📖

Gifts That Last Forever

Bridge to Terabithia - Loss and Hope

Day 50of 180
Week 10of 36
35Minutes
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🖨️ Download Worksheet (PDF)
🎯 What You'll Learn

Learning Objectives

1

Analyze the transformative power of friendship

2

Explore themes of loss and hope through literary reflection

3

Create a personal response connecting the novel's themes to personal experience

📖 Scripture Connection

Proverbs 17:17

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

— Proverbs 17:17 (WEB)

Highlights the deep meaning of true friendship explored in the novel

📦 Materials Needed

  • Novel 'Bridge to Terabithia'
  • Journal or writing paper
  • Colored pencils or markers
  • Handout with reflection prompts
📚 Step-by-Step

Lesson Plan

1Opening (5 min)

Gather students in a circle and recap the novel's journey, focusing on Jess and Leslie's friendship

💭 Review Question: How did Leslie change Jess's life?
2Teaching (10 min)

Discuss how friendships can transform us and help us grow, drawing parallels between the novel and biblical concepts of friendship

📌 Key Talking Points:
  • True friendship reveals our potential
  • Friends can help us see the world differently
  • Friendship is a gift from God
💬 Discussion Questions:
  • What made Jess and Leslie's friendship special?
  • How did Leslie help Jess become braver?
  • How can we be good friends to others?
3Activity: Friendship Legacy Reflection (15 min)
writing

Students write a reflective piece about a friendship that has changed them

📝 Instructions:
  1. Think about a friend who has impacted your life
  2. Write about how they helped you grow
  3. Draw a small illustration representing your friendship
  4. Share optional elements with the class
🔄 Variations:

Simpler: Write 3-5 sentences about a friend

Challenge: Create a detailed narrative exploring friendship's transformative power

4Closing (5 min)

Share selected reflections and connect to the day's learning

📝 Review Questions:
  • What did you learn about friendship today?
  • How can we be better friends?
🙏 Prayer:

Dear God, thank you for the gift of friendship and for showing us how to love one another.

Coming up: Next week, we'll explore more stories of hope and connection

💎 Memory Verse

Proverbs 17:17

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

— Proverbs 17:17 (WEB)

🎯 Activity: Create a friendship bracelet while reciting the verse

👨‍👩‍👧 For Parents

Teaching Notes

📚 Background:

The lesson focuses on processing loss and understanding friendship's transformative power

💡 Teaching Tips:
  • Encourage sensitive discussion about loss
  • Help children understand that grief is normal
  • Validate emotional responses
🤔 Common Struggles:

Children might find discussing loss emotionally challenging

👀 Signs of Understanding:

Empathy, reflection, and understanding of friendship's depth

🚀 Want More?

Extension Activities

  • Create a friendship scrapbook
  • Write a letter to a friend explaining their importance
  • Draw a comic strip about a friendship that changed someone's life

Ready for Tomorrow?

Great job completing today's lesson!

Continue to Day 51 →Back to Literature