Domain:
Community Action & Leadership
Competency:
Contribute to your community
🎂
7-9 year olds
⏰
30 to 35 minutes min
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Learning Objective
Students will learn how individual acts of kindness, like writing letters of gratitude, can positively impact their community and inspire others.
Learning Resource Synopsis
In "Dear Street" by Lindsay Zier-Vogel, Alice is a young girl who adores her neighborhood, from the towering maple trees to the bright marigolds and vibrant balconies. However, she notices that others often complain about aspects of their community. In response, Alice decides to write love letters to her street and other parts of the environment, leaving them for others to discover. Her thoughtful actions introduce joy and mindfulness, demonstrating the impact of small acts of kindness on a community. One day, when Alice herself is feeling down, she finds a letter written to the spring crocuses, reminding her of the joy she has been spreading. The book conveys a powerful message about how gratitude can change perspectives and uplift spirits.
Extended Learning Resources
| Resource & Author | Publication Info | Description |
|---|---|---|
| The Thank You Book | Written by Mo Willems, published by Hyperion Books for Children | This book teaches young readers about the importance of gratitude through the adventures of Piggie and Gerald as they thank everyone who matters in their lives. |
| Gratitude is My Superpower | Written by Alicia Ortego, published by Independently published | In this engaging story, children learn how practicing gratitude can turn ordinary days into extraordinary ones by focusing on the positives around them. |
| All Are Welcome | Written by Alexandra Penfold, illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman, published by Alfred A. Knopf | This picture book celebrates kindness and community as it follows a diverse group of children through a day at school where everyone is included and feels a sense of belonging. |
Vocabulary List
| Word | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Gratitude | A feeling of thankfulness and appreciation. | Alice felt gratitude for her neighborhood, so she wrote love letters to express her thanks. |
| Community | A group of people living in the same area or having common interests. | Alice's community was full of interesting places and people, and she wanted to make it a happier place. |
| Mindfulness | Being aware of the present moment and appreciating things around you. | By writing letters to her street, Alice practiced mindfulness and noticed all the things in her neighborhood. |
| Kindness | Being friendly, generous, and considerate to others. | Alice showed kindness by writing letters to make her neighbors smile. |
| Perspective | A particular way of thinking about or seeing something. | Alice's letters helped change the perspective of those who complained about the neighborhood, helping them see its beauty. |
Prompt
Essential Question: "How can small acts of kindness, like writing a thank-you letter, make our community a happier place for everyone?"
Today, we're going to explore how even the smallest acts of kindness, like writing a thank-you letter, can brighten someone's day and make our community a happier place. Let's start by thinking about a time we felt grateful for something special in our neighborhood or school.
Anticipatory Set
- Begin by closing your eyes and picturing a place in your community that makes you feel happy or safe. It could be a park, a school playground, or even your own backyard.
- Now, imagine you are holding a magic pen that can send a special message of kindness to this place. What would you want to say to show your gratitude? Picture the words forming in your mind.
- Open your eyes and turn to a partner to share what message your magic pen would write. Remember to listen carefully as your partner shares too.
Teacher Tips
- Encourage students to visualize by suggesting they think about the colors, sounds, and feelings associated with their chosen place.
- Use a talking object, like a soft ball or a small plush toy, to help signal whose turn it is to speak during partner sharing.
- Be ready to gently guide students who may find it difficult to visualize or articulate their thoughts by offering simple sentence starters, such as 'I love this place because..' or 'This place makes me feel..'.
Learn
Today, we're stepping into Alice's world in "Dear Street" by Lindsay Zier-Vogel. We'll discover how her simple letters of gratitude bring warmth and happiness to her neighborhood. Let's find out how these small gestures make a big difference.
Interactive Engagement
- As we start reading, think about how Alice might be feeling when she sees the beauty in her neighborhood. What do you think inspires her to write love letters?
- Notice the reactions of the people who find Alice's letters. How do you think they feel when they read them? What would you do if you found a letter like that?
- Let's pause for a moment: If you were Alice, who else in your community would you want to write a letter to, and what would you say?
- As Alice finds a letter addressed to the spring crocuses, imagine how this surprise might change her day. Why do you think gratitude can make such a big difference?
- Think about the different places mentioned in the story. How does Alice's appreciation change the way people see these places?
Teacher Tips
- Encourage students to visualize the neighborhood and use their senses to imagine the setting as you read.
- Pause occasionally to ask students to predict what might happen next, fostering critical thinking.
- Use varied tones and expressions to bring Alice's emotions and the story's moments to life, helping students connect with the characters.
Ask
Now that we've journeyed through Alice's neighborhood in 'Dear Street,' let's take a moment to think about how her letters of gratitude changed the world around her. Together, we'll explore how small acts of kindness can create ripples of happiness in our own communities.
Discussion Questions
- Think about a time when someone did something kind for you, even if it was just a small gesture. How did it make you feel, and how did it change your day?
