Dragon

Lesson 1 out of 2

Level : Primary 2


Duration : 2 Hours, 2 lessons


Domain : Performing Arts – Drama


Lesson Title : THE LONELY DRAGON


Adapted from: The Toymaker’s Workshop and other tales, Jo Boulton and Judith Ackroyd, © 2004 David Fulton Publishers


Reproduced by permission of Taylor & Francis Books UK.


Prior knowledge and skills


Students should be able to:

1.  Recognise when the teacher is taking on a role
2.  Respond to the issues in the imaginary situation with their peers and the teacher

Drama Objective/s


Students will be able to:


1)  Make:

•Remain committed to the role-play by believing in the imaginary situation

2)  Respond:

•In-role:
i.  Respond to the imaginary situation with their peers and the teacher
•Out-of-role :
i.  Respond to the issues in the imaginary situation with their peers and the teacher

Value
Care


SE Competency

•Social Awareness

Specific Skill

Able to discuss their initial assumptions/perceptions about people
•Able to discuss how their initial assumptions about people have changed

Outcomes of SE Competency

Students will be able to:
•Understand not to judge others by their initial assumptions/perceptions
•Empathise with a person in need of help

Materials Required

Pictures of mountain villages
Drawing papers and colour pencils
Tambourine / Bell

Synopsis for the lesson:


There is a cave halfway up the mountain where a dragon lives. The villagers who live at the bottom of mountain are not happy about the dragon and hide whenever they see him coming. One day they see him crying and decide to find out why he is so sad. The villagers get to know the dragon better and befriend him.


__________________


LESSON 1
1 PHASE 1: SETTING THE CONTEXT

Teacher Narration:
At the bottom of the village, there was a river that flows from the tall mountain. 

The mountain was thick with trees. 

Halfway up the mountain was a cave and in the cave, there lived a dragon. 

No one ever went up the mountain to see him/her. 

In fact, he/she never ever had any visitors.


2 Discussion (leading in)

Ask the following,
 “If you were in a village,:

•How do you think your village looks like?


•Where is it located?


•When you walk into this village, what are the
things you see?


•Who are the people you find in your village?


•What kind of work do the people in your village
do?



To introduce the context for the drama.
•To encourage
questioning skills.

MAKE
Pictures of mountain villages Source for
pictures of mountain villages to help trigger students’ imagination
if necessary.



3 Teacher asks:

Why  do  you  think  no  one  in  the  village  ever
visited the dragon?

[Responses may vary: Dragon would eat them; He/she  is  frightening;  He/she  has  big  claws  and might scratch them; He/she could set the houses on fire, etc.]

What do you think this *dragon looks like?
[Responses may vary: Scary; Frightening; Very fierce; Very unfriendly, etc]

On a piece of paper, get the students to draw what the dragon might look like. Ask students to write down one or two words to describe the dragon. (Teacher may need to write some of these adjectives on the board)

•When everyone has completed their drawing, ask the students to paste them on the wall for all to see the various interpretation of what a dragon looks like

•Whatever the students suggest, emphasise that no one has ever seen the dragon do any of the bad things the villagers are worried about.



MAKE

Drawing paper and color pencils



*It is important for the lesson for students to imagine the dragon. Do not show them pictures or videos of one.



Close this part with the following Teacher Narration:

But you see, no one had seen the dragon do any of these  things,  but  they  were  always  afraid  he/she would.



4 PHASE 2: BUILDING BELIEF

•Tell the children that the Dragon never comes too
close to the people but he/she will sometimes be seen flying overhead, watching them.

•Inform the children that they would be producing
a few Freeze Frames of what they might see in the village on a typical day.

•Ask the children to suggest ideas of what the
villagers might be doing on that day (e.g. picnic, playing games, etc.) and where they might be in the village.

•Once everyone is ready, teacher to ask everyone
to present their freeze frames and remain still with the command, “Three, two, one, freeze!”.

•Teacher  asks  the  following  questions  and  get
them to observe what their classmates are doing:

o What is happening in the picture?

o Who are the people in the village?

o What do you think they are doing?

o How do you think they are feeling? Why do you think they are feeling that way?

o What is in their minds?

•Give the command, “Unfreeze” so that students
can relax.




To build belief in roles
To encourage imagination and use of descriptive language.


MAKE / PRESENT / RESPOND


5 The Dragon approaches

•Teacher to ask the students to imagine how the
collective image would change if the dragon is seen flying towards them.

•Instruct them to rehearse  the  transition  from  the  first  to  the second image.

