😊 Talk It Out Tuesday, Week 14 🌈 INTELLECTUAL for DEC. 22, 2020

"John Steptoe's luminous illustrations, which were inspired by the flora and fauna of Zimbabwe, reflect the beauty, warmth, and internal vision of the land and people of his ancestors." (Book 10 of 13). The Morgan County Partnership's Positive Action SEL and Wellness Programs present "Little Leaders" written by Vashti Harrison. From PBS, "This Caldecott Award winning book is inspired by a traditional African folktale that is a classic Cinderella story. It also introduces children to the history and culture of Zimbabwe." Next, "easy questions to talk about the hard stuff!" FOR FAMILIES/CLASSROOM TEACHERS, HERE ARE STUDENT ACTIVITIES/DISCUSSION PROMPTS: Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters Literature Guide Before Reading. ASK: Is it important to be kind even if no one knows it was you who did the kind act? During Reading. ASK: Stop several times to ask the student to predict what might happen next. ... After Reading. ASK: When do you think the king decided that Nyasha was the one to become queen? Here are Violet's "LET"S TALK ABOUT IT!" questions: *This story is an example of an African folktale, passed down for generations by word of mouth. The character' names come from the Shona language and the illustrationsshow native African plants and animals. *Think about how this story is similar to the familiar Cinderella. Compare and contrast Nyasha and Manyara to Cinderella and her stepsisters. *There are Cinderella folktales from all over the world! Research images of Yeh Shen: A Cinderella Story from China; The Egyptian Cinderella, or The Rough Face Girl to see more! Have fun searching on your school devices! MORE TO DO: (go to: https://www.prindleinstitute.org/book...) Questions for Philosophical Discussion Morality What is Manyara’s personality like in this story? What is Nyasha’s personality like in this story? Whose personality is yours most similar to? Who becomes queen, and what do you think the author’s point is? Do you agree or disagree with this point? Do you think someone who is selfish is worse than someone who is altruistic/kind to others? Why or why not? Gender What is Nyasha’s reward in the story? What do you think of this reward? What do kings and queens have that ordinary people do not? What do they not have that ordinary people have? Would you want to become king/queen? Why or why not? Do you think someone who is selfish is worse than someone who is altruistic/kind to others? Why or why not? Should a king have a different personality than a queen? If so, what should those differences be? Is Nyasha’s personality good for being a good queen? Why or why not? Beauty What makes a king or queen “worthy”? What makes anybody “worthy”? What does it mean to be “worthy”? In the story, the King desires “The Most Worthy and Beautiful”. Does being beautiful make someone more or less worthy. Are beauty and worth different things? Why does the King want someone who is worthy and beautiful, instead of just worthy, or just beautiful? Happiness Mufaro, the girls’ father, is described as completely happy, because he does not know that Manyara is mean. Can one be truly happy if one does not know the truth about one’s situation? Would you rather have the happiness you could have by believing lies, or would you rather have unhappiness that comes from knowing the truth? Why? What about for someone you loved? Would you rather someone you love, like your parent, believe something that is a lie and be happy, or would you rather them know the truth and be less happy? Would you tell someone you loved the truth, if you thought it might hurt them? Should Manyara have told her father the truth? How about Nyasha? If Nyasha had told her father the truth, would she have been being nice to him, or mean? Do you agree that Nyasha is a very nice daughter since she does not tell her father the truth? Ethics The King deceives Manyara and Nyasha by pretending to be a snake and by having them pass tests without telling them. Was this a good idea? What was the purpose, and what did it accomplish? Was the King successful? If you were the King, would you have done something similar? Do you think the King was unfair to Manyara and Nyasha by deceiving them, or do you think it was okay to deceive them? Why? Is it okay, in general, to deceive people? If so, why? If not, why not? Are there special cases where it is okay, like the situation in the story? What makes this a special case? How do we know if a case is a special case? Original questions and guidelines for philosophical discussion by Daniel Lowinger. Edited June 2020 by The Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics. Presented weekly by the Morgan County Partnership's Positive programming, follow here: Subscribe to youtube.com/user/hottfamily6 Follow Instagram @positiveactions.mcp positiveactionsmcp.blogspot.com Free Mobile App from Apple Store and GooglePlay