Top 5 Most Outstanding 'My Mother' Lesson Plans

I. General Overview:

1. Author:

Et-mon-do-de A-mi-xi (1846 – 1908) was an Italian author, known for his famous works including: The Life of Warriors, Noble Hearts, and The Story of the Teacher...

2. Work:

Excerpted from 'Noble Hearts'.

II. In-depth Lesson Plan for 'My Mother':

Question 1 (Page 11 of 7th Grade Literature Book 1):

The form is a letter, but the content focuses on the mother. The mother is the central character of the letter.

Question 2 (Page 12 of 7th Grade Literature Book 1):

Through the letter, we can see the father’s feelings of sadness, disappointment, and anger towards En-ri-co. The cause of these emotions is En-ri-co’s disrespect for his mother in front of the teacher during a visit to their home.

Examples of the father's sentiments:

…such behavior should never be repeated
Your rudeness felt like a knife piercing my heart
I can’t hold back my anger towards you
I would rather not have a child than see you betray your mother.

Question 3 (Page 12 of 7th Grade Literature Book 1):

Details and imagery about En-ri-co’s mother:

The mother stayed up all night, bending over the crib, watching her child’s labored breath, fearing the worst, crying at the thought of possibly losing him.
The mother was ready to sacrifice an entire year of happiness to spare her child one hour of pain.
She would beg on the streets to feed her child, willing to sacrifice anything to save him.
=> The mother’s love is selfless, boundless, always willing to sacrifice for her child's well-being.

Question 4 (Page 12 of 7th Grade Literature Book 1):

Reasons why En-ri-co might be profoundly moved:

Because his father reminded him of the memories with his mother
Because of his father's firm and strict attitude
Because of his father’s deeply sincere and meaningful words
Because En-ri-co felt ashamed.

Question 5 (Page 12 of 7th Grade Literature Book 1):

The father did not speak directly to En-ri-co because:

Direct confrontation would make it difficult to control his anger
Speaking directly would limit the expression of sincere and deep emotions
Direct confrontation could hurt the other person’s self-esteem, leading to more negative than positive emotions.

III. Practice:

Question 1 (Page 12 of 7th Grade Literature Book 1): Choose your favorite passage.

Question 2 (Page 12 of 7th Grade Literature Book 1):

Suggestions: Things that could make parents upset:

Lying
Poor grades
Skipping school or playing around
Disrespecting parents
…

Lesson Plan: My Mother - Et-mon-do-de A-mi-xi

Question 1 (Page 11, 7th Grade Literature Book 1):

The title of the work, 'My Mother', invites us to explore a unique perspective on the piece.

- The author does not directly present the child’s thoughts about the mother but rather expresses them through a letter written by the father to his child after the child makes a mistake.

→ This approach creates a psychological impact and a powerful aesthetic effect.

Question 2 (Page 11, 7th Grade Literature Book 1):

- The story revolves around En-ri-co's mistake: “When the teacher visited, he spoke to his mother and may have said something disrespectful.”

- The father, upon discovering this, feels deeply saddened and angry, as shown through:

+ The child's rudeness is like a knife stabbing the father's heart.

+ The father cannot suppress his anger towards his child.

+ The father would rather not have a child than see his child betray his mother.

+ The father cannot respond to his child's kiss in good spirits.

Question 3 (Page 12, 7th Grade Literature Book 1):

En-ri-co’s mother is portrayed through the father’s words:

+ She stayed awake all night, bending over the crib to watch her child’s labored breath, in agony.

+ The mother is willing to sacrifice a year of happiness to spare her child even an hour of pain.

+ The mother could beg on the streets to feed her child, and even give up her life to save him.

⇒ En-ri-co's mother is compassionate, selfless, and willing to sacrifice everything for her child’s well-being.

Question 4 (Page 12, 7th Grade Literature Book 1):

En-ri-co is deeply moved upon reading his father's letter because:

a. His father recalls the memories between En-ri-co and his mother.

c. The father’s firm and strict attitude.

d. The father’s sincere and profound words.

Additionally, En-ri-co feels regret and shame for his mistake.

Question 5 (Page 12, 7th Grade Literature Book 1):

The father chooses to write a letter instead of speaking directly to his child:

- The father wants the child to read carefully, reflect, and draw lessons on their own.

- This approach also preserves the dignity of the one being reprimanded.

- This shows the father’s thoughtfulness, sensitivity, and depth.

Practice:

Exercise 1 (Page 12, 7th Grade Literature Book 1):

Select any passage you like to study.

