Why Comics? KS2 PSHE Lesson Plan

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Why Comics? KS2 PSHE Lesson Plan

Why Comics? Key Stage 2 (age 7-11) PSHE Lesson Plan: Understanding Bereavement and Grief

IntroductionLooking to engage your students in contemporary human rights and social issues? Based at SOAS University of London, Why Comics? Education Charity brings contemporary humanitarian and social issues into the classroom (such as racism, conflict, migration, trafficking and climate change) through interactive literary comic books based on real-life testimony.

Our free easy-to-use KS2-5 resources build empathy and enhance learning for 7-18-year-old students and teachers alike, alongside UK national-curriculum relevant lesson plans to support multiple subjects.

Each sample UK National Curriculum based Lesson Plan is provided as a Word.doc – so you can use it as a building block. Please feel free to adjust the content to suit your teaching style and students’ needs, all the content is only suggested.

Our innovative resources help enhance learning to support multiple subjects (such as English, ESOL, Personal, Social, Health and Economic [PSHE] education, Citizenship Studies, Art, Media Studies and Geography). Our support materials are intended to inspire teachers and enhance teaching practices and different ideas.

Why Comics? resources are embedded with a wealth of age-appropriate contextual multimedia (such as news articles, maps, videos, infographics and reports) to educate and inspire pupils across a wide demographic.

Our materials encourage learners to make connections between their own lives and the lives of others throughout the world, promoting critical and reflective thinking on vital global themes. In this way, Why Comics? can help combat racism and intolerance in schools.

Already, over 600 schools in 27 countries have provided detailed feedback on our free interactive educational resources to overwhelmingly positive feedback. From September 2017, our materials will be disseminated to over 25,000 schools worldwide.

Please help us by filling out a short anonymous SurveyMonkey questionnaire after you have used our materials for our funders. This helps ensure that our great resources remain free.

Please email info@whycomics.org for more information. Thank you.Why Comics? Charity number - 1172791

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Why Comics? KS2 PSHE Lesson Plan

Table of ContentsIntroduction.............................................................................................................................................1

UK National Curriculum PSHE requirements..............................................................................................2

Suggested Why Comics? PSHE Lesson Plan for Enrique’s Shadow: Understanding Bereavement and Grief 3

Aims.............................................................................................................................................................3

Learning Objectives......................................................................................................................................3

Lesson plan 1:...............................................................................................................................................3

Follow-up Lesson Plan: Helping Those in Grief..........................................................................................5

Aims.............................................................................................................................................................5

Learning Objectives......................................................................................................................................5

Lesson plan 2................................................................................................................................................5

Feedback..................................................................................................................................................6

Future Plans..............................................................................................................................................6

Who backs Why Comics? - About PositiveNegatives..................................................................................7

UK National Curriculum PSHE requirements:[Source: UK Gov KS2 PSHE Subject content and assessment objectives ]

Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is an important and necessary part of all pupils’ education. All schools should teach PSHE, drawing on good practice, and this expectation is outlined in the introduction to the proposed new national curriculum.

PSHE is a non-statutory subject. To allow teachers the flexibility to deliver high-quality PSHE we consider it unnecessary to provide new standardised frameworks or programmes of study. PSHE can encompass many areas of study. Teachers are best placed to understand the needs of their pupils and do not need additional central prescription.

However, while we believe that it is for schools to tailor their local PSHE programme to reflect the needs of their pupils, we expect schools to use their PSHE education programme to equip pupils with a sound understanding of risk and with the knowledge and skills necessary to make safe and informed decisions.

Schools should seek to use PSHE education to build, where appropriate, on the statutory content already outlined in the national curriculum, the basic school curriculum and in statutory guidance on: drug education, financial education, sex and relationship education (SRE) and the importance of physical activity and diet for a healthy lifestyle.

Please note teaching notes are in purple.

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Why Comics? KS2 PSHE Lesson Plan

Suggested Why Comics? PSHE Lesson Plan for Enrique’s Shadow: Understanding Bereavement and Grief

This lesson covers the topic of Bereavement. Around 92% of children will have lost someone important to them by the time they reach 16 (see The Guardian), which makes it an important PSHE topic. Enrique’s Shadow, the comic featured in this lesson, tells the story of one family’s grief when their son went missing in conflict-affected Colombia.

Below is the suggested PSHE lesson plan about bereavement told through the eyes of Enrique’s family and a suggested follow-up lesson plan. Both lessons are 45 minutes long, consisting of a reading in class, followed by group discussion and an assigned homework. The class can either read the comic collectively via projector, or at home via the web (www.whycomics.org).

