A video of read-along for the book is available here.

Note: In many indigenous cultures, important stories are told and passed down orally by grandmothers (the story in the book is told by a grandmother to her granddaughter). If time permits, the reading of the book can be accompanied by watching a short video on a Cherokee elder woman who tells the story orally.

About anger and disagreement:

• Other than anger, what other feelings you may have when you disagree with someone?
• What are some things people do when they are angry?
• What are some acceptable ways to disagree with someone/express anger?
• From here have you learned about what to do when you have a disagreement with someone?
• In the story, sharing something sweet can remind us of the love and care we have for the person we may disagree with and help us with our anger. Can you think of something similar that you have done to help with your anger or disagreement?
• Do you think it is easier to share something sweet with a close friend/family member than it is to with a stranger or someone you don’t know very well?
• What other things can you think of that can help people feel less angry with one another?

About oral traditions:

• Can you think of any stories that have been passed down to you orally? What is the story about? Who passed it to you?
• Imagine if all the knowledge you have is passed down orally rather than through writing. What do you think that would be like?
• On the cover of the book, instead of “authored by” you see “retold by.” What do you think is the difference?
• There are many variations of this story with different details. What do you think of that? Is one the “correct” version?
• Do you know any important stories with variations in details? Are they essentially the same story?
• What do you think is the essence of this story about the first strawberry?

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• What is courage?
• Is it wrong to eat other living creatures?
• What do we owe to our communities?
• How do we balance the importance of individual choice and the need to conform to community norms?
• What does it mean to belong?

Epistemology

• How do we gain knowledge?
• What do we need in order to think for ourselves?
• Is there a connection between solitude and independent thinking?
• What can we know about the world?

Metaphysics

• What is the relationship between identity and thought?
• What is the purpose of existence?
• What does it mean to be authentic?
• How do we define freedom?

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• What is love? What does it mean to love someone?
• Can love mean different things to different people?
• Do you think it’s possible to understand and feel love, if you are not human?
• What is the relationship between love and friendship?
• Can you love someone very different from you?
• Can you love someone you don’t like?
• Can we understand something if we have not experienced it before?

This lesson plan can be used either in a classroom or online.

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Warm-up questions (optional):

• Do you like to cook? Does anyone in your family like to cook? Do you cook together?
• Is there a special food that is important to your family? Is there a special food that you only eat for celebrations?
• What is a “tradition”? What traditions do you have in your family?

Questions for after reading the story:

• How is food a part of someone’s community?
• Can food be a part of someone’s identity? How so?
• Why do some families have different traditions?
• Are traditions good or bad? Does it depend on the tradition?
• Why do you think Ti Gran wants to continue the tradition of making Freedom Soup and retelling the story of Haiti’s history, even though it has been so long since the events in the story happened, and even though Ti Gran and her family do not live in Haiti anymore?
• Is it important to remember history? Why or why not?
• What is the difference between “remembering” and “commemorating”?
• What does it mean to be “free”?
• Why do you think Ti Gran says to Belle, “Nothing in this world is free, not event freedom?”
• What does it mean when someone says we must “fight for what is right?”
• Is it ever okay to use violence? What about in self-defense? What about in a fight for freedom?

Before discussions that might touch on social justice issues, read “Things to Think About.”

Contributed by Sam Sandoval, University of Washington

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Why is it important to understand the ways in which people are different from each other?

Why is it important to understand the ways in which people are the same?

Does having more things make people happier? Why?

Why do people help other people?

Read Aloud by Mark de la Peña: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4irkUDbaIA

Before having discussions that might touch on social justice issues, read “Things to Think About.”

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For this lesson plan, you can use the book or watch this video read aloud.

If teaching high school students, this children’s book might be accompanied with a reading and discussion of the poem “The Summer Day,” by Mary Oliver.

This lesson was submitted by Christine Salma, Katherine Caldwell, and Melissa Jacquart.

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This lesson can be used either in a classroom or online.

You can use either the physical version of the book (pages 24-26) or this clip of the relevant scene from the film version if you are looking for an alternative to reading the story aloud.

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This lesson plan can be used in a classroom or online.

This Claymation production of “Cookies” from Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad Together book is an excellent option if you are looking for an alternative to reading the story aloud.

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This lesson can be used either in a classroom or online.

You can use either the physical version of the story, found in Lobel’s Days with Frog and Toad, or this video read-aloud.

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