•Teacher to ask the children to think about the
following  as  they  construct  the  new  Freeze
Frame:

o How do you think they are feeling? 

Why do you think they are feeling that way?

o What is in their mind?

o What do you think the dragon might do to
them?

Once  all  groups  are  ready  with  their  Freeze
Frames, teacher asks for every group to present their first Freeze Frame using the command, “Three, two, one, freeze”.

When the teacher claps, groups are to present
the second Freeze Frame they have created.

•Teacher to facilitate the discussion on why their
Freeze Frames are different.



•End the session with the following question:

o Is the Dragon really like that?

o Would you like to find out?



MAKE / PRESENT / RESPOND


END OF LESSON 1



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#2

Lesson 2 out of 2



Level : Primary 2


Duration : 2 Hours, 2 lessons


Domain : Performing Arts – Drama


Lesson Title : THE LONELY DRAGON


Adapted from: The Toymaker’s Workshop and other tales, Jo Boulton and Judith Ackroyd, © 2004 David Fulton Publishers


Reproduced by permission of Taylor & Francis Books UK.


Prior knowledge and skills


Students should be able to:

1.  Recognise when the teacher is taking on a role
2.  Respond to the issues in the imaginary situation with their peers and the teacher

Drama Objective/s


Students will be able to:


1)  Make:

•Remain committed to the role-play by believing in the imaginary situation

2)  Respond:

•In-role:
i.  Respond to the imaginary situation with their peers and the teacher
•Out-of-role :
i.  Respond to the issues in the imaginary situation with their peers and the teacher



Value




Care



SE Competency

•Social Awareness

Specific Skill

Able to discuss their initial assumptions/perceptions about people
•Able to discuss how their initial assumptions about people have changed

Outcomes of SE Competency

Students will be able to:
•Understand not to judge others by their initial assumptions/perceptions
•Empathise with a person in need of help

Materials Required

Brown scarf for teacher
Drawing papers and colour pencils
Tambourine / Bell


Synopsis for the lesson:


There is a cave halfway up the mountain where a dragon lives. The villagers who live at the bottom of mountain are not happy about the dragon and hide whenever they see him coming. One day they see him crying and decide to find out why he is so sad. The villagers get to know the dragon better and befriend him.





LESSON 2
1 Re-cap lesson 1:
•Ask  students  to  show  their  drawings  of  the Dragon.
•Ask them for their impression of the Dragon and write down what they say on the board.
•Repeat steps 4 and 5 from lesson 1. (ie. re-enact typical day freeze frame and
when dragon appears freeze frame)

2 While  every  child  is  holding  their  gestures  and positions in their respective Freeze Frames (recreate the image that was created in the previous lesson),

teacher continues with the story with the following narration:

While everyone was busy suddenly in the distance they saw a dragon flying slowly towards them. 

As they stood looking at the dragon, 
they were utterly amazed to see tears rolling down his/her cheeks. 

He/she turned round and flew silently back to his/her cave.


With the children still in-role, ask the children the following:

•What did you see just now?

•How did the dragon look like?

•Why was he/she crying?

•What do you think you should do?


Teacher should encourage students’ discussion and elicit responses.

Objective is to lead them to want to visit the dragon to find out what was happening to him.

SE: Social awareness and Responsible decision making


3 PHASE      3:      DEEPENING      BELIEF/ADDING
COMPLICATION


Setting the scene: Teacher-in role

•Inform the children that they would be climbing
the mountain to meet the dragon.

Teacher to set up a chair which will be the inside of the dragon’s cave.

•Set the chair at the back of the room,
while the teacher and the students are on the other end.

•The  teacher  points  to  chair  and  inform  the
students that the chair represents the inside of the cave.

•Teacher, in-role as a villager, asks the children to
sit outside the cave as if they have just arrived after their climb up the mountain.

Narrate the following:

Teacher Narration:
After a difficult climb up the mountain, past rocks and streams, trees and bushes, the villagers arrived at the dragon’s cave. 

As they sat and waited they could hear a noise coming from inside the cave.



Material:  Brown cloth / scarf for the teacher



4 Teacher (in role as villager) to ask the students:

•What is that noise, you think?!

•I   am   scared.   Should   we   climb   down   the
mountain?

•Should we be talking to the dragon?

•Let’s call the dragon and see if he would want to
come out and talk to us.

•Let’s call the dragon together.


Inform the children that the teacher would take the role of a dragon

once teacher puts on a brown cloth (or scarf) and sits on the chair.



