1. Day Of Gratitude Videomrs. Parker's 6th Grade L.a. Class Of
2. Day Of Gratitude Videomrs. Parker's 6th Grade L.a. Class Submarine
3. Day Of Gratitude Videomrs. Parker's 6th Grade L.a. Classroom
4. Day Of Gratitude Videomrs. Parker's 6th Grade L.a. Classical

The Power of Gratitude 1. INSEAD The Business School for the World” 2. GRATITU DE is a readiness to show appreciation and to return kindness. What is a culture without gratitude like? INSEAD The Business School 4. Low comp morale 5.: »' ‘W:10 I Q Greed and rampant bullying 6. Before asking students to write in a gratitude journal be sure to explain what gratitude is and encourage them to think of non-material things to include. Have students list 3 things in their gratitude journal weekly – this could be done as bell work at the beginning of the class or at the end of class as an exit activity.

Find and review charities, nonprofits and volunteering and donation opportunities. Want to donate or volunteer? Find the best local non-profit or charity.

Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday to help students cultivate an “attitude of gratitude.” And what’s more, research shows that it’s really good for both them and their teachers!

Among other benefits, gratitude helps kids feel better about school and makes educators feel less emotionally exhausted.

• The Gratitude Project

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Need some ideas on how to bring gratitude into the classroom? Here are some easy-to-implement activities, many of which can be adapted to fit any grade level.

• Classroom Gratitude Book. Create a gratitude book to send home with a different child each week. Ask each student’s family to add a page of pictures and descriptions of what they’re grateful for. At the end of the year, be sure to celebrate your completed classroom gratitude book!
• Gratitude Photos. Have each student write what he or she is thankful for on a large piece of paper and then take a picture of the child holding up his or her paper. Frame the photo and send it home as a holiday gift.
• Gratitude Collage or Bulletin Board. Have children cut out pictures of things they’re grateful for and then use the pictures to create their own collage or to decorate a classroom gratitude bulletin board.
• Gratitude Paper Chain. Have children write what they’re thankful for on strips of paper and use the strips to make a gratitude chain to hang up in the classroom.
• Gratitude Pairs. Hold a “Special Friends Day” one or two days before Thanksgiving. Ask each student to invite a special person to class for a 45-minute period, such as a grandparent, nanny, neighbor, parent from another classroom, or family friend. Have each pair write and/or draw something they’re thankful for and post it on a bulletin board. Note: Scheduling this activity close to the holiday increases the likelihood of out-of-towners being able to attend.
• Gratitude Spies. Play the “Spying for Gratitude” game. At the beginning of the day, have each child choose the name of another student out of a hat without revealing the name. Each student spends the day “spying” on his or her chosen person and then shares one thing that he or she is grateful for about that person during an end-of-the-day circle.
• Gratitude Quilt. Give each child a 5”x5” blank piece of paper on which to draw something he or she is thankful for. Mount each square on a 6”x6” colored piece of paper and then piece the squares together to create a classroom gratitude quilt.
• Gratitude Graph. Have each child write one thing that he or she is grateful for on a sticky note and then plot it on a classroom gratitude graph. Categories might include people, things, places, actions, animals, etc.
• Gratitude Circle. Begin or end the day sitting in a circle with each person sharing one thing that he or she is grateful for and why. Note: Younger students will need a lot of modeling to explain why they’re grateful for something.
• Gratitude Journals. Have each student create a gratitude journal or decorate the cover of a pre-made one. Once a week, have students write three things they’re grateful for and why. Be sure to limit this activity to once a week, otherwise, according to research, the activity loses its impact.
• Gratitude Surprise Sticky Notes. Give each student one or more sticky notes to write something they’re grateful for about another person in the school community. Then have the students “deliver” the sticky notes by placing them where the person will see it, e.g., a locker, a phone, a cleaning cart.
• Gratitude Letters for the Community. Write letters of gratitude and deliver them to people in the greater school community, e.g., janitor, food staff, school administration. Expand this exercise to include the local community, such as police, fire station, bank, grocery store, hospital, electricians, etc.
• Gratitude Quotes. Give students their own gratitude quote (here’s a great list of quotes) and have them reflect upon and write about what their quote means to them.
• Gratitude Discussions. Use gratitude researchers Jeffrey Froh and Giacomo Bono’sgratitude curriculum to deepen students’ understanding of gratitude. Have students think of something they’re grateful for and then re-frame it as a gift. Then ask students to 1) notice that someone saw they had a need and acted upon it; 2) appreciate the cost incurred by the person extending the gift; and 3) recognize the personal value of the gift they received.
• Gratitude Research and Action. Share and discuss with your students the research that shows the tremendous benefits of practicing gratitude. Here’s a list of findings from the Greater Good gratitude webpage. Ask students to come up with ways they might incorporate more gratitude into their lives. After hearing about the research on gratitude from their teacher, one group of 8th graders from a high-needs school took it upon themselves to form “The Breakfast Club”—a secret club dedicated to performing kind acts for the school staff. After several months of clandestinely delivering Starbucks coffees (donated by Starbucks), pizzas, and other fun treats, the Breakfast Club members revealed their identities at a school assembly—and were hailed with loud roars and cheers!

How do you teach the concept of gratitude to your students? Many young learners don’t realize how much they have to be thankful for. They may not realize that not everyone has the things they have. Teaching appreciation for these things is an essential part of being a well-rounded person, so it’s well worth the time!

GRATITUDE AND KINDNESS CLASS BOOKS

We do a whole class project based on Random Acts of Kindness.

This is a simple page to send home with students. The task is to simply write about an act of kindness they have done or seen in the past. This hopefully promotes a family discussion about the importance of kindness, and specific, meaningful examples that are relevant to their family.

When the page is returned to school, we have a heartfelt class discussion. Students are proud to share, and intrigued by other stories.

These pages make a lovely display in the classroom or hallway. Afterwards, I bind the pages to create a class book. We keep this in our classroom library, and younger siblings love to read them in the years to come. Many will exclaim “I remember when my brother did this project at home!”

Day Of Gratitude Videomrs. Parker's 6th Grade L.a. Class Of

This is a free download if you’d like to try it with your class. The parent information and book cover are included as well.
Click below to get it!

Day Of Gratitude Videomrs. Parker's 6th Grade L.a. Class Submarine

MORE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING RESOURCES

If you are looking for more lessons about kindness, you can check out UNIT 8 from The Kindness Classroom. It is a year long curriculum to teach a number of essential social skills. See the topics below, and click HERE to see LOTS of pictures, sample lessons and free resources in the preview!

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I AM THANKFUL – WRITING TEMPLATES

Another simple project is a differentiated activity about recognizing all of the things we have to be thankful for.

Day Of Gratitude Videomrs. Parker's 6th Grade L.a. Classroom

Younger students color and draw their ideas, while older students have a place to write more.

Click below to try it for free!

I hope these activities will help with your discussions about kindness with your students!

I’d love to hear about how you used them!

THANKSGIVING THANKFULNESS

Thanksgiving is a time when we do a lot of talking, writing and drawing about things we are thankful for. Here’s a no prep template that students can use to express their gratitude after your class discussions. They can also color the funky turkey and make a stunning bulletin display.

Day Of Gratitude Videomrs. Parker's 6th Grade L.a. Classical

GRATITUDE ACTIVITIES & RESOURCES

Our SEL curriculum also has an entire unit dedicated to gratitude and ways to show more appreciation in daily life: appreciation for our things, our friends and our family. There are 30+ fun activities, including a read aloud story, partner play, and interactive projects. You can see the entire year collection by clicking HERE.