• Grade 2
• The Summer My Father was Ten – Activity #3: “Growing With Goodness”

Activity #3: “Growing With Goodness”

This lesson provides students with opportunities to recognize when someone has behaved in a respectful and responsible manner.

Materials:

• Construction paper: Various colours including green
• White paper circles
• Glue
• Scissors
• Other options for a variety of end products by the students for the bulletin board:
  • Basket coffee filters
  • Pastels
  • Paint
  • Salad spinner
  • Manila tag paper or heavier paper

Teacher Preparation:

• Teachers can select one or more of the ideas listed below in the Step-By-Step instructions to do with students
• Trace white circles and cut out
• Cut ½” strips of coloured paper 9” long.

Step by Step:

Step One: Discuss with the students, the importance of being respectful on an on-going basis. Every day respectful treatment of their classmates or peers has long lasting positive effects and prevents conflicts.

Step Two: Ask students to share examples of when they have behaved responsibly or when someone else acted responsible, kind, or respectful. (Ask students not to use the names of individuals as they may feel embarrassed.)

Step Three: Hand out white paper circles. On the white circle, have students write examples of good deeds, respectful comments, or responsible acts they have noticed from classmates. Once they have recorded an observation, have students create a flower to put on the bulletin board which then forms a garden.

Step Four: This activity “grows” over time (next few weeks) as students add examples of responsible actions. As students notice positive actions or genuine apologies by their peers, they add additional flowers to the garden. Each positive act is represented by having it written in the centre of the flower on a white paper circle.

Step Five: Options for flowers in the garden on the bulletin board are as follows:

• Coffee filter flowers: Flatten a white basket coffee filter. Use watercolour paints to paint the filter. Once dry, glue the white circle with the words written on it. Use green construction paper to design a stem and leaves for their flower.
• Pastel flowers: Start in the centre of the paper and colour a small zigzagging circle in the centre (like short rays bursting out). Choose a second colour to form a second zigzagging ring connecting around the first. Repeat until they have a series of zigzagging circles extending out to the edge of the paper. Design a flower shape to cut out. Glue the white circle with their idea recorded on it into the centre of the pastel flower. Use green construction paper to design a stem and leaves for their flower.
• Loop flowers: Take paper strips and bend to form loops. Glue ends of the strip together. Once dry, glue the loops to the back of the white circle the student has recorded his/her observation on. Glue a second white circle to cover the other side of the loops so they are more secure. Use green construction paper to design a stem and leaves for their flower.
• Spin Art flowers: Cut out a circle to fit the bottom of the salad spinner. Place the paper circle in the bottom of the spinner. Place drops of slightly diluted primary colours of paint onto the paper. Place lid on spinner and spin quickly. This causes the paint to spray outwards and create wild designs and various colours as the primary colours mix. Glue the white circle with observation words written on it onto the centre of the painted circle. Use green construction paper to design a stem and leaves for their flower.