Aims:

This session will focus on Bereavement/Grief:

Students will read a story about missing people in Colombia Students will learn about grief by identifying with one of the characters in Enrique’s

Shadow Students about what bereavement is and how it can be experienced.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this session, students will be able to:

Understand some of the problems faced by those living in Colombia Understand grief from the perspective of a character in Enrique’s Shadow Define grief and some of the ways it can be experienced.

Lesson plan 1:

1. Read through the comic as a group – Project the story in class and go through the comic panel by panel. (20 mins)

Teacher’s Note

Before starting the class warn students that the topic will be grief and bereavement which some people may find distressing. At the end of the lesson signpost various organisations the

students can contact if feel upset by the lesson eg. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) or the Childhood Bereavement Network.

2. Classroom Discussion – Discuss the following points as a class or in smaller groups: What is bereavement? How can you tell that Jacinta and Mariana are experiencing grief? Does everyone experience grief/bereavement in the same way?

(20 mins)

Teacher’s Notes[ Source: Red Cross ]

What is bereavement?

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Why Comics? KS2 PSHE Lesson Plan

The word bereave comes from the Old English word ‘bereafian’ which means to rob. Today, bereavement is mostly used to describe the experience of being ‘robbed’ of someone you care about, especially through death.

How do people grieve?

They may range from intense sadness and crying through to confusion, anger, guilt, anxiety, numbness, loneliness, apathy. It is common to move quickly from one feeling to another, with an underlying sense of bewilderment and loss. Many children will experience periods of happiness and joy, or outright denial. Everyone is different, and there is no right or wrong way to grieve.

What do young people who are grieving want and need?

Most likely, they want the person who has died back again. That's what they want, and what they cannot have. Therein lies the pain. But while many young people experience strong feelings following a bereavement, high numbers report never having spoken to anyone about it.

What doesn't help?

Many of us worry that mentioning the bereavement or the person who has died can somehow make the situation worse. It’s not easy to bring up the subject with a bereaved person. But it is very unlikely that a few kind words will do anything except show that other people care.

Living with a bereavement that isn’t acknowledged at all can feel very lonely and isolating, with the added pressure of feeling like you have to pretend that everything is fine. Simply being warm, open and normal, without ignoring the young person’s situation and feelings, can feel really supportive.

How long does the grieving process last?

You never get over a death. But most people get used to living with it. There are no rules as to how long that takes. The first year following bereavement isn’t always the worst – it could just as easily be the second, or fourth.

Some circumstances can make it harder to deal with grief, for example, a refusal to accept that the death has happened, a lack of support, family disagreements, mixed feelings towards the dead person, unresolved grief from another bereavement or having no body to mourn.

What external sources of help exist?

Most families manage to deal with bereavement on their own, but if more help is needed, the local GP can be a helpful first port of call. Other sources of help include a child bereavement service, the school nurse or another specialist service such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) or the Childhood Bereavement Network. The UK-wide Winston’s Wish Helpline – 0845 20 30 40 5 – offers support, information and guidance to anyone caring for a bereaved child or young person.

3. Homework – Ask the class to write down 5 different ways people might show that they are grieving. (5 mins)

Please help us by filling out a short anonymous SurveyMonkey questionnaire after you have used our materials for our funders. This helps ensure that our great resources remain free.

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Why Comics? KS2 PSHE Lesson Plan

Please email info@whycomics.org for more information. Thank you.

Follow-up Lesson PlanHelping Those in Grief

Aims: This session will focus on helping people experiencing grief. Students will:

Learn about the experience of others’ grief Be encouraged to consider how their behaviour can affect others Think about different ways to help people who are bereaved.

Learning Objectives:By the end of this session, students will be able to:

Understand grief from the perspective of others Apply their new knowledge about grief to their own behaviour Understand how to help people who are bereaved.

Lesson plan 2:

1. Summarise the previous lesson: recap on the comic and on what the class discussed. (10 mins)2. Classroom Discussion – Have a class discussion about how to help people who are grieving.

Discuss some things you can say or do to help them. (20 mins)3. Focus Groups – Ask the class to split into groups and come up with at least 5 ways to help a

friend who is grieving. (15 mins)

Teacher’s Notes[ Source: Help Guide ]

While many of us worry about what to say to a grieving person, it’s actually more important to know how to listen. Oftentimes, well-meaning people avoid talking about the death or change the subject when the deceased person is mentioned. But the bereaved need to feel that their loss is acknowledged, it’s not too terrible to talk about, and their loved one won’t be forgotten. By listening compassionately, you can take your cues from the grieving person. Never try to force someone to open up, but let your grieving loved one know that you’re there to listen if they want to talk about their loss.