Exercise 2 (Page 12, 7th Grade Literature Book 1):

That day the weather was mild, and a gentle breeze swept through the trees. It could have been a perfect day, but I had a terrible math test to face. The fault was mine, for I didn’t study. Now, I was anxious and fearful of confronting my mother. When my parents left, I sat at the computer instead of my study desk, convinced that my previous good grades would exempt me from the test. But... the teacher handed out a test anyway.

When I got home, I was about to lie to my mother. I nervously greeted her and tearfully handed her my test with a low score, claiming, 'My hand hurt, and I couldn’t finish in time.' After that day, my mother seemed more subdued, unable to focus while cooking or cleaning. Eventually, I had to confess my mistake by leaving a letter in her purse. In the end, she forgave me, and I realized that admitting and correcting my mistakes brought me more than what I lost.

I. ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Edmondo De Amicis (1846-1908) was an Italian writer, known for his educational work 'Heart,' which includes the excerpt 'My Mother.' He was also the author of books like 'The Life of Soldiers' (1868), 'The Story of a Schoolmaster' (1890), 'Between School and Home' (1892), and others. In his books, he vividly portrayed the relationships between teachers and students, family and school, and friendships, all conveyed through captivating and meaningful stories.

II. TEXT ANALYSIS:

1. Why is the title 'My Mother' used when the text is a letter from a father to his child?

Answer:

- The text is structured as a letter from a father to his child, yet its content is focused on the mother. She is the central figure of the story.

- The father writes the letter because of his child's disrespectful attitude towards the mother, aiming to educate the child to show respect and love for her. Therefore, the title 'My Mother' is entirely appropriate.

2. What is the father's attitude towards Enrico in the letter, and what makes you think so? Why does he feel this way?

Answer:

The story recounts how Enrico carelessly spoke disrespectfully to his mother when the teacher visited. In the letter to Enrico, the father expresses deep sadness and anger at the incident. This attitude is made clear through the following lines:

- '... it felt like a knife stabbed into my heart.'

- 'I could not contain my anger towards you.'

'It is disgraceful and shameful for anyone to trample on such love.'

- '... the mark of ingratitude on your forehead.'

- 'I would rather not have a son than to see you be ungrateful to your mother.'

- '... I cannot accept your kiss now.'

3. What images or details about Enrico's mother in the story reveal what kind of person she is?

Answer:

The story provides several images and details about Enrico's mother:

- She stays awake all night to care for him when he is ill.

- She is willing to sacrifice everything, even her own life, to save him.

From this, we understand that Enrico's mother is a deeply loving and selfless person.

4. What makes Enrico feel deeply moved when he reads his father's letter?

Answer:

Enrico is deeply moved by the letter for the following reasons:

- The letter recalls precious memories between him and his mother.

- The heartfelt and profound words of his father.

- His father's firm and serious attitude.

5. Why doesn't the father speak directly to Enrico but chooses to write a letter instead?

Answer:

The father may have chosen to write a letter for several reasons:

- Some emotions and sensitive matters are difficult to express directly.

- Writing a letter prevents Enrico from feeling embarrassed or defensive in front of his father.

- The father wants Enrico to have the chance to read the letter repeatedly, reflecting on its message deeply.

- There might also be limited opportunities for them to meet in person due to their schedules.

EXERCISES:

1. Choose a passage from the father's letter to Enrico that highlights the immense role of a mother and memorize it.

Answer:

The immense role of a mother is shown in the following passage from the father's letter to Enrico:

'As you grow up and face life's struggles, there may come a time when you yearn to hear your mother's words, to be embraced by her. No matter how strong or independent you become, you will always feel like a helpless, vulnerable child, yearning for her protection. You will regret the times you caused her pain... You will never find peace if you have hurt her. No matter how much you regret or ask for forgiveness, it will be in vain. Your conscience will never be at rest. The gentle, loving image of your mother will haunt your soul. Enrico, remember that the love and respect for your parents is the most sacred feeling of all. It is shameful for anyone to trample on such love.'

2. Share a time when you caused your parents grief.

Answer:

First, recall all the times you made mistakes: going out without asking for permission, returning home late and making your mother wait anxiously, fighting with a sibling, being lazy about studying, or receiving poor grades. Then, choose the most significant mistake and write about it, following this structure:

- The circumstances of the mistake.

- Describe what happened.

- How you regretted and felt sorry for your actions.

- How you made up for the mistake.

And this is something you might want to share with Enrico, right?

Text Comprehension:

Question 1: The text is a letter from a father to his child, but why does the author title it 'My Mother'?

The text is in the form of a letter from the father to the child, but the content of the letter focuses on the mother. The mother is the central figure of the story.