To provide a challenging discussion  and  to encourage negotiation skills.

Encourage students to interact with the character.

MAKE /
RESPOND



5 Teacher then puts on the cloth over the shoulder and sits. 

Express unhappiness in the form of body language and facial expression. 

Teacher to ask and interact with the students in-role based on the following:

•Hello, this is the first time I have visitors. Who are
you?

•Please forgive me because the cave does not
have  any  furniture  or  anything  comfortable to host guests like you.

•Is there something you wish to ask me?

•Is there a reason why you are here today?

•What stories have you heard about me?

PAL/SE:   Show empathy to someone  in need of help . To not judge someone  by their initial assumption


6 Invite responses from the children with regard their
thoughts about the dragon:

Oh dear. Is that how the rest of you also think of
me? Why?

I am always alone, you know. I have no friends. I
want  to  come  down  to  the  village  and  make friends with all of you.

I don’t even dare to do that because I am afraid
that all of you think that the rumours about me are true...

Why do people think that way of me when they
do not even know me? This is so unfair…



Teacher explains in role as the Dragon how lonely he/she is,

and how he/she has never eaten anyone and wants to make friends.

Explain how dragon can’t help that he/she is scary-looking

because it is the way he/she was born. 

Also, he/she actually breathes fire only when he/she laughs.

Can you please let me be your friend because I do not like to harm anyone?

But you know that I would breathe fire if I laugh 
and I don’t want to harm you. 
What can I do?

Encourage students to think of how they can help the dragon
One way is to direct them to suggest organising a party and the dragon would be invited to attend. 

Teacher may (out-of-role as the dragon) at

Encourage students to respond and build the conversation

Get students to acknowledge that it is wrong to misjudge others when they do not know them well.


RESPOND

Persist in staying in-role.

Teacher may come out of role at points to discuss on the role-play.  E.g Teacher may (out-of-role)   at some point express   doubt that the dragon would be accepted because of the fears and concerns   the villagers  would have.  some point express doubt whether the dragon would
be accepted because of the fears and concerns the villagers would have.


•Okay, it seems that you have all gained my trust and I would want you to trust me too. I promise I am not going to hurt anyone.

•I will join you at the party!

•You should all go back to your village now before it gets dark.



7 PHASE 4: RESOLUTION

Ask the students to create a path down the mountain by forming two lines.

Tell them that the Dragon would be walking down the path and to imagine how he/she would be feeling as he/she walks slowly towards to village.

Teacher-in-Role as the dragon, invite the students to speak aloud about what the Dragon might be thinking and feeling:

•I am frightened but I am sure I will be fine

•I am excited.

•I hope they are nice to me.

•Maybe it’s a trick and they would kill me.

•I hope I won’t breathe fire.

•I hope I won’t knock anyone down with my tail.


As teacher arrives at the end of the path, turn around slowly and address the children as if they were villagers:

Hello everyone. Thank you for inviting me. Is there anything I can do to help?

Encourage the students to suggest possible activities that the dragon could do.




MAKE/ RESPOND


SE: To not judge someone   by their initial assumption



8 Teacher Narration:

The celebration went very well.

Everyone enjoyed it, especially the Dragon. 

From that day on, the people of the village stopped being afraid of the dragon because they knew him/her.  

Although he/she looks strange and different, he/she was really a friendly dragon after all.


In groups of 4-5, create Freeze Frames of moments of the villagers and the dragon spending time together. 
The students could think of a title (caption) for their Freeze Frame. 
Allow each group to present their Freeze Frame and the other groups to comment on it.



Discussion (reflection)
Why was the dragon lonely?

•How did the villagers feel about him/her at the

beginning of the story?

•What caused them to change their minds?



Closing activity
•Give out students a piece of A4 paper.

•Student to draw a portrait of the dragon now that
the villagers to invite him/her more regularly.

•Conduct a gallery walk for the students to view the
others’ works.


*****


Drawing paper, colour pencils/ crayons
END OF LESSON 2

Monday, April 24, 2017

*Eating Fruit on Empty Stomach*

*Eating Fruit on Empty Stomach*

Cancer patients shouldn't die..

This will open your eyes ! Read to the end and then send it on to all on your e-list. I just did !

Dr Stephen Mak treats terminal ill cancer patients by an "un-orthodox" way and many patients recovered.

Before he used solar energy to clear the illnesses of his patients, he believes on natural healing in the body against illnesses.
See his article below.

"It is one of the strategies to heal cancer. As of late, my success rate in curing cancer is about 80%."

