Diversity- Chicken Soup: A Russian Tale of Giving

WALT:

To understand the diversity which exists in our community/country

Success Criteria:

Relate the story to my community and my own experiences
State and explain the moral of the story

BEFORE READING THE TEXT:

Talk to those around you and share a time when you gave something away and it was easy, and a time when you gave something away and it was hard. Briefly describe how the experiences were different and the same for you.

Chicken Soup: A Russian Tale of Giving

A Russian Tsar wanted to learn what life was like for other people in his country. So nobody could guess who he was, he put on some shabby clothes and then set off on a walking tour around the country.

He was hungry and cold when he came to a small old hut in a small village at the bank of the river near the forest. There was so much snow that it took him a long time to find the hut's door. He could hardly speak when he finally knocked. A peasant opened the door and saw a stranger who was cold and tired. So he invited the man into the house and sat him down in the warmest part of the only room, just near the stove. The peasant had many children and too little food. But when the family saw that their guest had a cough, they cooked soup from the only chicken they had.

It seemed to the Tsar that he had never tasted such a delicious dish! He was impressed by their generosity.

"I want to do something equal for you, but I am afraid I can't," said the Tsar. "You gave me the last chicken you had."

"Oh, never mind! It's too bad to catch a cold while traveling here in winter. And the hot chicken soup will help you to feel much better," answered the peasant.

"Thank you, kind man," said the Tsar. He counted all the tiny drops of fat in his chicken soup and handed the peasant a gold coin for each one. The astonished family couldn't believe that the guest in their home was the Tsar!

The Tsar continued his travel around the country.

A rich neighbor heard the story about the Tsar's visit and the money he gave the peasant's family for a bowl of chicken soup. So he decided to get some money, too.

When he saw the Tsar, he rushed into the street and invited the Tsar into his nice big house. His housekeeper cooked a delicious chicken soup, and the man treated the Tsar with it, pretending that he didn't know who the guest was. "Try our simple dish, my dear friend! You are tired and hungry after a long trip," said the rich man, smiling.

"Thank you, kind man," answered the Tsar. "You deserve something for your kindness and hospitality. I'll pay you as many gold coins as there are fat drops in my chicken soup bowl."

But the chicken soup had only one big, thick layer of fat, because it was cooked from the biggest and fattest chicken the rich man had.

So the Tsar left the house, and a small gold coin was left on the table.

After reading the text, answer the questions and get into groups of four to discuss your answers. I DO NOT want you grouping up with your regular groups. Mix between boys and girls and spread out around the class:

Questions for Activity and Discussions as groups: (REMEMBER TO WRITE THE QUESTION IN THE ANSWER PLEASE!

Both the peasant and the rich neighbour shared hospitality and food with the stranger. Did their gifts have the same meaning for the Tsar? Why?
How did the Tsar express gratitude?
The Russian Tsar wanted to learn what life was like for the people in his country. Do our nation's leaders try to understand what life is like for people here? How?
In the story, there were great differences in the resources available to each family. Is that true in our community? Why?
Does your culture value giving? How do you know?
What is the moral of this story? What does it mean to you?

EXTENSION ACTIVITY:

Get yourselves into diverse small groups of four, and in your small groups, rewrite the story from your cultures' perspectives, i.e. "Chicken Soup, A Maori Story of Giving," or "Chicken Soup, A Samoan Story of Giving.", etc. In it, you should carefully reflect and focus on aspects of your cultures that relate to generosity and gratitude. You may create this story in either a Google Document, or Google Slides but make sure all people in your group have access.

Encourage small groups to share their stories and discuss the similarities and differences between them.

Generosity: a willingness to give help or support, esp. more than is usual or expected. For example: She is admired for her generosity.

Gratitude: the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. For example: "She expressed her gratitude to the committee for their support"