Lesson Plan
Gratitude Grows!
Students will be able to define gratitude and identify at least three things they are thankful for.
Understanding and expressing gratitude helps students develop positive emotional regulation, build stronger relationships, and foster a more optimistic outlook. It teaches them to recognize and appreciate the good things in their lives, big and small.
Audience
2nd Grade SPED Students
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Direct instruction, reading, hands-on craft, and guided discussion.
Materials
Whiteboard or projector, Gratitude Grows! Slide Deck, Gratitude Reading: 'The Thankful Tree', Gratitude Handprint Tree Craft Activity, Construction paper (various colors), Markers or crayons, Scissors (child-safe), Glue sticks, Pre-cut leaf shapes (optional, for differentiation), Gratitude Discussion Prompts, and Gratitude Cool Down: 'One Thankful Thought'
Prep
Teacher Preparation
15 minutes
- Review all generated materials: Gratitude Grows! Lesson Plan, Gratitude Grows! Slide Deck, Gratitude Reading: 'The Thankful Tree', Gratitude Handprint Tree Craft Activity, Gratitude Discussion Prompts, and Gratitude Cool Down: 'One Thankful Thought'.
- Gather all craft materials: construction paper, markers/crayons, scissors, glue sticks, and optional pre-cut leaf shapes.
- Set up the whiteboard or projector for the slide deck.
- Print copies of 'The Thankful Tree' reading if students will follow along with individual copies (optional, can be read aloud by the teacher).
Step 1
Introduction: What is Gratitude?
5 minutes
- Begin with a clear, concise question: "What does it mean to be thankful?" Allow students to share initial thoughts.
- Use Gratitude Grows! Slide Deck (Slide 1-2) to introduce the concept of gratitude. Define it simply as "being thankful for the good things in your life." Provide simple examples like "being thankful for a sunny day" or "thankful for a friend."
Step 2
Why Be Grateful?
3 minutes
- Continue using Gratitude Grows! Slide Deck (Slide 3) to discuss why gratitude is important. Emphasize that it makes us feel happy and can make others happy when we express it.
Step 3
Reading: The Thankful Tree
7 minutes
- Transition to story time using Gratitude Grows! Slide Deck (Slide 4).
- Read aloud "Gratitude Reading: 'The Thankful Tree'" to the class. Read clearly and with expression. Pause to ask simple comprehension questions if needed, e.g., "What was Lily thankful for?"
Step 4
Activity: Gratitude Handprint Tree Craft
10 minutes
- Introduce the craft activity using Gratitude Grows! Slide Deck (Slide 5).
- Distribute materials for the Gratitude Handprint Tree Craft Activity. Provide clear, step-by-step instructions, demonstrating each step as you explain it.
- Circulate to offer individual support and encouragement as students create their thankful trees.
Step 5
Discussion & Sharing
3 minutes
- Once students have completed their crafts, guide a brief discussion using the Gratitude Discussion Prompts. Encourage a few students to share one thing from their tree that they are thankful for. Remind students to listen respectfully to their classmates.
Step 6
Cool Down: One Thankful Thought
2 minutes
- Distribute small pieces of paper or exit tickets.
- Instruct students to complete the Gratitude Cool Down: 'One Thankful Thought' by writing or drawing one new thing they are thankful for, or one thing that made them smile today.
- Collect these as an exit ticket.
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Slide Deck
Gratitude Grows!
Let's learn about being thankful!
Welcome students and introduce the topic. Ask: "What does it mean to be thankful?" Allow for a few student responses. Emphasize that there are no wrong answers at this stage.
What is Gratitude?
Gratitude means being thankful for the good things.
It's about noticing and appreciating the positive things, big or small!
Clearly define gratitude using simple language. Provide concrete examples relevant to 2nd graders. "Gratitude is being thankful for the good things in your life. It's like feeling happy and warm inside when someone helps you, or when you enjoy something nice."
Why Be Grateful?
• It makes us feel happy inside.
• It helps us see the good things around us.
• It can make others feel good too!
Explain why gratitude is important. Connect it to feelings and interactions with others. "When we are grateful, we often feel happier! It can also make other people feel happy when we thank them."