"Cancer patients shouldn't die.
*The cure for cancer is already found - *its in the way we eat fruits.*"

"It is whether you believe it or not."

"I am sorry for the hundreds of cancer patients who die under the conventional treatments."

*EATING FRUIT*

We all think eating fruits means just buying fruits, cutting it and just popping it into our mouths.

It's not as easy as you think. It's important to know *how* and *when* to eat the fruits.

What is the correct way of eating fruits?

*IT MEANS NOT EATING FRUITS AFTER YOUR MEALS!*

*FRUITS SHOULD BE EATEN ON AN EMPTY STOMACH*

If you *eat fruits on empty stomach*, it will play a major role to detoxify your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.

*_FRUIT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOD._*

Let's say you eat two slices of bread and then a slice of fruit.

The slice of fruit is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but it is prevented from doing so due to the bread taken before the fruit.

In the meantime the whole meal of bread & fruit rots and ferments and turns to acid.

The minute the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil.

So please eat your fruits on an *empty stomach* *or before your meals !*

You have heard people complaining :

Every time I eat *watermelon* 🍉 I burp, when I eat *durian* 🍈 my stomach bloats up, when I eat a *banana* 🍌 I feel like running to the toilet, etc.. etc..

Actually all this will not arise if you *eat the fruit on an empty stomach.*

The fruit mixes with the putrefying of other food and produces gas and hence you will bloat !

Greying hair, loss of hair, balding, nervous outbursts and dark circles under the eyes all these will *NOT* *happen if you take fruits on an empty stomach.*

There is no such thing as some fruits, like orange 🍊 and lemon 🍋 are acidic, because all fruits become alkaline in our body, according to Dr. Herbert Shelton who did research on this matter.

If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruits, you have the *SECRET of beauty, longevity, health, energy, happiness and normal weight.*

When you need to drink fruit juice - *drink only fresh fruit juice,* *NOT* from the cans, packs or bottles.

*Don't* even drink juice that has been heated up.

*Don't* eat cooked fruits because you don't get the nutrients at all.

You only get its taste.
_Cooking destroys all the vitamins._

But eating a *whole fruit* is better than drinking the juice.

If you should *drink the fresh fruit juice*, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it.

You can go on a 3-day fruit fast to cleanse or detoxify your body.

Just eat fruits and drink fresh fruit juice throughout the 3 days.

And you will be surprised when your friends tell you how radiant you look !

*KIWI fruit:*
Tiny but mighty.
This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin E & fiber. _Its vitamin C content is twice that of an orange._

*APPLE:*🍎🍏
An *apple* a day keeps the doctor away?
Although an apple has a low vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & flavonoids which enhances the activity of vitamin C thereby _helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke._

*STRAWBERRY:*🍓🍓
Protective Fruit.
*Strawberries* have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits & _protect the body from cancer-causing, blood vessel-clogging and free radicals._

*ORANGE :*🍊🍊
Sweetest medicine.
Taking 2-4 *oranges* a day may _help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessens the risk of colon cancer._

*WATERMELON:*🍉🍉
Coolest thirst quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione, which _helps boost our immune system._

They are also *a key source of lycopene the cancer fighting oxidant.*
Other nutrients found in *watermelon* 🍉 _are Vitamin C & Potassium._

*GUAVA & PAPAYA:*🍑🍑
Top awards for vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their _high vitamin C content._

*Guava* is also rich in fiber, which _helps prevent constipation._

*Papaya* is rich in carotene; this is _good for your eyes._

*Drinking COLD water or drinks after a meal = CANCER*

Can you believe this ?

For those who like to drink cold water or cold drinks, this article is applicable to you.

It is nice to have a cup of cold water or cold drinks after a meal.

However, *the cold water or drinks will solidify the oily stuff that you have just eaten.*

_It will slow down the digestion._

Once this *'sludge' reacts with the acid*, it will break down and be *absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food.*

_It will line the intestine._

Very soon, *this will turn into FATS and lead to CANCER !*

_*It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.*_

Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we could survive.

A cardiologist says:
if everyone who gets this msg & share it to other people you can be sure that you'll save at least one life.

So lets do it🍋🍌🍎🍒


Sent from my iPhone

Sunday, April 23, 2017

NEVER GIVE UP

After nearly dying of an overdose, Kelvin Carr learns that his life is worth fighting for.

Growing up, I suffered from terrible anxiety, making it difficult to say hello or even smile. Although my parents encouraged me to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, like many young people I had no interest in following any religion. As my high school years progressed, I started experiencing extreme anxiety. I sought relief in marijuana, but soon it wasn't cutting it anymore. By my senior year, I was addicted to heroin.

