Presentation 1
exploring communities
What is a community?
Discussion:
Facilitate a dialogue using these prompts:
• What do you think a community is? (write key words from the class on the
board).
• Does each of these photos show a community?
• What do all the photos have in common?
• What are the common characteristics of the people in each individual photo?
Share what the dictionary definition for the word community is: “a group living in
the same place or having a particular characteristicin common.”
Ask students to suggest one word that might summarise the spirit of each of the
pictured communities.
Activity:
Divide your class into small groups. Ask each group to discover what makes them
a community. Encourage students to determine what characteristics they have in
common with their group (e.g. they all play football, like the same band, etc.).
Nominate a spokesperson from each group and ask them to share what makes their
group a community.
Which communities
do you belong to?
Discussion:
Facilitate a discussion using these prompts:
• Which communities are our homes comprised of?
• Does the Internet include any communities?
• Who is part of the football community?
• Is our school a community?
• To what communities does our class belong?
Activity:
In pairs, challenge students to determine common characteristics that often form
communities. Prompt your students by naming some communities based on religion,
beliefs, behaviours and talents (e.g. Buddhists, psychics, or artists).
Our school community
Discussion:
Explore the idea that the school is a community to which your class belongs; often
there are smaller communities within a larger one.
Facilitate a discussion using these prompts:
• Are there smaller communities within our school community?
• Do any of those communities contain even smaller communities?
Possible answers include: sports teams, clubs, lunch staff, teachers, and year groups
Presentation 1: Exploring communities
© Disney
education programme
p1
Animal communities
Discussion:
Ask students to summarise what they’ve discovered about community so far, and
select a student to paraphrase the definition of community. Based on the definition,
are people the only ones who can form communities?
Have students observe the two photos, and ask for one-word suggestions for
common characteristics of each photo’s subjects. If necessary, prompt with open
ended questions like:
• Which animals are represented in this photo?
• What are they doing?
• What adjectives come to mind when you look at this photo?
Next, ask the class to draw comparisons between these animal communities and
communities within your school. Which school communities do the lions bring to
mind? The gazelle? (e.g. The gazelle are similar to school athletes, while the lion
cubs are reminiscent of young children in the playground).
Explain that just like human communities, we give names to animal communities.
For example, a community of lions is called a Pride.
Challenge the class to think of other animals and their community names.
Possible answers include: flock of birds, herd of deer, shoal of fish, swarm of bees,
cackle of hyenas, ostentation of ostriches, parliament of owls.
Activity:
Worksheet 1: Creature Communities
On Worksheet 1 there are photographs of creatures and a list of the collective
nouns we use to describe the communities they make. Ask your class to match them
together.
Discussion:
Once completed, select 4-6 animal communities found on the worksheet and discuss
their community characteristics and defining behaviours. For example, explore how
members of the penguin community congregate in a circle to keep each other warm
during extreme weather, and how ants work in colonies to transport materials and
protect themselves from predators. Have research tools like encyclopaedia, science
texts books or internet resources.
Communities in
The Lion King
Discussion:
Facilitate a discussion using these prompts:
• In The Lion King, one community you will meet is the group of lions.
Why do you think the lions’ territory is known as the Pridelands?
• On the next slide you will meet some of the important characters from The Lion
King, who help tell the story of their community.
The Lion King is an allegory. Explore the term ‘allegory’ with students and ask them
how The Lion King fits this description. Ask students to reflect on why the choice to
tell the story this way might have been made. If necessary, prompt with open-ended
questions like:
• How might a writer use human behaviour and animal communities to tell a story?
• Can you think of other examples of allegories using animal communities?
Presentation 1: Exploring communities
© Disney
education programme
p2
Exploring
community roles in
The Lion King
Interactive 1:
Explore with your class the role of each character in the community of The Lion
King.
(Click on each image to discover each role. Click the small cross to close the
window and open another).
Leader
Mufasa is the king of the lions. He rules the Pridelands and is the leader of the
pride. He is mature and wise, and the community respects and obeys him.
Activist
Nala is a young lioness who plays an active part in the Pridelands community. She
hunts for food with the other female lions and becomes worried about the future of
the community as The Lion King story unfolds.
