Hand in Hand

Building Community

Teacher Lesson Guide

(swipe to advance)

Objectives

  • Kindness

  • Collaboration

  • Problem Solving

Lesson Design

45-60 Minutes

5 Min: Review Learning Objectives
20 Min: Literary Discussion: The Lion and the Mouse
5 Min: Back-to-Back Challenge: Supporting Activity
10 Min: The Caring Being: Reinforcing Activity
3 Min: Closing Activity

Objectives

  • Identifying and differentiating between language and actions designed to wound and language and actions that support and build friendships

  • Providing personal examples of actions and language that demonstrate kindness

  • Discuss and express the benefits of collaboration and teamwork

  • Engage in strategies that help to promote a class culture of kind collaboration and friendship building

Lingo List

Hurtful Language

stupid

dumb

idiot

jerk

horrible

ugly

Hurtful Behavior

ignore

humiliate

bother

yell at

pick on

complain

steal

Kind Language

appreciate

give thanks

gratitude

consider

thoughtful

attentive

please

courteous

generous

kindness

friendly

trustworthy

honest

sincere

Kind Actions

mindfulness

collaborate

support

build up

listen

protect

care

help

cooperate

service

aid

celebrate

praise

honor

In order to promote a class culture of kindness, collaboration, and friendship students must be able to determine language and action that communicate what is desirable and harmful in interpersonal situations. This lesson will help initiate conversations that can emphasize the wounding of ridicule, and empowerment of praise. As a result, students will feel empowered to address behaviors, positive and negative, that affect their families, classroom and school community.

In this lesson, we will emphasize intentional use of language and communication as an important role in the success of collaboration.

Guiding Questions for Class:

What is kindness to you? How do you feel about working in groups? What do you bring to group work? What are some benefits to working with others?

Reading:

The Lion and the Mouse

A Lion lay asleep in the forest, snoring like rolling thunder, his great head resting on his paws. A timid little Mouse came upon him unexpectedly, and in her fright and haste to get away, ran across the Lion’s nose tickling his whiskers. Roused from his nap, the Lion laid his huge paw angrily on the tiny creature and promptly prepared her to be a snack holding her over his gaping mouth.

“Oh no, Lion! Spare me!” begged the poor Mouse. “Please, let me go and some day I will surely promise to repay you.”

The Lion was so much amused that he began to laugh and cough like a delighted volcano. To think that a mouse could ever help him, the idea forced another wheeze of joy. To the Mouse’s credit the great king of cat’s generosity was aroused and he decided to let the Mouse go as thanks for the humor.

“Ha! That will be the day Mousy Poo! You certainly are a funny one!”

Some days later, while stalking his prey in the forest, the Lion was caught in the toils of a hunter’s net. He writhed and wrangled against the knots but was unable to free himself. He filled the forest with his angry roaring that rang through the valleys and across the plains. The Mouse knew the voice of the Lion’s despair and quickly ran to find him struggling in the net.

“I heard your cries, Lion, and I’ve come to help!” said the mouse. Running to one of the great ropes that bound him, she began to gnaw on the threads.

“What can you do, Mouse? If I cannot break free of this trap, you surely have no power to save me,” moaned the Lion in gloom.

One by one, the fibers of the rope parted and soon the Lion was free.

“You laughed when I said I would repay you,” said the Mouse. “Now you see that even a Mouse can help a Lion.”

Open-Ended Questions:

After the reading, debrief the story using the open-ended questions below. 

Kindness

Tell us about a time when someone was kind to you, what happened?

When someone is kind to you, how do you feel?

What are some ways that you demonstrate kindness?

What happens when people are not kind?

Collaboration

Do you prefer to work alone most of the time or with others?

What makes working together easy?

What makes working together difficult?

What do you like or not like about working with others?

Problem Solving

If you don’t like something that happened how do you stay positive?

How do you feel about asking for help?

Supporting Activity: Back to Back Challenge

Pairs: Have participants sit back to back in pairs. Have pair link arms. Challenge the pair to stand up at the same time.

Small Group: Have participants form a circle sitting on the floor with their backs to each other. Have each person link arms with their neighbor. Challenge the group to stand as a unit all at the same time.

Large Group: Have participants form two lines sitting on the floor with their backs to each other. Have each person link arms with their neighbor. Challenge the group to stand up as a unit all at the same time.

  • After the activity, have individuals share what they liked, and learned from the activity relating to the Lesson Objectives (practicing using language and actions to build friendship, kindness and recognizing the benefits of collaboration/teamwork).

Reinforcing Activity: The Caring Being

Materials: Large “Caring Being” cut out of butcher paper, sticky notes, writing utensils

Prior to class, prepare an outline of a large (life-size) “Caring Being” on butcher paper. Either trace an outline of a student on mural paper or create a shape that will represent a “Caring Being”.

Instructions: 

  1. For the activity, ask each child to write (or assist them in writing) put-up and put-down behaviors on *sticky notes.

  2. Invite each child to come forward and place their put-up behaviors on the inside of our “Caring Being” – these should be any behaviors or feelings they would like to have in their classroom/lives going forward.

  3. If a child has a put-down behavior that they would like to see stopped in their classroom/lives, ask the child to put that sticky note on the outside of the “Caring Being”.

Debrief

  1. What are some behaviors, feelings, put-ups you’d like to encourage in our classroom/lives?

  2. How can you remind each other of the positive behaviors we want to practice?

  3. What are some of the behaviors, feelings, put-downs, that we’d like to stop in our classroom/lives?

  4. How can you remind each other not to engage in negative behaviors?

  5. How can we help each other act as Caring Beings?

Closing Activity

Today, we looked at how we work together with each other in the classroom, and within our family, and discussed how we can make sure everyone contributes to a culture of kindness at school/within their lives. We explored ways to share our learning and caring with others in different places.

COME FULL CIRCLE- Open-Ended Questions

  • What new lessons did you learn today concerning kindness?

  • What are some advantages/challenges to working together discussed or experienced during these lessons?

  • In what ways does kindness help a classroom/family/world?

  • What are some things we can each do to help our teams/families be successful?

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