On Dec. 22, 2012, I overdosed in my room. My dad found me at 3:30 in the morning, not breathing. He woke up my mother, who dialed 911 while my father performed CPR on me until the paramedics arrived. When I came to, I had no memory of what happened, nor did I understand the trauma of my parents' experience. After that incident, I stopped using heroin for more than a year.

But by 2014, I was using again. I quickly went into rehab with the help of my father. When I got out in July, I started working on a fishing boat, which was great while the season was busy. But when things started winding down, I missed the feeling I got from heroin.

On Oct. 3, 2014, I overdosed again, which put me into a coma. The next day, the doctors explained to my parents that after two brain scans, no brain activity was detected, and my kidneys had ceased functioning. They would soon need to make the decision to disconnect the machines that were keeping me alive.

My life was hanging by a thread, but my parents believed what SGI President Ikeda has taught them—to never give up. For them, defeat was not an option. Every day, my parents and members would come to my hospital bedside and chant for me. The women's division members visited often, chanting next to my ear while holding my hand.

I learned that members all over the country were chanting for me, too. My dad's friend, who was at the Florida Nature and Culture Center for the SGI-USA Men's Conference, called to say that the men were chanting for me along with our general director. After the 10th day, my body started to respond. The doctors were speechless, since all indications were that I was destined to die. But they did not know about the power of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

By the 12th day, I started to come out of the coma. However, I had suffered a stroke, and my left side was paralyzed. As I slowly regained consciousness, I still didn't know what was going on or understand what had happened to me. The doctors warned my parents that I would need constant medical help and would never be able to live a normal life. I was transferred to multiple hospitals, where I was hooked up to a breathing machine and feeding tube.

For four months, my parents visited me twice a day and brought extra food and supplements. They always chanted in my room. In every hospital where I stayed, all my roommates were terminal. I was the only one to ever leave. Slowly I began the process of learning to sit up and, with even more difficulty, to stand.

In the beginning, I could not take even one step unassisted. I had to be weaned off the breathing apparatus. The doctors considered me a miracle, but my parents and the members knew that it could only be the power of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

I was discharged on Feb. 3, 2015, and was very fortunate to be admitted into a world-renowned physical therapy program for the next 11 months. I was frustrated because I couldn't move the way I once did, but I knew deep inside that I had to use this opportunity to show actual proof. Nichiren Daishonin writes: "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like the roar of a lion. What sickness can therefore be an obstacle?" ("Reply to Kyo'o," The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 412). Every day before and after rehab, I would chant to strengthen my resolve to regain full function of my body.

With the encouragement of my young men's leaders, I started to support intro-to-Buddhism meetings and enrolled in a junior college to continue my education. It was not easy, since I needed to review many of my high school courses because of the stroke, but I worked hard at it.

I joined the Gajokai Academy, an SGI young men's training group, and began doing Gajokai shifts consistently every Wednesday night at my local Buddhist center. Today, it is my honor to welcome members and guests, and to give back to the environment that has fully supported me through the darkest moments in my life.

When I started to participate regularly in SGI activities, my recovery accelerated. I was able to go to the Hall of the Great Vow for Kosen-rufu in Tokyo, and I recently attended two FNCC conferences. Although I still had remnants of anxiety, I was so inspired to hear the amazing faith experiences of other young men that it gave me the courage to begin sharing my own experience. That conference became a turning point in my life and my practice. I am proud to report that I am now able to drive myself to SGI activities and to school, where I am studying to become a substance abuse counselor. In addition, my body is almost completely functional and still improving every day. Recently, I was appointed a young men's vice district leader. These are tremendous victories for a person who was supposed to die, or destined to live in a long-term care facility.

With the sincere prayers and support of my SGI family, and looking toward the gathering of 50,000 youth in 2018, I am determined to share this Buddhism with as many individuals as I can, and have them experience the great joy of this practice.