Spiritual Guide
Rafiki, the wise mandrill, is a Sangoma. Sangomas are spiritual healers found in
communities throughout Africa. Rafiki is central to the community and understands
the history of the Pridelands. She can communicate with the ancestors and helps the
other characters to understand what they must do.
Friend
Timon and Pumbaa are friends who welcome Simba to their community when he
feels he no longer belongs to his own. Friendship is an important way for different
members of a community to help and support one another.
Child
We meet Simba as a young lion cub and follow his story as he grows up and
fulfils his destiny. In all communities it is important that new generations can learn
and grow. They, in turn, then become the elders who guide the next generation to
adulthood.
Rebel
Sometimes in communities there is a conflict between what one individual wants
for themselves and what is best for the community as a whole. Scar is envious
of his brother, King Mufasa, but when he steals the crown it is a disaster for the
Pridelands.
Advisor
Leaders sometimes need help to govern their community. Zazu, a hornbill, is an
advisor and counsellor to Mufasa. As the major-domo, he helps the king rule the
Pridelands in the right way, so that community continues to respect and obey him.
Presentation 1: Exploring communities
© Disney
education programme
p3
Exploring
community roles
in our school
Interactive 2:
Next, look at some of the roles within your school and explore if they are similar
to those in The Lion King.
On the screen you’ll see images of people with different roles in a school
(e.g. teacher, caretaker, librarian, nurse, pupil, dinner lady, and head teacher).
At the bottom of the screen various roles will appear (e.g. leader).
Ask the class to determine who the leader in the school is and choose a pupil to
drag the title to the corresponding silhouette.
There are no right or wrong answers – the word will stick on the silhouette it is
pulled to. Ask students to defend their suggestions, and ensure the class agrees
before each role is assigned to a silhouette.
Clicking the ‘next’ button will reset your choice and the next role descriptor will
appear. There will be a total of seven choices, which align to the community roles in
Interactive 1.
Not all roles have a perfect equivalent (e.g. caretaker and dinner lady). This allows
an opportunity to introduce the idea of different communities needing different roles
to fulfil their purpose.
Discussion:
Facilitate a discussion using these prompts:
• What would happen if the caretaker were the head teacher for the day?
• How would school be different if the head teacher was a pupil?
• What is needed to fulfil each role effectively? What qualifications, knowledge,
motivation and particular personality attributes are necessary for each role?
Activity:
Worksheet 2: My Community Roles.
Distribute Worksheet 2 to the class. Ask students to write down the different
communities to which they belong, and the roles they play in each of those
communities. Next, facilitate a discussion about how each community is different
and that the roles we all play in communities vary.
community spirit
Discussion:
Facilitate a discussion using these prompts:
• How would you describe the “spirit” of one of the communities you explored on
your worksheet?
• Does each of the communities on your worksheet have its own spirit?
• Who establishes the spirit of the communities on your worksheet?
• Do any of your communities have rules or laws? Leaders?
• Are the leaders the only ones who make contributions to the community? If not,
who else makes contributions, and how?
• How does history inform the spirit of your various communities?
• How do you contribute to your communities? How do your rights and
responsibilities inform the spirit of your various communities?
Presentation 1: Exploring communities
© Disney
education programme
p4
Contributing to
our community
Activity:
Worksheet 3: Contributing to Our Community
Distribute Worksheet 2 to the class, and ask students how they should be
contributing to these different communities. What do they think are the rights they
have as a member of each community? What are their responsibilities to the rest
of the community?
The objective of the worksheet is to encourage students to explore how rights and
responsibilities are balanced in communities for the benefit of everybody.
Discussion:
Facilitate a discussion using these prompts:
• How do you actively contribute at home? Do you help around the house,
or look after siblings or grandparents?
• What is the impact when you do or don’t contribute at home?
• Do you feel you have a right to live at home without any responsibilities?
• What are your rights at school? Do you have a right to education, or a right
to be taught well? Do you have a right to break rules? Why or why not?
• Do you have a responsibility to be courteous and respectful to other members
of the school? What are the consequences of a respectful school community?
Of a disrespectful one?
• Whose responsibility is it to make the school environment an enjoyable place
to learn for everyone?
• What are your rights and responsibilities in other communities?
