My People, Their Lessons, My Heaven Activity

Activity Overview

Throughout the novel, Eddie learns five important lessons from his five people:

1. All people are connected
2. Sacrifice is essential
3. The importance of forgiveness
4. Love never dies
5. The purpose of his life, which in Eddie’s case was to keep children safe

These are important lessons that help Eddie come to terms with his past so that he can be at peace in Heaven. Have students think about people in their own lives whom they have learned important lessons from. Ask students to pick three people they would like to meet in Heaven, and what kinds of lessons they would teach them. Then, have them decide what their own Heavens would look like. Put these elements into a five-cell spider map, like the one below.

Student Example for My People, Their Lessons, My Heaven Activity

Student Name: Kate
CELL	EXPLANATION
Cell 1 My Grandma	My Grandma has taught me many things in life, but especially compassion for others. You never know what kinds of battles other people are fighting in their personal lives, so you need to show compassion for everyone, even if they don’t always deserve it.
Cell 2 My Best Friend, Kayla	My best friend Kayla has the ability to make me laugh all the time, even when I’m sad. I’ve learned the importance of laughter and keeping a sense of humor from her, even during the rough times. It makes everything a lot easier to deal with when you can release stress through a moment of happiness.
Cell 3 My Dad	My Dad has always taught me the importance of being reliable. When you tell someone that you are going to be somewhere, or do something for them, you need to make sure you follow through. If not, you’re degrading your own name, and at the end of the day, that’s all anyone has.
Cell 4 My Heaven – Setting	My Heaven would be in outer space, so I could explore all of the planets and stars that everyone always wants to know about!
Cell 5 My Heaven – Important Things to Have	In my Heaven, all of my family and friends would be there, and my dog, Howie. I would make sure there’s plenty of candy for everyone, and a grill for my Dad to cook at, because he makes the best burgers.

Template and Class Instructions

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