The Happy Learning Den

It's not mandatory, but I, like many other teachers I know, enjoy giving my students a little gift right before the winter holidays.  This year I want to give my students something that they can keep forever, not roll under a classmate's desk or under their couch.  I especially want to create a keepsake for each of them because of how special they are- I had several of these students when I taught 3rd grade.

I know my students very well.  There is a level of trust and kindness in my classroom that can only be built up overtime.  However, the closer we get to the winter vacation... the more "squirrely" my students are becoming.  They have been short-tempered and sarcastic with one another, so I decided to pause academics and reteach kindness in a quick 45 minute lesson.  (A little foreshadowing: This activity is going to turn into their holiday presents!  Shhhhhhh!  It's a surprise!  Don't tell!)

I called all of my students to the carpet, and started with the opener "What makes a good friend?"  We brainstormed a list of about 30 words and then I asked students to think about their friends in the classroom.  I asked students to think about why people are friends with them.  Then we added more words to the list.  We ended up with around 50 words such as "funny, silly, unique, intelligent, friendly, respectful, etc.  Next, I asked students to share which words on the list described themselves.

Once everyone shared (that wanted to), I moved into the next phase of my lesson.  :-)  Students wrote 3 of the words from the list on a sheet of notebook paper and then we played "SCOOT."  I had students move one desk to the right and write down one to two words that described (complimented) each person.  After about 1 minute, students would "SCOOT" to the next desk and write down another one or two words that described their classmate.  (Of course I had to stop a few times and remind students that they are writing positive things about their classmates to reinforce kindness.  And, no, "crazy" is not a compliment and neither is "clumsy."  Oy!)  Students "scooted" from desk to desk about 15 times, and then I collected all the papers.  I have 23 students, but I did not want my students to see what others had written about them.  (More foreshadowing: Not yet!) So I collected all the papers before they were close to their own desks.

I am using the compliments that students wrote about one another and creating their holiday gifts with them.  I went to the website Tagul (I am not affiliated with Tagul in any way.), and it was so incredibly easy to use.  I wrote each student's name in capital letters and then chose seven words for each student to create speech bubble compliments.  I am going to print them onto colorful card stock and then laminate each one for a meaningful keepsake.

I believe I have created a holiday tradition for myself that I will keep for many years. The lesson reinforced kindness in my classroom ( a huge plus) and I now have a unique and inexpensive gift for each student. A few examples of the speech bubble compliments are below.  Enjoy!