(This discussion will take up the majority of the rest of the lesson, but please leave
time to set up any extension work).
summary
Conclusion:
Read out the three statements on the screen. Ask a number of students to mention
a type of community, what role they play in a particular community, and how they
think the spirit of the school is created.
at the lion king
Activity:
Worksheet 4: At The Lion King
Distribute Worksheet 4 to the class, and allow students to complete the assignment.
Extension:
If you are working with older or more advanced pupils, facilitate a discussion using
these prompts:
• Describe the circle of life and why it is important to all communities.
• If you were a member of the Pridelands community after Simba resumed the
throne, how would you help? What role do you think you would play in the
community, and what would your rights and responsibilities be?
• How could you make the spirit of The Lion King community even stronger?
Presentation 1: Exploring communities
© Disney
education programme
p5
Presentation 2
our community’s spirit
Complete this section after your trip to The Lion King
The Spirit of
The Lion King
Discussion:
Facilitate a discussion using the following prompts:
• Can anyone summarise the story of The Lion King? (Tip: after a student’s
summary, ask the class if they’d like to clarify or add any relevant details).
• Which elements of the show combined to give an overall impression of being
in Africa?
• What can those elements tell us about the spirit of The Lion King?
Creating the Spirit
of The Lion King
Discussion:
Facilitate a discussion using these prompts:
• Who do you think is responsible for creating the spirit of The Lion King on stage
every night? (e.g. performers, ushers, designers, etc.).
• Are these people active members of their community? How?
• What would happen if an actor didn’t show up for work? What might happen
if a make-up artist didn’t participate? What if the audience didn’t arrive in time
for the show?
• What are the rights and responsibilities of the stage crew at The Lion King?
Of the audience?
• Are the audience active citizens in The Lion King community? Are applause
and attentiveness active behaviours?
• How does the audience impact the rest of The Lion King community?
• What do the following facts tell you about The Lion King community?
• It took 37,000 hours to make the puppets and masks in The Lion King.
That’s over 30 years of school for an average student!
• It takes 114 people to prepare for each performance of The Lion King.
Presentation 2: Our community’s spirit
© Disney
education programme
p1
Discovering Active
Citizens
Interactive 3:
Just as there are active citizens who bring The Lion King to life on stage each night,
all communities have active participants who keep things working.
Ask students to look at the picture of a hospital and the people who encounter that
community every day. The goal is to distinguish the active citizens from the passive
ones.
Asks students to drag who they think are active citizens into the hospital. If they
are correct, the character will disappear from the left hand side and their role
will appear underneath the title on the right. If they are wrong or choose to drag
a questionable active citizen across (e.g. patient or visitor), the character will
remain on the right.
After each character has been identified, ask students what would happen if these
people stopped helping the hospital community?
Activity:
Worksheet 5: Active Citizens in Our School
Split the class into groups of 4-5 students and hand out Worksheet 5. Instruct
children to work in groups to create a list of the active citizens in your school.
Extension:
If you are working with older or more advanced pupils, encourage students to
consider a wider scope of the hospital community. (e.g. chemists, pharmacists,
engineers, etc.)
Finding our school
community spirit
Activity:
Worksheet 6?
Distribute Worksheet 6 to the group, and ask students to work within their small
groups. Read the two scenarios aloud, and instruct groups to select one to explore.
• Scenario 1: A student from another country is enrolling at our school. How
can you explain our school’s community spirit? How will our school community
welcome her and ensure she feels comfortable and supported? Think about your
first day at school. What support did you need and why?
• Scenario 2: Your school has been picked to perform a play at the local care
home. The theme is ‘Our Community Spirit’. What will you perform, and what
role will each member of your school community play?
Remind students what they learned from The Lion King, and encourage the class
to start by making a list of all the members of the school community and their
respective roles.
Further advice:
You may wish to plan this activity over another lesson so that the groups have
a chance to discuss or perform their work.
Learning from our
stories
Discussion:
Facilitate a class discussion using these prompts:
• What have you discovered by responding to the scenario on Worksheet 6?
• How has The Lion King made you reflect on your own role in various
communities?
• What can we all do to support each other within our classroom community?
Presentation 2: Our community’s spirit
© Disney
education programme
p2