The Tikkun Project
Lesson
6
Investigating the Needs of Our Neighbours
Concept
Genuine care (Ve'ahavta) requires us to understand a person's actual needs before we try to help them.
Focus Question
What are the most important things to consider if we want to help someone get the healthy food they need? How can we make sure our helpful ideas are actually safe and useful for our friends?
Knowledge & Understanding Goals
Kindergarten Program (2016), Belonging and Contributing frame, Overall Expectation 1: Communicate with others in a variety of ways, for a variety of purposes, and in a variety of contexts.
Kindergarten Program (2016), Problem Solving and Innovating frame, Overall Expectation 4: Demonstrate an ability to use problem-solving skills in a variety of social contexts.
Thinking & Learning Skills
Social Skills (Empathy & Perspective-Taking): Developing sensitivity to the unvoiced or hidden needs of others.
Learner Profile Connection (Caring): Students show empathy, compassion, and respect toward the needs and feelings of others.
Context
Now that students have established what a healthy, balanced eating plan looks like (Lesson 5), they shift from personal health to community awareness. A content note: this lesson uses a story where a child temporarily hides a friend's food insecurity as a secret -- this is the lesson where the unit's general caution about approaching food security thoughtfully most concretely applies.
Lesson Outline
RECONNECTING TO OUR CORE TEXT
Practice the established Ve'ahavta L'reyacha Kamocha gestures. Explain that today's story is about two friends -- one who wants to live out this text, but discovers a hidden problem.
READING AND THINKING
Read Maddi's Fridge by Lois Brandt aloud. Sofia learns her friend Maddi's family doesn't have enough money to fill their fridge, and promises to keep it secret.
Pause at the climax: How does Sofia try to help at first (sneaking fish sticks and nuts)? Test against the "Great Plan" criteria from Lesson 3 -- helpful, doable, lasting? Did the fish sticks stay fresh?
Finish the book: Sofia realizes some secrets are unsafe to keep, and a trusted adult can create a real, dignified, lasting food plan. Pause when Sofia is wrestling with her secret promise. Students mimic putting on a "thinking cap" and whisper advice to a partner.
LOOKING AHEAD
Let students know a guest expert will visit next lesson to teach them how the community fills empty fridges safely.
Notes for Teaching and Evaluation
Testing Sofia's first plan against the same Lesson 3 criteria reinforces that "helpful, doable, lasting" is a reusable tool.