I know my students very well. There is a level of trust and kindness in my classroom that can only be built up overtime. However, the closer we get to the winter vacation... the more "squirrely" my students are becoming. They have been short-tempered and sarcastic with one another, so I decided to pause academics and reteach kindness in a quick 45 minute lesson. (A little foreshadowing: This activity is going to turn into their holiday presents! Shhhhhhh! It's a surprise! Don't tell!)
I called all of my students to the carpet, and started with the opener "What makes a good friend?" We brainstormed a list of about 30 words and then I asked students to think about their friends in the classroom. I asked students to think about why people are friends with them. Then we added more words to the list. We ended up with around 50 words such as "funny, silly, unique, intelligent, friendly, respectful, etc. Next, I asked students to share which words on the list described themselves.
Once everyone shared (that wanted to), I moved into the next phase of my lesson. :-) Students wrote 3 of the words from the list on a sheet of notebook paper and then we played "SCOOT." I had students move one desk to the right and write down one to two words that described (complimented) each person. After about 1 minute, students would "SCOOT" to the next desk and write down another one or two words that described their classmate. (Of course I had to stop a few times and remind students that they are writing positive things about their classmates to reinforce kindness. And, no, "crazy" is not a compliment and neither is "clumsy." Oy!) Students "scooted" from desk to desk about 15 times, and then I collected all the papers. I have 23 students, but I did not want my students to see what others had written about them. (More foreshadowing: Not yet!) So I collected all the papers before they were close to their own desks.
I am using the compliments that students wrote about one another and creating their holiday gifts with them. I went to the website Tagul (I am not affiliated with Tagul in any way.), and it was so incredibly easy to use. I wrote each student's name in capital letters and then chose seven words for each student to create speech bubble compliments. I am going to print them onto colorful card stock and then laminate each one for a meaningful keepsake.
I believe I have created a holiday tradition for myself that I will keep for many years. The lesson reinforced kindness in my classroom ( a huge plus) and I now have a unique and inexpensive gift for each student. A few examples of the speech bubble compliments are below. Enjoy!
Happy Learning!
Happy Teaching!
Happy Holidays!
~Sandra @The Happy Learning Den
I love this idea! What a beautiful creative way to share time with your students and make each one feel respected and cared for. Thanks for blog hopping with us!
ReplyDeleteThank you Betsy. I wasn't sure if I did everything right. That was my first blog hop. Yay!!!
DeleteToday is our classroom holiday celebration. Every name has been laminated and is beautiful. I'm going to tell the students that this is what their classmates (and I) think about them. So often children (and adults too) have negative thoughts about what they believe others think about them. Hopefully this will put a kink in that personal belief and change a mindset or two.
I love this, what a wonderful idea!
ReplyDeleteThank you. :-)
DeleteThis is a great activity and something new that I havent seen. I would lobe to link this to my blog when I post on understanding yourself activities.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! Link away! My students reactions were perfect and amazing. They were delighted that their peers had such positive thoughts.
DeleteAwwwww what a fantastic idea! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
DeleteGreat idea!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteWhat a clever gift for your students. Love it.
ReplyDeleteSo cute! Can't wait to try it out! :)
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