The Guardian – Activities

Activities Coloring Pages Word Puzzles Word Treasures Return to the Story

Get ready to discuss, share, play, create, and read your way to developing and empowering a strong character.

Imagine

It was just another beautiful day on Breakers Island.  Suddenly an alarm sounded from the lighthouse.  The guardian had sent out a warning that danger was near.

Story Focus, Virtues, and Life Lessons

Story Focus:

Observing safety measures to protect Breakers Island and warning everyone to prepare for coming danger.  Trust in the warning notices and resolve to take action.

Virtues:

Trust and Resolution

• Where in the story do you see an example of authority giving a warning notice of imminent danger?
• Where in the story did you see an example of people resolving to take action?

Life Lessons:

• Resolution:
  The people rushed to get ready for the storm. Jack and Daisy continued to man their post at the top of the lighthouse.
• Trust:
  The peaceful afternoon was shattered by the sound of the loud alarm.  OOO-WA! OOO-WA! OOO-WA!  Everyone stopped.  They looked at the sea and sky. No one could see a storm forming, but they trusted Jack. The people sprung into action.

Magical Moments

Interactive Discussion and Activities

Reading Story Techniques

First, pre-read the story before reading it aloud with your learner. Use expressive language, gestures, motions, and sounds to make the story come alive:

• Begin the story by sounding like a squawking parrot for Daisy’s opening lines.
• Change your tone of voice to sound like a crusty old man for Jack’s lines.
• Squawk louder for Daisy the second time.
• Sound winded for Jack as he reaches the top floor.
• Imitate a bird flapping its wings with your arms.
• Make the alarm sound (OOO – WA) loud.
• Demonstrate a worried look and sound worried as you read Sue’s lines.
• Change your tone of voice when reading the narrative part. Continue to switch voice tones to sound like the characters in the story.
• Make loud boom sounds for the storm approaching.
• Add excitement to your voice as Jack and Daisy see the boat out in the storm.
• Change your tone of voice to a more calming sound when narrating the end of the story.
• Make a knocking sound when the sailors come to the lighthouse to thank the Guardian.

While Reading

Interject these questions to involve the learner:

• What wailed through the night?
• Who is Daisy?
• When did the people rush to get ready for the storm?
• Where did Daisy and Jack live?
• Why did the sailors thank the Guardian?

After Reading

Use the answers to these questions to recall points in the story.

• Who exchanged a worried look?  Why?  Mrs. Baker was shopping at Sue’s Supply Store. She and Sue heard the alarm and exchanged a worried look.  Sue said, “We may not have much time.  You had better get home fast.”
• Why was the beacon light so important? The beacon from the lighthouse had guided many boats through storms to safety in Breakers Island Bay.
• What happened during the storm?
  Thunder pealed as lightning streaked and lit the sky. Strong winds tore at Breakers Island.  Large trees swayed back and forth.  Smaller limbs came crashing down.
• When was the alarm sounded?
  Everyone stopped.  They looked at the sea and sky.  No one could see a storm forming, but they trusted Jack.
• Where had Jack lived before?
  Jack was a mystery.  Some thought he was a pirate in search of buried treasure.  Others said he had grown old working on cargo boats.
• Note: Close with a discussion on preparing for storms.

Behavior/Social Development (All Ages):

• Trust: Discuss with your learner what trust means to him/her.  Present different scenarios and ask what actions would make them trust another individual in that particular scenario. Examples are:
  • Jared found a small purse on the playground at school.  He opened it and saw there was money inside. What should Jared do with the purse?
  • Maggie saw her friend copying answers from another student during the math test.  What should Maggie do?
  • Greg promised to study for the math test with his friend, Mark at his house.  Another friend, Tim, invited Greg to go to the movies with him at the same time he is supposed to study with Mark.  What should Greg do?
• Resolution: Pose “What if” questions and have your learner give answers/solutions. Example:
  “What if you saw someone hit another person for no reason and made them cry?” What would you do?
• Ask your learner to identify behaviors that shows a person can be trusted.  Example behaviors are:
  • “Be honest,” “Don’t cheat.”
  • “Follow through with what was promised.”
  • “ Have the courage to do what is right.”
  • “Don’t take things that do not belong to you.”
• Provide books or pamphlets (from the Red Cross or Internet) and discuss activities related to preparation, health, and wellness needs during a storm.
• Discuss different types of storms such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and blizzards.

