Love and Acceptance as Belonging

• Explain to students that while prior lessons have focused on the concept of home as a physical location such as a geographic region, the places we are from, and the natural environment, the following lessons provide an exploration of the psychological and interpersonal concept of home. Emphasize that at the heart of feeling a sense of home is the ability to feel a sense of belonging; these two “senses” often coexist. 
   
• Ask students to reflect on their personal definitions of “love” and “acceptance” through a journaling activity, using the following prompts to guide their reflection. Let them know ahead of time that they will be sharing their responses in pairs or small groups.
   
  • Student Prompts:
    • How might you define love? What do you believe informs your personal understanding of this concept?
    • How might you define acceptance? What do you believe informs your personal understanding of this concept?
    • How might love and acceptance contribute to our sense of belonging?
       
• Invite students to pair with a partner or small group to share their responses and reflections.

• Explain to students that the goal of this activity is to engage in a thoughtful discussion on how the themes of love, acceptance, and belonging are presented in the story “A Kingdom Bright and Burning.”
   
• Direct students to retrieve their annotated copies of the reading “A Kingdom Bright and Burning” by David Connis from Welcome Home. Ask them to reread their predictions from the pre-reading question at the top of the handout. Then invite students to share their predictions. To check for understanding, you may want to ask students if they would like to share insights or questions about the “inside/outside” structure of the text.
   
• After discussing the pre-reading question and fielding questions about the reading, let students know that they will be participating in a small-group TQE discussion. If they are unfamiliar with this method, briefly share the following student prompt explaining thoughts, questions, and epiphanies, or “TQEs.” In addition, inform students that the TQEs connect directly to the annotation guide’s symbols (☆, ? , !) used during their reading.
   
  • Student Prompt:
    • ☆ Thoughts: Note any and all thoughts on the text. This could be reactions to the story, connections made with prior lessons or knowledge, or personal reflections. 
    •  ?  Questions: Generate questions based on the story. These questions can range from seeking clarification to exploring the implications of the information presented. 
    • !  Epiphanies: Share epiphanies or insights made through your engagement with the short story. Discuss how the story relates to the larger theme of home and belonging. Epiphanies may include new understanding, surprising discoveries, or changes in perspective.
       
• Distribute the “A Kingdom Bright and Burning” TQE Small-Group Discussion handout to provide students with structured guidance for their discussions. 
   
• Divide the class into small groups of three or four students. Assign a note-taker in each group to document the discussion. Explain that they will have 10 to 15 minutes for this part of the activity. It will also be beneficial to circulate around the room to assist students if they need help or get stuck. You can use questions like the examples below to prompt students to reach deeper levels of analysis in their discussions. Each group will discuss their thoughts, questions, and epiphanies based on their reading and interpretation

EXAMPLE TEACHER QUESTIONS TO GUIDE STUDENT TQE RESPONSES 
 

Thoughts:

• Do you have any thoughts about why Zeke chose to burn Oak’s tree limbs in his imaginary kingdom, even if it hurt him to do so? 
• Why do you think Zeke’s imaginary kingdom protects him from harm, and why is it significant that it begins to crumble when he moves in with his adoptive family? 

Questions:

• Can you think of a question that helps you understand why the author made the choice to keep Zeke silent for four years? 
• Does this story bring up any questions for you about any of the characters’ decisions and choices?

Epiphanies:

• In what ways does this story help you better understand how love and acceptance foster a sense of belonging? 

• Does this story connect to anything else we have read? In what way? 

• After group discussions, instruct students to choose two significant and insightful TQE points from their group’s responses and write them on separate sticky notes. Have students place these under the corresponding categories on butcher paper or on the board.
   
• Once the sticky notes have all been placed, introduce a class-wide voting process to determine which topics will be prioritized in the whole-class discussion. Have students walk around the room to read the TQE responses. While reading the notes, they can place a “+1” or checkmark next to ideas they’d like to discuss. At the end of this activity, the most “upvoted” sticky notes will be used to guide the discussion. Optionally, you may choose to facilitate the discussion by grouping together similar TQE responses and prioritizing those with the most sticky notes.

• Engage the whole class in a discussion on the themes of love, acceptance, and belonging as explored in “A Kingdom Bright and Burning.” Encourage students to reference specific parts of the text to support their responses and perspectives. Use the lesson’s guiding questions and the students’ TQE responses to structure the conversation.
   
• Begin by framing the discussion by examining the two guiding questions through the lens of the story: 
  • How can feeling loved and accepted affect a person’s sense of belonging in the world?
  • In what ways can love, acceptance, and belonging create a sense of “home” beyond the places we live?
     
• Then shift to discussing the TQE responses. Prioritize the discussion topics based on the voting and sorting conducted earlier. Start with the most common or popular response topic and move on to others as time allows. To keep the discussion student-centered, invite volunteers to read the TQE responses and lead parts of the conversation.
  • Facilitate the transition between topics smoothly, moving on when the conversation naturally winds down.

• Use the Connect, Extend, Challenge strategy to help students reflect on their learning from this lesson. This could be a homework assignment or one that students complete at the end of class if you have time. You can decide whether it should be a private reflection in their journals or if you’d like to see a snapshot of their thinking on an exit ticket. 
   
  • Connect: How do the ideas about love, acceptance, and belonging in “A Kingdom Bright and Burning” connect to what you already know about the concept of home?
  • Extend: How does this reading extend or broaden your thinking about belonging, acceptance, love, and the concept of home?
  • Challenge: Does this reading challenge or complicate your understanding of belonging, acceptance, love, or the concept of home? What new questions does it raise for you?