Lessons from Grandma's Steps

The learning opportunity

Older people’s stories can reveal practices, relationships, and values that sustained them. Invite intergenerational learning without assuming every child has access to a grandparent. A trusted older person, a recorded account, or a story from the book can provide a starting point.

Learning goal

Students will reflect on how stories from older generations can teach us how to face difficult times with courage and perseverance.

Competencies: Resilience, Growth Mindset, Empathy, Social Awareness

Sharla’s story

One of my favorite places to go as a child was my grandparents’ farm. It was a space filled with joy—animals, growing crops, a garden in the backyard, and the peace of being out in the country. I spent a lot of time there with my extended family, and I learned so much just by being around them.

One summer, while staying overnight with my grandparents, my grandma and I had been working in the garden and decided to rest on the back steps. As we sat and talked, she shared stories from her life—about the challenges of farming, the years with drought when crops failed, and the struggles of living through the Great Depression.

I remember asking her, “Grandma, how did you keep going when things were so hard and you had to go without?”

She looked at me and said something I’ll never forget: “Sometimes life doesn’t go the way we want it to. There are unexpected things, and hard things. But it’s important to have faith, to trust that things will be okay, and to get up each day and try again.”

That moment taught me about resilience—about starting again even when life is hard. My grandma’s words have stayed with me all my life. She showed me that persistence, faith, and love for your family can carry you through tough times.

Step 2: Lesson Plan Theme

Theme: Resilience and Intergenerational Wisdom Goal: Students will reflect on how stories from older generations can teach us how to face difficult times with courage and perseverance.

Classroom Discussion Prompts:

What kinds of challenges did Sharla’s grandma face?

What lesson did she share about how to deal with hard times?

Why do you think stories from grandparents or older people are important?

How can we use those lessons in our own lives when things are difficult?

Spark, shutdown and reflection

Spark Story Prompt:

Write or tell about a time when someone older shared a story that helped you understand something important.

Describe a moment when you had to keep going even though something was hard. What helped you?

Shutdown Reflection Prompt:

Tell about a time when you felt like giving up. What might someone older and wiser have said to you?

Reflection Options:

Interview a grandparent or elder and write down their advice for facing challenges.

Draw a picture or create a timeline showing a story of resilience from a family member.

Whose footsteps do you follow when things get hard, and what might your own footsteps leave behind?