Forgiveness Buddy Session 1: Introduction

FORGIvENESS Buster’s Growing Grudge

Materials

Arthur Character Cards: Buster, Binky Vocabulary List (optional)

Objective: Students explore the interactive comic with buddies to help them gain an understanding of what it means to let go of feeling angry, upset, or disappointed with someone who as hurt you or done something wrong. Book Corner

Bruchac, Joseph The First Strawberries Havill, Juanita Jamaica’s Blue Marker Jones, Rebecca C. Matthew and Tilly Marshalll, James George and Martha Mulcahy, William Zach Apologizes Rockliff, Mara The Grudge Keeper Udry, Janice May Let’s Be Enemies

30–45

minutes

FORGI v ENESS LITTLE B UDDY S ESSION 1: Introduction

Preview the story

Introduce the concept and the main idea of the story. You might want to say: The next story you will listen to with your Big Buddies is called Buster’s Growing Grudge. Who knows what a grudge is? <pause for responses> A grudge is when you think badly of someone and are upset with them because you think that they did something wrong to you. And when you “hold” onto a grudge?, it means that you can’t let go of your bad feelings about that person.

There are two main characters in this story: Buster and Binky. Point to their Character Cards. In the story, Binky does something to upset Buster. Buster can’t forgive Binky and develops a grudge against Binky. Buster has to figure out how holding onto his grudge affects his feelings, his thoughts, his behavior, and the people around him. You’ll be talking with your Big Buddy about why it’s sometimes so hard to forgive someone.

Introduce and discuss: forgiveness

Buster’s Growing Grudge helps students reflect on the concept of forgiveness as they explore what happens when Buster struggles to forgive his friend Binky.

Begin the introduction of the topic by telling a real-life experience you have had with holding onto a grudge. This may help students begin to grasp the concept in a real life context and it can also help them feel comfortable talking about forgiveness when they meet their Big Buddies. Then you can ask What do you think it means to forgive someone? <pause for responses> How does it feel to forgive someone? Can you think of a time when you had to forgive someone? Do you think it can sometimes be hard to forgive someone? When?

Has anyone ever hurt your feelings? <pause for responses> This can make you feel angry, upset, or disappointed. If you can’t get over your bad feelings, it can be difficult to forgive that person, and you can develop a grudge against him or her. When you forgive someone, you stop feeling angry or disappointed. You might do this because someone has shown you that he or she is truly sorry. Now talk about how someone might decide to forgive a person even if he or she doesn't apologize. You might say: When you forgive someone, it makes you feel better because you realize it's not making you feel good to stay angry anymore! How long does it take to forgive someone? There’s no set time on how long it takes to forgive someone—sometimes forgiving someone happens quickly, and sometimes it takes a really long time.

Encourage students to share their experiences and thoughts about forgiveness. You may need to prompt them with questions like these: •Have you ever held a grudge against someone? What happened?

•Have you ever forgiven a friend or a sibling for something they did or said? Why did you forgive him or her? How did you feel after you forgave him or her?

•Would it make a difference to you if someone apologizes? Why or why not?

•How do you feel when you forgive someone? How do you feel when you don’t forgive someone?