BRING KINDNESS TO YOUR CLASSROOM

• Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson
• Construction paper, colored felt, or foam
• Images that can be cut out for collages (optional)
• Tissue paper
• Scissors
• Crayons
• Markers
• Glue or glue sticks
• Draw Your Acts of Kindness Activity Sheet 

1. Make a class set of copies of the Draw Your Acts of Kindness activity sheet.
2. Distribute a variety of the supplies to each table.

Step 1: Tell the class that November 13 is World Kindness Day. Ask students to share their ideas of what kindness means (answers might include helping other people, being nice, being a friend, etc.). Tell them you are going to read a book about a child who learns something about kindness.

Step 2: Read Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson aloud.

Step 3: In a class discussion, refer to the scene where the teacher asked students to put a pebble in a bowl of water to represent the kind things they had done. Remind students that the children in the book talked about how their kind actions make “ripples” that affect others. Ask students if they think unkind actions can also make ripples. Have them reflect on the following questions:

• How did the actions of Chloe, the main character, and her friends affect Maya?

• What could they have done differently?

Step 4: Tell the class that they will draw a picture of their own acts of kindness. Distribute the Draw Your Acts of Kindness activity sheet. Instruct students to illustrate one or two pictures of kind things they’ve done. Based on the skill level, have them label each scene, describing how they showed kindness to another person.

Step 5: Reconvene and ask volunteers to share their pictures. After students describe their acts of kindness, ask them what ripple effects those acts of kindness might have had. For example, if a child cleaned up the living room or planted flowers in the yard, how does he think that would have affected other people in their family or neighborhood?