Ibu

“Would you ask someone for advice if you did not trust them? Why or why not?” After listening to some responses, you can then ask, “What are some ways that you can act so that people will trust you with giving them advice?” You can write down the responses on the board, and can also add (if it hasn’t already been said) that a big part of creating trust is really listening to the other person and not assuming that you already know their issue before they tell you.

To check for reading comprehension and inference, ask students, “What are some of the reasons that Ibu says she thinks people ask her for advice?” Some answers may include because Ibu listens and admits she doesn’t know everything but will try to help the best she can, because she has struggled herself, and because she can see things from different points of view. You can also ask students to reflect on how Ibu said she doesn’t always know the perfect solution to a problem. “Have you ever been in a situation like this? How do you respond if you think you don’t have an answer for a person? How do you think it might make the other person feel if you share that you aren’t perfect either, but still want to listen and learn about what they are going through?”

Explain to students that when they are comparing things by length and size through indirect measurement (such as the math example on page 3 of “I am Ibu”), people may want to use different things for comparison based on their backgrounds. For example, someone from a culture that uses chopsticks to eat may want to use that utensil to compare the length of a noodle, while someone who is used to eating with a fork may prefer to use it over chopsticks for measurements. Have students get into pairs or small groups and ask them to look at the math example on page 3 of “I am Ibu”. Tell them that while the example uses small squares to compare the length of the puddles, the group should to come up with more creative ways to compare measurements! Encourage students to listen to each other as they share ideas of what to use as tools for measurement, and especially ask “why” if they are wondering the reason a person picked a certain item. After that math example, have students look at the question about shapes (on page 2). Have them work together to determine what type of shape it is, and then to share the first thing that they can think of that is that shape. Encourage students to really listen to each other– instead of assuming why that person may have thought of that shape, encourage them to ask “why” that example came to mind. They might be surprised by some of the reasons!

“What are some words that explain how you feel when someone is really listening to you?” Examples might be that they feel important, special, or like the other person values what they have to say. Students can either write down some words or phrases in a journal, or share them with the class. Then, ask students to give some good listening advice that you can write down on the board. “What are some ways you can practice being a really good listener?” Examples could include not interrupting the other person, looking at them and not being distracted when they are talking, imagining what the other person is feeling, or really focusing on their words and not what you are going to say next.

You can write down the different answers on the board and then ask, “Why do you think people gave different answers? Do you think some things are worth different amounts to different people? Can you think of some of the reasons why?” Answers might include if a person already has it, or if it is the only one in the world, or if they have heard good/ bad things about it from other people, or if they can get it from many different places, or if they absolutely need it to survive.

To check for comprehension, ask students, “When people bring Ibu coconut sugar, what are some options that the seller can do in exchange?” Answers should include the seller can either receive money or take goods from Ibu’s store. You can then ask students, “When Ibu receives coconut sugar, how do you think she decides what people can take from her store and how much of it?” You can explain to students that this is called a barter system, where people trade goods instead of using money.

Multiple students can have the same product, and try and have a mix of both “necessary” and “luxury” goods. Explain to students the differences between these two categories (what they “need” and what they “want”), and ask them to keep this in mind throughout the activity. Each student can write down the name of what they are selling on small pieces of paper to represent their goods and keep track of what they trade, and each student should start off with the same amount of goods. Tell your students that you are going to write down different situations that might affect the amount of goods that are produced, such as the invention of a new technology tool that can produce the good quicker or a war in the country where the good is produced (and you can invite students to share ideas too). Explain to students that while they are all starting off with the same amount of goods, you will periodically read one of the situations outloud and some students may receive additional pieces of paper as extra goods or have some removed if the situation affects their product. Students can then walk around and trade goods with one another. Step back for the first few minutes and observe rather than be involved, to see how students organize and work together to determine what the exchange rates should be for different goods. After you feel enough time has passed, begin to introduce the different situations (you can choose as many as time allows) and have the students who are affected by the events adjust their product amounts accordingly and then continue trading. Have students calculate their new amount of goods when this happens to practice addition and subtraction within 20 (such as on page 2 of the Learning Journey story “Ibu’s Busy Mornings”). To practice telling time (such as on page 1), ask students to look at a clock (or if they don’t have access to one, you can draw a clock image on the board with the time estimate) and write down the time each instance you change the situation.

“Was the experience what you expected it to be? Who determined the value of a good– was it the seller, or buyer, or did they work together? Were the least and most valuable goods what you thought they would be?” You can then explore how different factors may have influenced this. “Did the students with “necessary” goods seem to trade more or less than those with “luxury” goods? What happened if there was more than one student selling the same thing? How did the different situational changes affect the trade?” You can wrap-up the lesson by asking students to share some things that they think are positive and negative about using a barter system.