- Alice's letters brought joy to her neighborhood. Imagine you could write a letter to a place or person in your community. Who or what would you choose, and what would you want to say to spread kindness?
- In the story, Alice felt happier when she found a letter written to the spring crocuses. Why do you think giving and receiving kindness can change how we feel about our day?
Teacher Tips
- Encourage students to share personal stories of kindness they've experienced or given, creating a safe space for everyone to express their feelings.
- Use open-ended prompts to allow students to think deeply and make connections to their own lives, helping them see the value of their actions in the community.
- Invite students to consider different perspectives by asking them what they might write in their own letters and how they think others would feel receiving them.
Navigate
Gratitude Garden: Cultivating Kindness
Inspired by Alice's journey in 'Dear Street', this activity encourages students to identify and express gratitude for their community, much like Alice's love letters. By creating a 'Gratitude Garden' with notes and drawings, children learn how their small acts of kindness can inspire joy and a sense of connection within their community.
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Teacher Tips
- Encourage students to be specific in their notes to make their gratitude more personal and meaningful.
- Guide students to think beyond people and consider places and things in their community that contribute positively.
- Invite community members to visit the 'Gratitude Garden' or arrange for the delivery of notes to foster a sense of connection and appreciation.
Share
Let's take a moment to reflect on our journey with 'Dear Street' and the powerful impact of kindness. Remember how Alice's letters brought joy to her community and how we explored the idea that small acts of gratitude can make a big difference. This is your chance to think about what you've learned, how you've grown, and how you might bring kindness into your own community.
Reflection Questions
- Think about one thing you learned from Alice's story about spreading kindness. How did it change the way you see your own community?
- Reflect on a moment today when you felt inspired by Alice's actions. How did it make you feel, and what kind of kindness would you like to share with others?
- Consider how you can use what you learned from 'Dear Street' to spread happiness in your own neighborhood. What is one small act of kindness you could do this week?
Teacher Tips
- Encourage students to share their reflections with a partner or in a small group, allowing them to articulate their thoughts and hear different perspectives.
- Provide options for students to express their reflections verbally, through drawing, or by writing a short note, supporting different communication styles.
- Emphasize the connections between students' reflections and the lesson's themes, celebrating their insights and reinforcing the importance of kindness and community.
UDL Strategies
Representation
- Visual: Use a digital slideshow with images and short captions of different community members performing acts of kindness, to visually engage students with examples.
- Auditory: Incorporate a podcast episode or a story told by a community member about a time when kindness made a difference, to add a personal and auditory element.
- Tactile/Kinesthetic: Provide materials such as clay or modeling dough for students to create small representations of things they are grateful for, allowing them to express gratitude in a physical form.
- Scaffolding: Create a step-by-step guide with visual icons and words to help students plan their gratitude notes, supporting them from idea generation to final expression.
- Comprehension Levels: Use color-coded sentence strips that students can arrange to form their gratitude statements, offering a structured yet flexible writing support.
Action & Expression
- Multiple Modalities: Allow students to use digital tools to create e-cards or digital drawings, offering tech-savvy students an alternative to paper-based expressions.
- Communication Preferences: Encourage students to pair with a classmate to create a two-part message, where one writes and the other draws, promoting collaboration and shared responsibility.
- Varied Ability Levels: Set up a 'support station' where students can access peer support or teacher guidance for writing, drawing, or tech use, ensuring everyone can express their gratitude confidently.
Engagement
- Initial Attention: Begin with a story-telling circle where students share a personal experience of receiving kindness, using props or puppets to make the stories more engaging.
- Maintaining Engagement: Introduce a 'mystery box' filled with objects representing different community members or places, prompting students to think about gratitude related to each item.
- Motivation Preferences: Provide an option to create a gratitude mural where students can collectively contribute, offering a sense of community and shared achievement in addition to individual projects.
Assessment Criteria
Formative Assessment
- During the class discussion on community appreciation, observe students' ability to express what they appreciate about their community. Look for evidence of understanding through their ability to identify specific people, places, or things and articulate why they are important to them.
- As students create their gratitude notes or drawings, observe their engagement and thoughtfulness in selecting subjects for their notes. Pay attention to their willingness to share and discuss their choices with peers, which indicates their grasp of the lesson's objective.
- Encourage students to exchange feedback on each other's gratitude notes before displaying them. Listen for students' ability to explain their choice and articulate the impact they intend to have, which demonstrates their understanding of kindness and community impact.
Summative Assessment
- Have students write a reflection journal entry describing their experience of creating the Gratitude Garden. Evaluate their ability to explain the act of kindness they performed, its importance to the community, and their personal feelings about participating in the activity.
- Ask students to create a short presentation or poster about their gratitude note, explaining the recipient and the reason for their gratitude. Assess their understanding of how their note contributes to community happiness by evaluating their clarity in identifying the recipient, explaining the act's impact, and demonstrating creativity in their presentation or poster design.
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