Story Time: The Thankful Tree
We're going to read a special story about being thankful.
Introduce the story. "Now, we're going to read a short story about gratitude called 'The Thankful Tree'. Listen carefully for what the characters are thankful for."
Our Thankful Tree Craft
Let's create a beautiful tree filled with all the things we are grateful for!
Explain the craft activity briefly. "After our story, we'll make our very own 'Thankful Tree' craft. You'll get to put all the things you're thankful for on your tree!"
Reading
The Thankful Tree
Once there was a little girl named Lily. Lily loved to play in her backyard, especially near the big oak tree. One sunny morning, her grandma came to visit.
"What a beautiful day, Lily!" said Grandma. "What are you thankful for today?"
Lily thought for a moment. "I'm thankful for the warm sun!" she said, feeling its warmth on her face. "And I'm thankful for my colorful crayons!"
Grandma smiled. "Those are wonderful things to be thankful for. How about we make a Thankful Tree?"
Lily's eyes lit up. "Yes!" They found some paper and markers. Lily traced her hand to make a tree trunk. Then, for every thing she was thankful for, she drew a leaf and wrote it on the leaf.
"I'm thankful for my fluffy cat, Mittens," she wrote on a green leaf. "I'm thankful for yummy apples," she wrote on a red leaf. "I'm thankful for my best friend, Sam," she wrote on a yellow leaf.
Soon, her tree was full of bright, thankful leaves. Grandma helped her tape them to the big oak tree in the backyard. Every day, Lily would look at her Thankful Tree and remember all the good things in her life.
She even added new leaves when she thought of new things. Being thankful made Lily feel happy and warm, just like the sun. And the big oak tree stood tall, showing everyone how much gratitude could grow.
Activity
Gratitude Handprint Tree Craft
Objective: Create a personalized "Thankful Tree" craft to show what students are grateful for.
Materials You Will Need:
- Brown construction paper (one sheet per student)
- Green, red, yellow, or orange construction paper (for leaves, various colors)
- Pencils
- Child-safe scissors
- Glue sticks
- Markers or crayons
Instructions:
- Make Your Tree Trunk: Take your brown construction paper. Place your hand on the paper with your fingers spread out. Use a pencil to carefully trace around your hand and forearm. This will be the trunk and branches of your tree.
- Cut Out Your Tree: Carefully cut out your handprint tracing. This might be a little tricky, so take your time! If you need help, raise your hand.
- Make Your Leaves: Take the colorful construction paper (green, red, yellow, orange). Draw small leaf shapes on the paper. You can make them different sizes. You will need at least three leaves.
- Write What You Are Thankful For: On each leaf, use a marker or crayon to write ONE thing you are thankful for. Think about the story of Lily and her Thankful Tree. What makes you happy? What are you glad to have?
- Examples: My family, my pet, my toys, my friends, my teacher, sunny days, yummy food.
- Examples: My family, my pet, my toys, my friends, my teacher, sunny days, yummy food.
- Cut Out Your Leaves: Carefully cut out each of your thankful leaves.
- Glue Leaves to Your Tree: Take your glue stick. Put a little glue on the back of each leaf. Stick your thankful leaves onto the branches of your handprint tree. Make sure your tree is full of thankful thoughts!
- Share Your Tree: When you are done, be ready to share one thing you are thankful for from your tree with the class.
Discussion
Gratitude Discussion Prompts
After completing your Gratitude Handprint Tree Craft Activity, let's talk about gratitude!
- What was one thing Lily was thankful for in the story, "The Thankful Tree"?
- Look at your own Gratitude Handprint Tree. What is one thing you wrote on a leaf that you are thankful for? Share it with the class.
- Why do you think it's important to be thankful for things?
- How does being thankful make you feel inside?
- Can you think of a time when someone showed you gratitude or thanked you? How did that make you feel?
Cool Down
Gratitude Cool Down: One Thankful Thought
Before you leave today, think about everything we learned about gratitude and the craft we made.
On a small piece of paper or exit ticket, write or draw ONE new thing you are thankful for that you didn't put on your tree, or just one thing that made you smile today.
Turn in your thankful thought as you leave!