I am a Bodhisattva of the Earth, and I will be victorious over and over again. I will defeat all the obstacles and challenges that lie ahead of me. I will do all of this with my mentor, President Ikeda, whose spirit inspired my parents to fight by my side, and enabled me to never give up.

by Kelvin Carr
ORANGE, CALIF.
The World Tribune, March 2017


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Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Beware of miniature camera





Lesson 3 out of 4


Level : Primary 2


Duration : 2 Hours per lesson, 2 lessons


Domain : Performing Arts – Drama


Lesson Title : SAVING MEMORIES - FROM PORTRAITS TO FAIRYTALES


Prior knowledge and skills


Students should be able to:

1. Listen to instructions from teacher

2. Work in small groups of 4 – 5

3. Control the body and limbs in stillness


Drama Objective/s


Students will be able to:


1) Make:

• Remain committed to the role-play by believing in the imaginary situation


2) Present:

• •Able to control the body in motion

• •Able to control movement and gestures

• •Able to hold positions in stillness





3) Respond:

• •Out-of-role:

i. Respond to the imaginary situation with their peers and the teacher

ii. Respond to the expressions, shapes and images formed by their peers




Value





• •Harmony





SE Competency

• •Relationship Management


Specific Skill

• •Showing empathy to others

• •Knowing how to work with others


Outcomes of SE Competency

Students will be able to

• •take turns during group activities

• •accept ideas offered by their peers


Materials Required

• Envelope

• A key on a ribbon

• Tambourine / Bell



Synopsis for the lesson:


The Wizard of Memories sent a letter to the class to inform them that they have to save *memories and stories. They can only save the memories and stories by getting special cameras to take pictures at different times and places. But the cameras are magically sealed within mirrors in the Room of Mirrors, and the room is protected by the Dragon of Bad Memories.


*Note: May need to explain to students that memories are things that happened in the past that they can still remember.





Steps

Description of Activity

Rationale Drama / SE Outcomes

Resources

Remarks

LESSON 1

1 PHASE 1: SETTING THE CONTEXT

Discussion (leading in)

Teacher asks some of the following questions:

• •What are some of your happy *memories?

(Teacher may explain it as things that happened in the past which they can still remember.)

• •What made them happy memories? Who were

you with?

• •What if we forget our happy memories? What

would happen to us? What if these happy memories get stolen?



• To introduce the context for the drama *Teachers

may need to discuss what are considered good memories and this is also an opportunity for them to get to know the students better.

2 Setting the scene

Teacher to inform the class that he/she has just received a letter addressed to the class.


Teacher’s script:

• •I have just received a letter that is addressed

to all of you. Shall I read it?


Teacher Narration

Dear children of XX from XX primary school, this is the Wizard of Memories and I am writing to you to seek your help.


If you do not help me, the happy memories of












Envelope with letter inside (can be typed)







Steps

Description of Activity

Rationale Drama / SE Outcomes

Resources

Remarks

children everywhere will be lost! I gave magical

cameras to all children in their hearts. When they have happy, beautiful and good memories, the children can take pictures of them so that they can remember these good memories in their hearts.


But now, these cameras have been taken away from them in their sleep!


I don’t know who or what did this terrible thing! What I know is that the cameras are sealed in magical mirrors and they are guarded by a large fierce dragon!


Only children can help free the cameras and take pictures of good memories once again!

Get your teacher to help you for this mission! Remember; work with your classmates to save our

memories!


Regards


Wizard of Memories







• •Should we help the wizard?

• •Teacher to turn over the letter, for instructions on

how the children can proceed.

• •Teacher to get students to form a big circle and

all to hold hands. Ask them to close their eyes

and together say “Let’s go save our memories!”

• •Teacher to look out in the distance, point to a part

of the room and tell the students “I think that’s where the dragon is! Shhhh! We do not want to wake the dragon. Come gather around me, let

me tell you what the wizard wrote to me about the dragon.”

• •Teacher to inform the students of the following,

(using a hushed tone to show urgency) and build a sense of mystery and belief in the story (main ideas):


Teacher Narration

This dragon is not just any dragon. It is a dragon made from the unhappy memories of children. The dragon of bad memories was not bad to begin with. He was once a (boy/girl) just like you, but because (he/she) keeps remembering only bad memories, (he/she) now only know how to be unhappy, angry and bad to everyone and him/herself. He/she made a wish for all memories to go away, forgetting that

he/she used to have good memories too – of her

friends and family. So he/she became a dragon, and the last good memory he/she had has now become

a key, a key to a room with many magic mirrors.


We can help save the Dragon of Bad Memories by taking the key to the room of mirrors where the magic cameras are kept. Once the dragon has lost its key, it will start to remember its good memories again, and will no longer be a dragon, and we can enter the room of mirrors!


*************************************


4 PHASE 2: BUILDING BELIEF


(Lead-in) Discuss with students:

• •What are examples of bad memories#?

• •What can bad memories do to you? (Examples of

possible responses by students) Do they make you feel sad, angry and unhappy?

