All You Need to Teach - Info Literacy 10+

Sixth Year at School
In other places
Discuss the different cultures represented in the
class, or in the school, to explore celebrations which
involve giving and receiving gifts.
What is the reason for the celebration?
When is it held?
What sorts of gifts are given?
What customs are associated with the gift-giving?
Are the gifts the most important part of the
celebration?
Create a class wiki to share the information. Follow
the instructions on one of the wiki websites to
add and edit information and then have students
explore how the advanced features could be used
to make a more interesting presentation.
The value of gifts
Discuss the importance of the value of a gift and
ask students whether gifts have to be large or
expensive to be appreciated.
What was the best gift you ever received? Why?
Does ‘value’ mean the same as ‘cost’?
Does a homemade gift have the same value as a
store-bought one?
Encourage students to listen to and respond to
others’ contributions. Have them reflect on the
content of the discussion.
Whose contribution made a particular impact on
you? Why?
What did you learn?
Has your understanding or attitude changed
because of what you have heard?
Giving more
Invite students to discuss ways in which people give
to their community, without expecting to receive
anything in return. Remind them that a gift does
not always have to be something bought but can
be the gift of someone’s time. Prompt them with
suggestions, such as:
• donating blood
• volunteer fire-fighting
• surf life-saving
• working for animal charities such as the WWF
or the RSPCA
• donating clothes and household items to charities.
Invite them to research one of these options and
make a brief presentation to the class about the
impact of this type of giving.
In the family
Discuss how students might give to their families—
such as helping with jobs around the house or
taking part in special projects. Suggest ways to
make this interesting and fun. One possibility might
be for students to create a gift certificate to give to
their parents or someone special, which requires the
student to give their time and energy, for example
‘This voucher entitles you to a day without washing
up’ or ‘This voucher entitles you to an hour of quiet
time (without any interruptions from children)’.
Have students create these certificates and decorate
them. If these are given before the end of term,
have students discuss the reaction they received
when they were presented, and how successful they
were at completing the ‘gifts’ on the certificates.
What makes personal gifts like these so special?
Can you put a price or a value on your time?
What do you think is the most precious gift you
can give?
What does ‘It is better to give than to receive’ mean?
Do you think it is true?
Can you think of an example which illustrates this?
Making a difference
Ask students to choose a charity website on which
it is possible to purchase gifts to be given to families
in need in developing countries. These gifts might
include such things as tree seedlings or an animal,
such as a pig or goat. Have the class select a gift
and plan and prepare activities to raise the money
to purchase it. Keep a photographic diary of the
plans and preparation. Another possibility is to have
the class sponsor a child in a developing country.
Have students share their feelings about being
involved in this project.
What the world needs now
Play a song which has a theme of world peace and
harmony. Discuss.
What message do you think the songwriter was
trying to convey?
If you could give the world a gift, what would it be?
Create a display to share students’ responses.
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