Kindness Counts: The Power of Being Nice

Susan Mikell

Tier 2

Lesson Plan

Kindness Counts: The Power of Being Nice

Students will understand that kindness matters by exploring how positive interactions impact themselves and others.

This lesson builds empathy and enhances social-emotional skills crucial for positive relationships in everyday life.

Audience

4th Grade

Time

20 minutes

Approach

Use interactive discussions, role-playing, and reflection.

Materials

Interactive Kindness Scenarios, and Role-Playing Cards

Prep

Lesson Preparation

5 minutes

Review the Interactive Kindness Scenarios and Role-Playing Cards.
Prepare the space for group discussion and role-playing activity.
Familiarize yourself with the role-play prompts to guide the session effectively.

Step 1

Introduction

3 minutes

Greet students and introduce the concept of kindness.
Ask guiding questions: What does being kind mean? How do we feel when someone is kind to us?

Step 2

Main Activity: Role-Playing

10 minutes

Divide students into small groups.
Provide each group with a scenario from the Interactive Kindness Scenarios or Role-Playing Cards.
Allow time for role-play and encourage positive interactions and discussion during the activity.

Step 3

Reflective Discussion

7 minutes

Gather the groups for a reflective discussion.
Ask students how they felt during the role-play.
Discuss the ways kindness impacted the scenario and why it matters.

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Activity

Interactive Kindness Scenarios

These scenarios present real-life situations where students can practice kindness. They are designed to be relatable and straightforward for 4th graders to understand and act out. Use these scenarios during the lesson's role-playing activity to help students explore how kind actions can change outcomes.

Scenario 1: The Lost Lunch

Situation: A student loses their lunch and feels sad. Another student notices and decides to share their own lunch.

Prompt for Role-Play: How can the student who finds out about the lost lunch show kindness? What could both students do together?

Scenario 2: The New Student

Situation: A new student joins the class and feels a bit shy and left out. A group of students invites them to join their game.

Prompt for Role-Play: How can the students make the new student feel welcome? What kind gestures can they offer?

Scenario 3: The Unfair Game

Situation: During recess, one student is picked last for a team game. Another student notices and suggests switching teams so everyone can participate.

Prompt for Role-Play: How can the student who noticed the exclusion intervene kindly? What should the team do to include everyone?

Role-Playing Cards

These role-playing cards offer prompts and character roles to further guide the role-playing activity. Teachers can print these cards and distribute them among the groups to stimulate discussion and performance.

Card 1: The Encourager

Role: You are a student who always encourages others.

Prompt: Think of a time when you helped someone feel better. How can you use those same words or actions in today's scenario?

Card 2: The Listener

Role: You are a student who listens carefully and understands others' feelings.

Prompt: In the scenario, what can you say or do to help the person who is feeling sad or left out?

Card 3: The Problem Solver

Role: You are creative and always think of solutions to make everyone happy and included.

Prompt: In your assigned scenario, come up with a solution that makes the situation better for everyone involved.

Teachers can mix and match these cards with the scenarios to encourage a variety of responses and deeper involvement in demonstrating kindness.