The father writes this letter because of his child's disrespectful attitude towards the mother. The purpose is to educate the child on the importance of respecting and cherishing the mother. Therefore, the title 'My Mother' is completely appropriate.

Some may argue that alternative titles such as 'Regret' or 'A Mistake' could also reflect the story’s content. However, these titles focus more on the perspective of the child rather than the mother, and they lose the emotional value the original title conveys.

Question 2: The father seems deeply saddened and angry at Enrico’s attitude and behavior (when Enrico said something disrespectful to his mother in front of the teacher). How can we tell this from the letter?

The father’s anger is conveyed through these lines in the letter:

'... this is something you must never do again.'

'Your disrespect cut into my heart like a knife.'

'I could not suppress my anger towards you.'

'From now on, you must never speak harshly to your mother.'

'I would rather not have a son than to see you betray your mother.'

Question 3: What details or images in the text describe Enrico’s mother?

'She stayed up all night, bending over the cradle, watching her child’s labored breath, trembling with fear, and crying because she feared losing him.'

'The mother would sacrifice an entire year of happiness to spare her child an hour of pain.'

'She would beg for alms or sacrifice her life to save her son.'

These details reveal that Enrico’s mother is deeply devoted, willing to sacrifice everything for her child. She embodies the sacred image of motherhood, a true symbol of unconditional love.

Question 4: Why did Enrico feel deeply moved when reading his father’s letter?

Enrico was deeply moved by the letter for several reasons:

- The letter reminded him of the sacred memories between him and his mother.

- The father’s serious, firm tone.

- The father’s heartfelt and profound words.

- Enrico felt guilty and ashamed of his wrong actions.

Question 5: Why didn’t the father address Enrico directly and instead chose to write a letter?

Direct reprimand is often hard to control due to the father’s intense emotions.

It is also difficult to express deep, sensitive feelings in a direct confrontation.

Speaking directly may cause the child to feel overly insulted, damaging their self-esteem and preventing the reprimand from achieving its intended educational purpose.

Question 6: Collect some poems or verses about mothers.

'Wiping away tears while working hard,
Sweating through the hardships of life.
Thousands of struggles in the poverty-stricken land,
Facing storms, enduring the cold.

Though in pain, she always shares happiness,
Even in hardships, she wishes for peace.
A life full of hardship and wandering,
How can a poem capture the love from my mother?'

II. PRACTICE:
1. Choose a passage that demonstrates the immense role of the mother in a child’s life and memorize it.
2. Share an event where you caused your parents distress: lying, arguing with your mother, being lazy, or using bad language...

I. Text Understanding:

Question 1:

This text is a letter written by a father to his child. The title 'My Mother' was chosen because the letter focuses on the mother, portraying her in a grand and noble light, showing the silent, selfless love she has for her child. This allows the writer to fully express his emotions without embarrassing the child and helps the child understand the issue better.

Question 2:

*The father's attitude towards Enrico in the letter is one of anger, sadness, and seriousness.

*Examples of sentences showing this attitude:

- 'This mistake must never happen again.'

- 'Your disrespect is like a knife stabbing my heart.'

- 'I could no longer hold back my anger towards you.'

- 'From now on, never speak harshly to your mother.'

- 'I would rather not have a son than see you betray your mother.'

- 'For a while, don’t kiss me.'

*Reason: Enrico made a mistake when the teacher visited, and during that time, Enrico spoke disrespectfully to his mother.

Question 3:

*Images and details about Enrico’s mother:

- The mother stayed up all night, bending over the cradle, watching her child's labored breath, trembling with fear, and crying at the thought of possibly losing him.

- The mother would sacrifice an entire year of happiness just to save her child from one hour of pain, and would beg for food or risk her life to save her son.

= These details show that Enrico's mother is gentle, loving, and selflessly sacrifices for her child. She embodies the noble and beautiful love of a mother.

Question 4:

Enrico was deeply moved when reading his father's letter because:

- The letter reminded him of the memories shared with his mother.

- The firm and serious tone of his father.

- The sincere and profound words of his father.

- Enrico felt ashamed of what he had done to his mother.

Question 5: Why did the father choose to write the letter instead of speaking directly to Enrico?

The father chose to write because he was thoughtful, discreet, and wanted to address Enrico privately. Additionally, direct reprimands are often difficult to control due to strong emotions and may offend the child, which can lead to negative thoughts and prevent the lesson from having the desired impact.

II. PRACTICE:

1. Choose a passage that illustrates the importance of a mother to her child and memorize it.

2. Share an incident where you caused your parents distress.

When my mother asked me to tidy up my clothes, I argued with her, and she became very upset.