• •How do we know someone is happy? Angry?

Sad? Can we show the expressions?

• •[Optional] Practise with the students showing

different facial expressions by showing them to each other. For e.g. sad, happy, angry, etc Teacher can get students to demonstrate facial expressions for the different feelings.











PRESENT

#Be sensitive to students’ responses at this point. This can be an opportunity

to get a sense of the emotional health of the class. Link to Form Teacher Guidance Period.


Setting up Teacher-in-Role

• •Inform the students that the teacher will pretend

to be the dragon. The dragon is blind but can hear really well and sense movement. So the

children can only steal the key from the dragon by quietly creeping up behind it.

• •But when it turns around, all the children have to

freeze and neither move nor make a sound. Anyone who moves or makes a sound will be taken out of the mission.

• •Teacher to sit on a chair at one end of the room

and the students on the other end. They are to move quietly up to the teacher when the teacher’s back is turned away from them.

• •Teacher to show them the key which is held

loosely by a ribbon.

• •Inform the children that they will practise a few

rounds with their partner first before they approach the dragon.


Teacher-in-Role

• •After practising a few rounds, announce to the

students that they will approach the Dragon themselves.

• •Teacher to take the seat, show the students

where he/she is holding the key and allow them to begin. TIR may growl or show angry face to indicate he/she is in role.

• •When one of the students has taken the key from

A key on a ribbon



This activity will take some time to set up. It is important

that students learn how to freeze immediately and hold

their bodies. The tense mood created will assist students to remain

committed to

the role-play and the story.



teacher-in-role, teacher will turn around and

thank the children from saving him/her from his/her bad memories.


Teacher Narration

Thank you for saving me! I was once a normal child just like you! But something bad happened to me. Someone in school was mean to me and I kept recalling this bad memory over and over and over until I forgot all of my good memories! Then slowly I became blind and turned into a dragon!


Now, I realise that my life has good memories too. Thank you! I can return to my family and friends now to make more good memories!


Discussion [out-of-role]

• Why did the dragon turn blind?

• •Do we all have good memories and bad ones?

• What do you think we should do with bad

memories? And what should we do with good memories?

• Should we be helping others make good

memories or bad memories?

• • Shall we help the dragon find his/her good

memories?



Outcome: Relating experiences to their lives / Evaluating impact of decision on self and others



5 PHASE 3A: DEEPENING BELIEF


Teacher Narration

The children enter the Room of mirrors and find it to be filled with many mirrors! What do they need to do?


On the side of the room, there are words written on it.


 [Read them aloud with the students]

*** 27 Apr ***

I see you, you see me. Do you feel what I feel?

Do you know what I know? Moving together as one Might be the answer.

*What do you think it means? 

(Teacher can demonstrate the actions as you read through the riddle)


• Teacher to discuss with students the meaning of the words. If students are unable to solve the riddle, the teacher can inform them that they have to mirror each other’s actions perfectly to release the magic cameras.




This can be shown on

the projector or written on the board.


*It is important to allow students to figure this out for themselves. It will be an “aha!” moment for them that will deepen their learning.




6 Setting-up

• •Pair students up.

• •Ask the pairs of students to spread around

the room.

• •Assign 1 student to be A and the other to be

B.

• •A will begin to face partner B. B has to mirror

everything that A does exactly.

o E.g. brush teeth, raise hands, make funny faces, make sad/angry/happy faces

• •Swop a few times.

• •Teacher can ask students to all freeze at

some point to check whether they are mirroring each other exactly.

• •Ask a few pairs of students (who are good

examples) to demonstrate to others.

• •Ask the other students for their comments on

how well others have done.


Discussion

• •Was it easy to mirror each other? How do you

feel?

• •Even if we can do the same action, can we

also feel what they feel?

• •So, how do we know what the other person is

feeling? PAL/SE:

•Take turns

during group activities

•Accept ideas

offered by their peers

END OF LESSON 1

______________________________


Lesson 4 out of 4

Level : Primary 2


Duration : 2 Hours per lesson, 2 lessons


Domain : Performing Arts – Drama


Lesson Title : SAVING MEMORIES - FROM PORTRAITS TO FAIRYTALES


Prior knowledge and skills


Students should be able to:

1. Listen to instructions from teacher

2. Work in small groups of 4 – 5

3. Control the body and limbs in stillness


Drama Objective/s


Students will be able to:


1) Make:
• Remain committed to the role-play by believing in the imaginary situation


