Anita, Little Petou, and The Moccasin Goalie

created by Cheryl Garrett

Grade: 2/3

Critical Task: Students will form a judgment about whether non-conventional hockey players should play for a league team.

Overview: The children will benefit from the challenge of considering issues of inclusion and difference. In the next few years, they will play on school teams and perhaps be confronted by issues similar to those raised by The Mocassin Goalie, by William Roy Brownridge. This issue complements "PP" themes on "friendship". The main characters in the story, Marcel, Petou, Anita, and Danny are a diverse yet tightly-knit group of friends who "stick up" for one another. Begin with a reading of the story. 

Requisite Tools:

• An understanding of the cooperation needed within team activities

• Students will form a judgment about whether non-conventional hockey players should play for a league team. They will support their argument with at least one reason.

• "Point of view" (whose?)
• Judgment - Pro & con
• Non-conventional

• Discussion
• T-Chart & Venn diagram
• Role playing

• Inquiring attitude
• Willingness to discuss issues & consider alternative points-of-view
• Open-mindedness

STEP A: Story Reading to the Class

• Outline of story, characterization & issues/resolution reviewed on board

STEP B: Introduce Critical Thinking Challenge.

• Class discussion of the issues involving inclusion and differences among individuals
• T-Chart - students offer pro/con reasoning for inclusion of Anita, Danny & Petou on the team
• Venn-diagram constructed - students note similarities/differences between the excluded players & the members of the "Wolves" Hockey Team.

STEP C: Forming a judgment

• Role-Play with Teacher-in-Role as Hockey Coach. Divide the class into two opposing groups - half represent the excluded players / half the included players. Each side presents arguments to "Coach" to support their point-of-view

STEP D: Evaluation of critical thinking:

• Students write their judgement using the following sentence: "Danny, Anita, and Petou (should/should not) play for the Wolves because ________________."
• Students draw a picture of their favourite version of the hockey team.

• Pretend you are Anita. You are a great hockey player. Write your feelings about not being "picked" for the team.
• The author of the story was a "moccasin goalie" when he was younger. Think about his reasons for writing this story, and write about them in a paragraph of your own.

Grade 2/3

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