peace with ourselves      peace with each other     peace with the environment

Peace can have multiple definitions but one that is pertinent for today’s world certainly involves creating peace within our families, communities and across geographical, social and cultural boundaries and most importantly with our environment. We often struggle at all levels to find harmonious relationships in which win-win determines the problem solving processes. The following peace-building story reflects the importance of win-win resolutions and solving problems nonviolently. Sustainable processes that respect the environment are also presented.

For the peace-building story How Paper and Ink Came Together and Survived to Sing About It
 there are the following:

• Critical questions: explore the plot, characters and theme of the story and assist in focussing the children’s attention upon the purposes of the story.

• Creative questions: explore the relationship between the story and the children’s own worlds and relationships and hone in upon the relevance of the story to peace-building.

• Transformative questions: provide an opportunity for children to explore the deeper meaning of the story and relate it to the necessary changes needed for the future and develop the necessary integrative and relevant understandings and actions.

• Creative Activities: offer a variety of non-prescriptive activities that encourage the children to internalise the teachings implicit in the story, to utilise their peace-building learnings and practise their peace-building skills, whilst honouring their individual learning styles.

By posing questions like these children can begin shaping their own thinking and constructing their new understandings. The inherent nature of the peace-building story chosen ensures that reading or hearing it will provide some initial transformative experiences necessary for supporting the development of a peace-building consciousness. Similar activities can be fashioned to complement the teaching and learning possibilities in relation to sharing any other peace-building stories. The activities and questions, therefore, are simply meant to initiate more possibilities being created, ones that are reflective of the needs of the children and the interest/skill areas of the teachers or librarians working with them.

Celebrations are an important addition to activities and the children can share their learning and creations beyond the classroom. Many of the activities can be undertaken in cross-age groupings in which the older children can become the teachers. Finding many alternative ways to publish stories the children create is also very important, firstly to show recognition for their peace-building work and then to acknowledge and celebrate its worthiness. Building webpages, creating CDs, even laminating work pasted on cardboard then displayed and shared with others beyond the classroom will ensure students feel their efforts are worthwhile and significant in relation to peace-building in their school and communities. Stories could also be shared on special international days such as Hiroshima Day, Harmony Day, UN International Peace Day, Human Rights Day, Universal Children's Day, or Sorry Day during the National Reconciliation Week (Australia) or Martin Luther King Day (USA).

 Synopsis: How Paper and Ink Came Together and Survived to Sing About It

The story begins as most creation stories do by introducing us to a time long past. This time was when people believed in magic and paper and ink were not together. The Land of Paper was ruled by Great White Paper who was a powerful leader and he was the Guardian of Paper Magic. He knew that any words written down then passed around would become truths. As the inks in the Land of Paper were drying out Great White Paper knew he had to acquire colours from the Land of Ink. The consequences of this angered one small tiny black ant and he began his mission to cross the universe in order that he may speak to God so that he would cut Great White Paper down to size. But as all good peace-building stories do a happy win-win ending results and the creatures of the Land of Paper learn to work harmoniously with the creatures of the land of Ink. This is for all ages to enjoy and share together and it contains many peace-building elements:

• happy endings
• everyone winning
• nonviolent resolution
• imaginative and creative
• challenges existing stereotyping
• faith and hope
• peace with the environment
• finding personal peace

The bravery of one tiny black ant opened the possibilities for learning of new ways of thinking. The consequences of our choices are important. Being open to new ideas and new ways of doing things may create a more peaceful world, one that supports positive interaction and sharing of ideas between all peoples. This story parallels so many pertinent issues for many communities around the world and seeks to also align the consequences of our actions to environmental sustainability.

This story How Paper and Ink Came Together and Survived to Sing About It  has the potential to be transformative at many levels. It should appeal to many children from different cultural backgrounds and heritages. Simply listening to the audio version and songs will impact upon any child’s understandings beliefs in relation to peace-building. The cleverly constructed text also presents quality literature with powerfully descriptive imagery that will tantalise a child’s imagination, retaining a lasting impression. The activities presented need not be done in order and not all need to be undertaken. They have been offered as simple catalysts to stimulate more creative thinking on behalf of teachers and children.

Critical questions to explore with children

Critical questions allow the children to reflect upon the text and examine aspects of the plot that are significant to the themes. They also enable the teacher to determine whether the themes are understood and the events in the story can be recalled in sequence.

1. How would you describe the Land of Paper?

2. What things were different in the Land of Ink? 

3. Why was truth so simple and absolute in the Land of Paper? (Absolute means never altering and unquestionable.)

4. Why was Black Ink so inspired to travel across the universe?

5. Why do you think Computer Dear was angry with Great White Paper for telling lies?

6. Why do you think the Great White Paper empire was coming to an end?

7. Why did the creatures in the Land of Paper believe their only chance of survival was to become great like Black Ink?

8. Does the story have a happy win-win ending?

Creative questions to explore with children

Creative questions allow the children to expand their thinking and begin relating their own personal life experiences to events in the story. They also allow for deeper exploration of the meaning of the text and students can reveal their own personal reactions and thoughts about the purposes of it. This process also allows them to construct similar scenarios that express the same themes but may utilise different characters, settings and plots.

1. What might have been precise in the Land of Paper? Are there things that are precise in our world?                  (Precise means correct and definite with clear boundaries.)

2. Would it have been wise for Black Ink to actually get God to cut Great White Paper down to size?

3. Do you believe Black Ink was courageous, misguided or foolish?

4. Black Ink pleaded that his land not be governed with fear? Why did he request this?

5. Why would singing songs and telling stories full of hope be important for the creatures to do?

6. Why was it important that change happen gradually?

7. What kinds of things do you think the Little Brown Mouse (alias Mama Earth) did to bring about change?

8. How else could the story have ended happily with win-win?

Transformative questions to explore with children

Transformative questions allow the children to reveal their abilities to articulate their reactions to the story but they can suggest ways in which their new understandings can be enacted in real life. These questions will indicate whether they have internalised the learnings the story offers and are able to integrate the teachings and associated thinking and actioning into their everyday lives in a purposeful peace-building manner.

1. Would you have responded to the problem the same way Black Ink did in the story? What might have you done?

2. Would Computer Dear be a character you would use in a story? Do you think she had any real purpose or role in the story? Was her character necessary?

3. If you were able to add more to the story what might you write for Ms Bzzz to do that would help Black Ink with his quest?

4. Do you agree with the elders when they stated: “No-one cares about Mama Earth or Daddy Sky or the musical traditions anymore.” What are they really meaning by these words?

5. If our hearts are filled with love and compassion, as Black Ink suggested in the story, what kinds of things would we be doing? Would we be treating each other differently? Does this also involve the way we treat the environment?

6. Mama Earth was transformed into a little brown mouse. What is so special about mice and why would she transform herself into such a creature?

Now go to activities that reflect Gardner's Multiple Intelligences