Integrity
Perseverance
Cooperation
Self-Discipline
Fairness
Citizenship
Caring
Respect
Responsibility
Peace
EmpathyCooperatiion: an act or instance of working or acting together for a common purpose or benefit; joint action.
More or less active assistance from a person, organization, etc.:
Anansi and His Six Sons, An Ashanti Story from Africa
QAR 1. On My Own: Have you ever been given a gift from someone, but it wasn't just for you...it was for you and your brothers and sisters. How did that make you feel when you had to share a gift? What kinds of things can you do to share one gift? What if someone gave you and your family a ball to play with. How can you cooperate so no one gets his/her feelings hurt? What kind of things can someone do that is not cooperating? How does that make others feel?
Time was, Anansi had six sons. First son was called See Trouble. Second son was Road Builder. Third son was called River Drinker. Next son was Game Skinner. Another son was Rock Thrower and the youngest son was cushion. They were all good sons.
One time Anansi went a long way from home. He found found a glowing ball in the road. "I'll take this home to my family." He said. He tried to pick up the ball but it rolled into the river. Anansi jumped into the river and just as he grabbed the ball, a giant fish swallowed him.
Back at home, see trouble shut his eyes and saw his father in danger. "Father has been swallowed by a fish!" He cried. "It will take us days to get through the forest! He is lost"
Road builder said "Follow me!" Off he went, making a road through the forest. They travelled fast on the road. When they got to the river, Road builder cried out. "How will we find father in the river?"
River Drinker took a big drink. The river was gone. There was nothing left but a giant fish. River drinker cried out "How will we get him out of the fish?"
Game skinner split the fish open. And Anansi was free. Suddenly a falcon game and took Anansi up into the sky.
Rock thrower took aim and threw a giant rock at the falcon. It hit the bird so hard it dropped Anansi. "Our father is going to hit the ground and die!"
But Cushion ran to where his father was falling. He softened the fall of his father.
His father held out the glowing ball. I want to give this to the son that rescued me. But which son deserves it most? Without see trouble, no one would have known I was in the fish. Without Road builder, you wouldn't have come to me in time. Without River drinker, you would have never found the fish. WIthout Gameskinner, you wouldn't have been able to get me out of the fish. Without Rock Thrower, I would have been carried away by the Falcon. Without Cushion, I would have fallen to my death.
I shall ask Nyame, the Sky God! He will know what to do.
So Anansi went to the Sky god. Sky god took the ball and said. " Yes I know what to do" and he put the ball in the sky. He keeps it there for all to see. It is still there. It will always be there. It is there tonight.
2. Right there: What happened to Anansi? What are the names of the 6 sons?
3. Think and Search: Why were the sons given their names? How did their special gifts help in saving Anansi? Discuss ways that the sons showed cooperation.
4. Author and Me: It was Anansi who had trouble trying to decide to whom he should give the glowing ball. Who do you think deserved it the most? Would giving the ball to one of his sons caused a problem with the others- why or why not. If the ball had been given to one of the sons, how could the sons have cooperated to make eveyone happy? Why do you think Nyame did not give the glowing ball to one of the sons? Why do you think he put it up in the sky? Was that fair or not fair? Can you think of any other way this story could have ended? Discuss why answers are fair or not fair.
Discuss ways to be cooperative on this helpful webpage: http://www.goodcharacter.com/YCC/Cooperation.html
Discuss how any of these may apply to "Anansi and his Six Sons."