If the deceased’s name comes up, talk candidly about them rather than steering away from the subject. When it seems appropriate, ask sensitive questions—without being nosy—that invite the grieving person to openly express their feelings. By simply asking, “Do you feel like talking?” you’re letting your loved one know that you’re available to listen.

Accept and acknowledge all feelings. Let the grieving person know that it’s okay to cry in front of you, to get angry, or to break down. Don’t try to reason with them over how they should or shouldn’t feel. Grief is a highly emotional experience, so the bereaved need to feel free to express their feelings—no matter how irrational—without fear of judgment, argument, or criticism.

Be willing to sit in silence. Don’t press if the grieving person doesn’t feel like talking. Often, comfort for them comes from simply being in your company. If you can’t think of something to say, just offer eye contact, a squeeze of the hand, or a reassuring hug.

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Why Comics? KS2 PSHE Lesson Plan

Let the bereaved talk about how their loved one died. People who are grieving may need to tell the story over and over again, sometimes in minute detail. Be patient. Repeating the story is a way of processing and accepting the death. With each retelling, the pain lessens. By listening patiently and compassionately, you’re helping your loved one heal.

Offer comfort and reassurance without minimizing the loss. Tell the bereaved that what they’re feeling is okay. If you’ve gone through a similar loss, share your own experience if you think it would help. Remember, though, that grief is an intensely individual experience. No two people experience it exactly the same way, so don’t claim to “know” what the person is feeling, or compare your grief to theirs, or offer unsolicited advice. Again, put the emphasis on listening instead, and ask your loved one to tell you how they’re feeling.

FeedbackPlease help us by filling out a short anonymous SurveyMonkey questionnaire for our funders. This will help keep our great resources free. We will be happy to hear about how it works in the classroom, and are keen to receive any comments or feedback.

We are particularly interested if you would like to receive more resources like this. If so please include on the SurveyMonkey questionnaire which topics you would like us to cover (e.g. Divorce, Migration, Racism/Prejudice, Cyber/Bullying, Identity, Memory, Racism, Conflict, Natural Disasters, Human Trafficking/Slavery, Asylum/Refugees, Homelessness, Climate Change, Remittances & Migrant Workers, and Drug Trafficking & Addiction).

We are also interested to have feedback from pupils so if it is possible, please pass on the SurveyMonkey questionnaire link to them as well. Many thanks again, your help is most appreciated.

Future Plans

Over the coming year, we’re intending to expand our bank of database for KS2 (age 7-11) and KS3 (age 11-14) and KS4-5 (age 14-18) and their teachers, and produce national curriculum based accompanying lesson plans for multiple subjects. You can view all our resources on our Teachers Resources page.

We will continue to design and test our resources to ensure that they are made by teachers for teachers.

If you would like any more information or would like to be involved further, please contact info@whycomics.org. Thank you.

With very best wishes,

Dr Benjamin Dix

Director: Why Comics? Education CharitySenior Fellow: SOAS University of London

Web: http://www.whycomics.org/Email: info@whycomics.org Twitter and Instagram: @WhyComicsOrg Facebook: Why Comics? Education Charity

Why Comics? Education Charity is based at the Faber Building, SOAS University of London.Why Comics? Charity number - 1172791

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Why Comics? KS2 PSHE Lesson Plan

Who backs Why Comics? - About PositiveNegatives

The award-winning non-profit PositiveNegatives produce literary comics, animations and podcasts about contemporary social and human rights issues. We combine ethnographic research with illustration and photography, adapting personal testimonies into art, education and advocacy materials. Since 2012, PositiveNegatives has worked extensively for an array of international organisations such as United Nations (UN), Overseas Development Institute (ODI), Open Society Foundations (OSF), The Nobel Peace Centre, The Guardian, BBC, and with leading academic institutions such as; Harvard South Asia Centre, SOAS University of London and University of Sussex.

Our work endeavours to combine literature, journalism and education. Visual story-telling engages audiences of all ages, backgrounds and levels of literacy. Approaching subjects like conflict and forced migration through the prism of personal narratives emotionally engages general readers and students alike. We have developed comics from research, policy papers and first hand testimonies for organisations such as these and many more. Each comic has reached millions of viewers, and many have been translated into multiple languages reaching diverse international stakeholders.

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