2) Present:• •Able to control the body in motion

• •Able to control movement and gestures

• •Able to hold positions in stillness



3) Respond:
• Out-of-role

I. Respond to the imaginary situation with their peers and the teacher

II. Respond to the expression, shapes and images formed by their peers


Value


• Harmony


SE Competency

• •Relationship Management


Specific Skill

• •Showing empathy to others

• •Knowing how to work with others


Outcomes of SE Competency

Students will be able to

• •take turns during group activities

• •accept ideas offered by their peers


Materials Required
• Tambourine / Bell

• Drawing papers and colour pencils


Synopsis for the lesson:

The Wizard of Memories sent a letter to the class to inform them that they have to save *memories and stories. They can only save the memories and stories by getting special cameras to take pictures at different times and places. But the cameras are magically sealed within mirrors in the Room of Mirrors, and the room is protected by the Dragon of Bad Memories.
*Note: May need to explain to students that memories are things that happened in the past that they can still remember.


__________

LESSON 2
1 Re-cap lesson 1

• •Mission given by Wizard of Time and story of

Dragon of Bad Memories.


2 Warm-up activity

• •Repeat activities in steps 4 and 6 to lead into

lesson 2.

• •Get students to practice mirroring one last time,

and exclaim:


Yes! You did it! You were able to solve the riddle and the magic cameras are now released! What do you think are the good memories the dragon had?
• Buiils Drama routine.

• •Reinforcing

MAKING and

PRESENTING

Proceed faster than in lesson 1, as students are more familiar with the routine.


3 PHASE 3B: DEEPENING BELIEF

• •Show students the ‘camera’ that they can use

with their hands (index fingers and thumbs to form the shape of a rectangle).

• •Get students to form small groups of 3 – 4.

• •Give them the following instructions:

o Take turns to be the one taking the pictures (Teacher to assign them A,B, C or D)

o Each group is to take pictures / Freeze

Frames of the following scenario:

The dragon and his happy family

Dragon and his classmate studying

in school.

Dragon and his friends playing in

the playground.

o Facilitate each scenario by asking the students:

Who will be in the picture? How

can we show them? How are they feeling? What are they doing?

o Ask each group to present their best Freeze Frame and ask the rest of the class what is good about each group’s Freeze Frame.

o Encourage them to explain their choices.



PRESENT / RESPOND

PAL/SE:

•Take turns during group activities

•accept ideas offered by their peers


Insist that the students remain frozen

during their Freeze Frames.

If the earlier routines have been set in place, students will be able to hold still when

presenting to their peers.


4 PHASE 4: RESOLUTION
Discussion (reflection)

• •Ask students to show their expressions when

they think of bad memories [ask them to show one another].

• •Ask students to show their expressions when

they think of good memories [show one another]

• •Ask the following questions:

o Do we want more good or bad memories?

o With our family, how do we make good

memories with one another?

o How do we make good memories for others?

o In school, how do we make good memories with one another?


Outcome: Relating experiences to their lives / Evaluating impact of decision on self and others


5

[optional]
Variation 1

Ask each student to draw a picture on one of the following:

• •How the children saved the Dragon of Bad

Memories,

• •How the children break the spell of the mirrors

and released the magic cameras.

• •Pictures of happy memories.


Variation 2
Each students to create an instruction list for their friends on how to make good memories. This can be done through drawings or words or both. For example:

• Be nice to your friends.

• Remember your friends’ birthdays.

• Help your friends whenever they are in need.


Drawing paper and colour pencils

END OF LESSON 2

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

笑是什么?|笑是神。生气是什么?生气是鬼

看完一定记得发给我、别问为什么、看完你就知道了。
笑是什么?|笑是神。生气是什么?生气是鬼。你一笑,神就来。你一气,鬼就来。神一来,鬼就得走|,这叫神出鬼没。
你每天要是高高兴兴,乐乐呵呵,就能把病饿死。病靠吃气活着,疮靠吃火活着。一个是水,一个是饭。你不生气,你不上火,就等于不给病水喝,不给病饭吃。没吃没喝,病就自然饿死。你总是快快乐乐,不但不长毛病,办事还顺利,这不是真理,是生活。
照顾好自己的身体,对自己健康负责,世界上所有的东西都不是你的、唯有身体才是自己的。
今明两天是最疼朋友日,转给你最疼的15个朋友,你听好,认识你一辈子值了,想起谁就发出去,发给15个人,也包括我,如果有三个人回,你的愿望将在10月底就实现, 不许不发,因为我要你幸福!


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Friday, April 7, 2017

Home - Cmap

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