lenny

Thankful Hearts: Expressing Gratitude

user image

Lesson Plan

Thankful Hearts: Expressing Gratitude

Students will define gratitude, reflect on personal reasons for thankfulness, and identify practical ways to express appreciation to others, fostering a positive mindset and stronger interpersonal connections.

Practicing gratitude can significantly improve emotional well-being, reduce stress, and enhance relationships. During Thanksgiving week, it’s especially important for students to connect with these feelings beyond just a holiday meal, applying them to their daily lives and interactions.

Audience

8th Grade Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Through discussion, reflection, and a creative activity, students will explore and express gratitude.

Materials

Prep

Teacher Preparation

10 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up: What is Gratitude?

5 minutes

Begin with the Gratitude Warm-Up to get students thinking about gratitude.
- Ask students to share their initial thoughts on what gratitude means to them.
- Discuss how gratitude feels in their body and mind.

Step 2

Introduction & Discussion

7 minutes

Present the Thankful Hearts Slide Deck.
- Slide 1: Title Slide
- Slide 2: What is Gratitude? Lead a brief discussion on what gratitude is and why it's important. Ask students for examples of gratitude.
- Slide 3: Why Practice Gratitude? Discuss the benefits of gratitude (happiness, empathy, resilience).
- Slide 4: Expressing Gratitude Brainstorm ways to show gratitude to others. Emphasize that gratitude isn't just a feeling, but an action.

Step 3

Gratitude Chain Activity

13 minutes

Introduce the 'Gratitude Chain' using the Gratitude Chain Activity Guide.
- Distribute Gratitude Chain Strips to each student.
- Instruct students to write things they are grateful for on individual strips (one item per strip). Encourage specific examples.
- After writing, have students connect their strips to form a classroom 'Gratitude Chain.' This can be done individually, in small groups, or as a whole class by adding to a central chain.
- As they connect, encourage a few students to share one thing they wrote and why it's important to them.

Step 4

Cool-Down: Daily Gratitude

5 minutes

Conclude the lesson with the Gratitude Cool-Down.
- Ask students to reflect on one new way they will practice gratitude this week.
- Reiterate that gratitude is a practice that can make a big difference in their lives.

lenny
0 educators
use Lenny to create lessons.

No credit card needed

Slide Deck

Thankful Hearts: Expressing Gratitude

More Than Just Saying "Thanks"

Welcome students and introduce the topic of gratitude. Ask them to think about what Thanksgiving means to them beyond the break.

What IS Gratitude?

  • Feeling and expressing appreciation
  • Recognizing the good things in your life
  • Noticing kindness from others

Ask students: "What does gratitude mean to you?" Allow a few students to share. Prompt them: "How does it feel to be grateful? Where do you feel it in your body?"

Why Practice Gratitude?

  • Boosts happiness and optimism
  • Reduces stress and negative emotions
  • Strengthens relationships
  • Increases empathy
  • Builds resilience

Discuss the benefits of practicing gratitude. Ask: "How might being grateful help you in your daily life?" Examples: improves mood, reduces stress, strengthens relationships.

Expressing Gratitude

  • Say "Thank You" meaningfully
  • Write a gratitude note or letter
  • Do a kindness for someone
  • Give a genuine compliment
  • Listen actively when others speak

Brainstorm with students: "What are some practical ways we can show gratitude to people in our lives?" Emphasize actions, not just thoughts. Examples: thank you notes, compliments, helping out.

The Gratitude Chain Activity

Let's put our gratitude into action!

Explain the upcoming activity. "We're going to create a 'Gratitude Chain' together. Each link will represent something you're thankful for."

Reflect & Connect

How will you bring more gratitude into your week?

Transition to the cool-down. "Before we finish, think about one small way you can practice gratitude this week." Encourage them to make it a daily habit.

lenny

Warm Up

Gratitude Warm-Up

Take a moment to reflect. What does gratitude mean to you?







Think of one person or one thing you are truly grateful for right now. Why are you grateful for it?







How does thinking about this make you feel?




lenny
lenny

Activity

Gratitude Chain Activity

Objective

To visually represent our collective gratitude and recognize the many good things in our lives.

Instructions

  1. Get Your Strips: You will each receive several paper strips.
  2. Reflect & Write: On each strip, write down one specific thing you are grateful for. Be specific! Instead of "my family," try "my mom always makes me laugh" or "my younger brother helps me with chores." Think about people, experiences, opportunities, or even simple everyday joys.
    • Examples:
      • The sunny weather today
      • My friend who listened to me
      • Getting to play my favorite video game
      • My pet dog, Buster
      • Learning a new skill in art class
  3. Create Your Link: Once you've written down what you're grateful for, take one strip and form it into a loop. Use tape or a stapler to secure the ends together, creating a link.
  4. Connect to the Chain: Now, take your next strip. Thread it through your first loop before you secure its ends. This will connect your second strip to the first, forming part of a chain.
  5. Build the Chain Together: Continue this process with all your strips. Then, you will add your individual chain links to create one large classroom Gratitude Chain! We'll connect them all together.

Share Out (Optional)

As we connect our chains, be prepared to share one thing you wrote down and why you're grateful for it.

lenny
lenny

Worksheet

Gratitude Chain Strips

(Cut along the dotted lines to create individual strips for students.)




























lenny
lenny

Cool Down

Gratitude Cool-Down

Reflect on today's lesson and the Gratitude Chain activity.

  1. What is one new or reinforced understanding you have about gratitude?






  2. What is one specific action you will take to practice gratitude this week? (Think about who, what, or how you will express it.)






  3. How do you think practicing gratitude more regularly could impact your mood or relationships?






lenny
lenny