Garden of Kindness

IUPUI El Ed Block II
Lesson Plan Template

Grade: K-3 Subject: Literacy (Writing): Authors: Miss Fornefeld, Miss
Garden of Kindness Hittle, Miss Yarling
Duration: 60 minutes Date(s):
Guiding Question(s):
Have students start discussing kindness as a way to end name-calling and bullying in
schools using the following questions:
. 1. Is name-calling and bullying mean, or nice?

2. What is bullying?
3. What does bullying look like?
4. Do you like it when other students are mean to you?
5. How do you feel when they do?
6. Are you mean to other students?
7. What would it look like if everyone were kind to everyone else?
8. How can you make this happen?
9. Would there still be name-calling or bullying?
These questions will be posed at the start of the lesson and students can choose several
questions they wish to write or draw about in their writing notebook.
Rationale:
This lesson could be done at the start of the year to go tie in several different
objectives. One reason why it would be at the start of the year is to learn what our students
know about bullying and teasing. It also allows the teacher to see what level that student is
currently at for writing, spelling, and comprehension.
It also allows the teacher to talk about what is acceptable behavior and what is not
acceptable in his/her classroom. By doing the Garden of Kindness it allows the students to
think about each of their classmates in a positive way and starts the year off positively. The
Garden can and should be displayed for the students to see throughout the year. By doing
this lesson it also sets a tone for the classroom community and allows the teacher with the
help of the students make classroom rules or Dos and Donts.
Standards/Indicators or Pacing Guide:
1. 2.W.2.1: Form letters correctly and space words and sentences properly so that writing can
be read easily by another person.
2. 2.W.6.2a: Capitalization Capitalizing greetings, months and days of the week, titles and
initials in names, and proper nouns, including holidays and geographic names
3. 1.RN.2.3 Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of
information in a text
4. 1.RN.4.2 Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic.
5. 2.RL.2.1 Ask and answer questions (e.g., who was the story about; why did an event happen;
where did the story happen) to demonstrate understanding of main idea and key details in a
text.
6. 2.RL.2.3 Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and how characters
affect the plot.
Essential Skills (Objectives) worked on in this lesson:
After this activity students will be able to:

Students will be working on their skills in writing and spelling
- Understand the terms of bullying and teasing.
- Work on attitude of acceptance towards others differences.
- Explain how kindness can be used as a tool to end name-calling in schools.
- Understands the effects name-calling can do
-Work on acceptance of all classmates and create a welcoming environment
Procedures:
1. Have students sit on the carpet. Have chart paper or a board near you.
2. Read a book (if doing lesson throughout the week- could read one book a day: Llama
Llama and the Bully Goat by: Anna Dewdney, The Berenstain Bears and Too Much
Teasing by: Stan & Jan Berenstain, Weird! By: Erin Frankel, The Three Bully Goats
by: Leslie Kimmelman
Students will be mentally engaged by listening to the story. Some prediction talk will
also be included to see how well students are following along with the story.
Students will be physically engaged by doing the activity that follows the discussion
after reading the book.
Explain to students that we will be making a kindness garden.

1. Cut out flowers.
2. Ask students to draw or write something kind they have recently done or
witnessed, or why they feel it is important to be kind to one another.
3. Have them cut out 30 more petals.
4. Have them write one or more good or positive words to each individual
student.
5. Have them place it in the students pile
6. Once finished have students grab their pile and begin to assemble their flower
7. Have them come back to the carpet to have a discussion about their flowers
they wrote and received.
8. What is something kind you have recently witnessed or done, or why do you
feel it is important to be kind to one another?
9. How did it feel writing the kind / positive messages to your other classmates?
10. How did it make you feel reading the messages your peers wrote?
11. Do you think we can always be this kind?
12. What can we do if we see bullying?
Culturally Relevant Teaching (CRT):
By having all the kids listen to the book they will be practicing retelling, prediction
making, comprehension, comparing and contrasting similar stories and other grade level
appropriate standards. By doing these standards in a fun and age appropriate way we are
showing how we will be obtaining Academic Success based upon Ladson-Billings article.
Because there are a wide range of bullying or teasing books we would find books that
would allow our students to see themselves in the books. We would, again, find age and
grade level appropriate books that we would to them while asking some probing questions.
By making sure that we have books that allow our students to see themselves in and
relate to the main character we are being culturally competent. Because bullying can be a
sensitive topic we have planned questions that allow thought and deep understanding
without having to share. We also have created some questions that will create a discussion
among the students about ways to prevent bullying while having them explore deeper. We
have shown critical consciousness by thinking about the questions we pose as well as how
we want to help our students think deeper personally.
Differentiation/Modifications:
For students who learn differently / need accommodations:

Auditory
o Have a flower premade to show students what they will be building.
Dysgraphia
o Allow students to draw instead of write the words.
Aspergers Syndrome
o Instead of students physically handing their pedals to other students they can
place it on their desk or in the middle of their plate.
Emotional/Behavior Disorder
o Allow for wiggle breaks.
o Redirect and check up on students.
Have all students work in their own personal space but can still speak among one another.
Resources:
- Multiple colors of petals

- Golden pre-cut circle centers
- Scissors
- Markers
- Pens
- Pencils
- Crayons
- Glue Sticks
Assessments:
To better understand if students have met the above learning goals

- We will have them explain what they think bullying is at the beginning and end of the session.
- Have students openly discuss times they have seen or witnessed bullying.
- Ask students what their suggestions are to end bullying.
- Ensure that all students created a kindness flower for everyone in the class AND one general one
for the classroom.
Spring 2015 BII

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IUPUI El Ed Block II

Lesson Plan Template

. 1. Is name-calling and bullying mean, or nice?

Standards/Indicators or Pacing Guide:

Essential Skills (Objectives) worked on in this lesson:

After this activity students will be able to:

Explain to students that we will be making a kindness garden.

12. What can we do if we see bullying?

Culturally Relevant Teaching (CRT):

For students who learn differently / need accommodations:

- Multiple colors of petals

To better understand if students have met the above learning goals

Spring 2015 BII

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