Language Development (Younger Learners):

• Antonyms: light – dark, he – she, in – out, opened – closed, up – down, over – under
• Identify word patterns: Short A Sounds “– ack”
  Bolded words, among the following, were used in The Guardian — back, black, crack, hack, pack, rack, sack, snack, tack, track.
  Character name, Jack, the lighthouse keeper, also know as “The Guardian”
• Identify and explain words that may not be familiar to your learner, such as “shattered,” “exchanged,” “mystery,” “humor,” “shuttered,” “braced,” “beacon,” “reluctant,” “bobbed,” “pealed,” “strained,” “jagged” and “wailed.”
• Begin a discussion about trust by asking your learner who do they trust and why.  Write down the responses and keep for later activities.
• Discuss and list the things people do who are considered “trustworthy.” Examples are:
  • “They keep their promise.”
  • “They don’t lie.”
  • “They don’t repeat secrets”
• Introduce the word “Trustworthiness” and discuss it in simple terms as “being able to be counted on.”  Have your learner think of specific examples that would reflect the statement.
• Have your learner finish the following statement: “I can be trusted because…”

Language Development (Older Learners):

• Brainstorm and note synonyms relating to the virtue trust (confidence, reliance, dependence, hope, belief, faith, conviction, entrust, etc).  Use the synonyms in a sentence.
• Discuss the relationship between honesty and trust and share personal examples with your learner.
• Explore different types of storms and dangerous weather conditions.  Discuss how people prepare for these weather events.
• Discussion – What is a conflict? Describe a conflict you’ve had with someone in the past. What did you do? How did the conflict get resolved? How did the conflict make you feel?
• Discussion – Define trustworthy with your learner by having him/her finish the following statement: A trustworthy person is someone you can ______  (depend on, talk to, ask anything, etc.)

Making Memories

Discover the values covered in this story through guided activities and fun projects that ensure learner involvement.

Arts and Crafts ideas for Creatively Understanding the Virtues

Arts & Crafts Activities (Younger Learners):

• Resolution: Draw a big peace sign and have your learner color it.
• Trust: Create a collage of pictures that show people trusting each other.
  Example: Child hugging a parent, mother feeding a baby, etc.

Arts & Crafts Activities (Older Learners):

• Resolution: Draw a big double-outlined peace sign and have your learner fill in the sign with words denoting behaviors and actions that would resolve conflicts.
• Trust: Paint a picture that represents what trust means to your learner.

Involvement Tip (Younger Learners):

Praise your learner for his/her behaviors that show they are being truthful and honest.  Give credit when credit is due, or discuss alternatives for resolving problems or situations that were negative.

Involvement Tip (Older Learners):

Sharing personal experiences with your leaner creates a trusting environment.  Continue discussion and ask your learner to think about a conflict situation that can be changed with establishing trust.

“Then he saw a fishing boat caught in the storm. They were trying to make their way toward the lighthouse.”

Lasting Impressions

Continue with learning experiences to extend your stay.

Follow-up Activities (All Ages):

• Create a preparation and materials checklist for things and actions needed to prepare for a storm/hurricane. Access the Red Cross website for downloading checklist materials.
• Play an obstacle game that helps the learner identify qualities in others that make them trustworthy.  Set up an obstacle course area using ropes or furniture. Place various objects inside the area such as books, balls, shoes, etc.  Blindfold your learner and then proceed to give directions to move across the area without touching the objects in the field.  Your learners may not touch any object with their feet as they move through the course blindfolded.  When your learner has completed the challenge, ask what made them feel more trusting (communication, helpfulness, tone of voice, encouraging words, etc.), and what made them feel less trusting (joking, neglect, tone of voice, name calling, laughing, shouting, etc.)
• Write three to four guidelines for being a good friend that can be trusted.
• Create Honesty Scenario cards where the learner can act out or discuss honest and dishonest responses and the consequences.

Real-Life Activities (All Ages):

• Watch the weather report and have your learner report back.
• Have your learner describe how to be prepared for the weather conditions – what to wear, whether to be indoors or outdoors, etc.

“Jack was a mystery. Some thought he was a pirate in search of buried treasure.”

Activities Coloring Pages Word Puzzles Word Treasures Return to the Story

The sailors called Jack the Guardian of the Sugar Sea.