Compassionate Courier
Kindergarten and First Grade
Unit 6: Social Awareness, Part 2
This unit helps students understand the relationships and connections within their community. Students first learn about the diversity and similarities among themselves and their classmates, and then draw parallels to their school community. Students also learn ways students and staff contribute to the school community and plan ways to plant seeds of kindness to strengthen classroom and school communities.
Enduring Understandings
● They are each an important part of the school community.
● People contribute to school communities in different ways.
● A compassionate community is built from its members being their best selves.
Lesson Activities
LESSON 1 - OUR COMMUNITY - In this lesson, students will identify themselves as members of a school community and take a mindful walk to notice other people in their school community.
LESSON 2 - CONTRIBUTING TO THE COMMUNITY - In this lesson, students will understand the importance of having people who are different from one another be members in their school community and how each of those members contribute differently to the school community.
LESSON 3 - THE THREE C’S: COMMUNITY, COMMUNICATION, COMPASSION - In this lesson, students will analyze how school community members can be their best selves by communicating in caring and compassionate ways.
LESSON 4 - RELATIONSHIPS - - In this lesson, the focus is on relationships in the students’ community. Understanding that their classmates are part of their community, students role play situations requiring understanding and tolerance as a way to be their best selves.
LESSON 5 - MY BEST SELF- In this lesson, students will collaborate and help create a race to show how they individually contribute to the school community by being their best selves.
LESSON 6 - WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER- In this lesson students will use a story about growing food to explore the idea of planting seeds and watching what grows. They will make a plan to plant seeds of kindness in their school community.
Physical Movements
Happy Baby
Windshield Wipers
Extend the Learning: Social Awareness Skills in the Classroom
https://oneworldoneheartbeating.com/for_teachers/creating-community/
Everyone's a Helper Lesson
http://www.tolerance.org/supplement/everyone-s-helper-elementary-grades
Social Competence and Social Studies Lesson Plans
http://www.cengage.com/resource_uploads/downloads/1111837155_306922.pdf
Taking the Skills Home: Resources for Parents Helping Your Child Develop Community Engagement
- Help your child identify the communities of which you are a member.
- Teach your child about the diverse members of your community and ways they contribute.
- Make a plan to do an act of kindness as a family that will benefit your community. Need ideas? Choose one from this list: http://www.momentsaday.com/acts-of-kindness-for-families/