Why Am I Here: The Big Question Read-aloud Experience

Why Was I Born?
The Big Question Read-aloud

“You are here to kiss the clouds.” This is what the pilot says when asked the big question.

In “The Big Question”, people and things are faced with this big question: why are you here? Each answer this based on their status, responsibility and dreams. Answers full of kindness, hope, love of life and love of others. Some, like the duck, are also quite unsure why they are here.

By reading aloud “The Big Question”, children and adolescents are invited to think about the meaning of life and their existence. It lays the foundation for a deep, meaningful conversation about responsibilities and living values.

Below, you can read the interesting read-aloud experience of tutors at Arfak Association:

Book: The Big Question by Wolf Erlbruch
Date: November 2019
Age Group: 4^th grade
Location: Arfak Association, Tehran

After the read-aloud, we reviewed the book by asking some questions. Children tried to remember how each person or animal and thing had responded to the question. We talked about why they had responded as such.

Mahboubeh told us that this is a question she often asks herself as well. So, we gave everyone a piece of paper and asked to right their own answers to the question.

In the next activity, children chose their favorite books. We asked them to think about how their favorite characters would have responded when faced with the same question.

Elham chose “Diary of a Fly”. She believed that the fly would have said: “You are here to write your diaries.”

Mahboubeh chose “How to Heal a Broken Wing”. Mahboubeh thought that the main character’s response would be to be kind. In the end, I asked Mahboubeh whether she has found her own answer to the big question. She was not sure, but she believe that she had taken a step forward in its direction.

“You are here to study, teach, learn about friendship, be a friend. Do good things and learn good things.”

“If this child comes to me and asks me why I’m here, I’ll tell him you are here to get to know the animals like: kangaroo, bear, fox, hen, horse and the rest. But beware of the lion because it is dangerous and it might eat you.”