The Little Engine That Could – Activity #3: "Put-Down Burial"
Activity #3: “Put-Down Burial”
This activity helps students become aware of the impact of kindness. Your classroom will be rid of put-downs after your class physically buries them.
Materials:
- Slips of scrap paper
- Felt pens
- Small box
- Shovel
Teacher Preparation:
- N/A
Step by Step:
Step One: Discuss the importance of saying kind words to others. Discuss that it is important that the classroom get rid of unkind words, or ‘put-downs’.
Step Two: Have the students provide examples of ‘put downs’. Teacher records student ideas on large slips of scrap paper.
- Examples: You’re stupid. You’re slow. You have funny clothes. I’m better than you.
Step Three: Once the teacher is finished recording the put-downs, provide each student with one of these slips of paper. Each student folds or crumples a ‘put-down’ and places it into a small box.
Step Four: Take the students outside and bury the box of put-downs.
(If no access to a burial site, bury the box in a garbage can and throw other things on top of the box.)
End Product:
This symbolic gesture of burying (or throwing away) the unkind words is very powerful. Explain to the students that the words are dead/gone and never to be used again.