Aim to understand why Hak Ja Han stayed on Cheju Island
Aim
* To understand why Hak Ja Han stayed on Cheju Island
* To learn from Hak Ja Han’s experience
Materials
* An Island of Purity, by Linna Rapkins
* Visual Aids
– Pictures of Cheju Island
– Hak Ja Han remembering Cheju
* Children’s worksheet
Lesson Outline
1. Introduction
2. Tell the story
3. Discussion Questions
6. Complete worksheet
7. Review the lesson
8. Prayer
1) Introduction
* Introduce the story
Today’s story takes place in 1953 when Hak Ja Han was 11 years old. She went with her mother and stayed on an island, far away from people and shops. Ask the children how they would feel to be alone there for months
How would you feel if you had to stay on an island alone with your mother for a few months?
Would you feel lonely?
Would you miss anything?
What things are important to you and would be difficult to be without?
What other things would be hard for you alone on an island?
Do you like being alone in nature?
* Show pictures of Cheju Island. Talk about the island
Cheju Island is Korea’s Answer to Hawaii. It is the honeymoon capital of Korea. The Hawaii of the Orient. It is about 65 kilometres off the south coast of the Korean peninsula. It is a lush, semitropical island where people either make their living from the sea or from the possibility that someone like you will come and visit. Tourism is Cheju’s largest industry.
The island is built around the cone of Mt. Hallasan – a 1,950 meters high dead volcano. It last erupted just over 1000 years ago and is South Korea’s highest peak. In the pastures of its foothills cattle graze contentedly, and always in the distance lies the glittering sea, which sends a constant breeze across the island. Cheju is said to be an island of ´three plenties and three lacks.´ The three plenties are stones, wind and women. Houses and fields have stone walls around them to protect them from the strong sea winds. Along the shoreline women dive for shellfish. One in five of the population earn their living from the sea, and in many families the women have been divers for generations. The three lacks are beggars, thieves and locks. The sea has made the slanders rich enough for there to be no thieves or beggars. And because there are no thieves people rarely lock their doors. Three bars are placed across an entrance, and when one is missing it means the owners are out. Cheju city is thriving and modern. But, once you are out of it and into the country, you´ll meet old people and children in the little straw-thatched hamlets who smile in a way that city-dwellers rarely do.
2) Tell the story (a summary)
* In 1953, Hak Ja Han was a pretty 11-year old girl. Her mother wanted to protect her from boys and keep her pure. She took her to Cheju Island for a few months, to train her to pray and trust in God more. It was a lonely time, but she became stronger and more disciplined. Afterwards she was inspired to draw pictures of Cheju Island.
3) Discuss the Story
After reading, discuss the story by using the questions from the worksheet
1) What made Hak Ja Han lonely?
– There were no friends, no school and no noisy streets; all the things she was familiar with
2) Why was it difficult to pray?
– She felt so lonely and she had to pray many many times
3) What did her mother train her to do?
– be disciplined,
– give up things that are not important, have her own connection with God – so that she will be strong. be pure
4) What did she learn to do everyday?
– To get up early
– To pray long hours
– To persevere
– To be obedient
5) What did she like to do in Cheju?
– She liked to read books, especially about the lives of saints
6) What was her biggest problem?
– loneliness
7) What did she want to see when she got home?
– streets, shops and people
8) What can you learn from Hak Ja Han’s experience?
4) Complete the worksheet
* Colour the picture
*Answer the questions
*Draw a picture of yourself on Cheju Island where you can feel close to God
5) Review the lesson
Review the lesson by referring to the aims of the lesson
1) To understand why Hak Ja Han stayed on Cheju
– Her mother wanted to protect her from boys and keep her pure
– She wanted to train her to be disciplined and give up things that are not important
– She wanted her to have her own connection with God, to make her strong, so she didn’t depend on other people to make her happy
2) to learn from Hak Ja Han’s experience
At first she was very lonely, cut off from all the things she was familiar with. But the training she received helped her to feel stronger within herself and closer to God. The purity of creation was a good environment to develop her heart
– NATURE – From this we can learn that nature it is a good environment to connect more to God, because it is pure.
– APPRECIATING THINGS – Learning to do without the things we like can help us to appreciate them more (bulgoki, white rice, kimchi, sweets) Some children have been to Cheongpyong. Their experiences of being away from their normal environment may have similarities to Hak Ja Han. She not only missed things but also her grandmother. What can we do to appreciate things and people more?
– DISCIPLINE – Hak ja Han learned to be more disciplined through getting up early, praying a lot and reading books. What can we do to be more disciplined?
– LONELINESS – What makes you lonely? Being home alone? Having no friends with you? What can you do when you feel lonely? What did Hak Ja Han do? We can turn to God in prayer. If we feel God is with us, we don’t need to feel lonely
– READING – Hak Ja Han was inspired by the live of saints. We can benefit by reading books about saints and famous lives, instead of watching lots of movies
6) End with a prayer
