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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Did you know that typically, only 5% to 10% of instructional time is devoted to vocabulary instruction, yet students, especially struggling students and English learners (ELs), need between 12 and 14 exposures to words and their meanings to fully learn them (Durkin, 1978/79; Roser & Juel, 1982; Scott, Jamieson, Noel, & Asslin, 2003)? Teaching the meanings of important words before learning new content activates students' background knowledge and prepares them for learning and comprehending. In other words, teaching vocabulary provides the "Velcro" for new information to "stick to."

What Research Says About Effective Vocabulary Instruction

Vocabulary instruction must be explicit. Explicit vocabulary instruction includes an easy-to-understand definition presented directly to students along with multiple examples and nonexamples of the target word, brief discussion opportunities, and checks for understanding.

Vocabulary instruction must include multiple practice opportunities for using words within and across subjects. That is, instruction must be extended over time with opportunities for students to hear, speak, read, and write words in various contexts. This builds students' breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge.

Vocabulary should be taught schoolwide and across all subject areas. Each subject has a unique set of vocabulary terms, and students need to know their meanings and how to use them in various contexts.

Word Selection

Instructional time is precious, and teachers are not able to address every unknown word students might encounter, so careful word selection is key. When deciding which words to target for explicit instruction, consider words that are

essential to understanding the main idea of the text or unit,

used repeatedly or frequently encountered across domains, and

not part of students' prior knowledge.

ELs may require even more careful word selection and extensive vocabulary instruction because they may be learning conversational language and academic language at the same time. Colorín Colorado provides additional information about selecting vocabulary words to teach ELs.

Some of Our Favorite Vocabulary Instructional Activities for ALL Content Areas

The five activities described below are effective ways to teach vocabulary for all students, but especially for struggling students, students with learning disabilities, and ELs.

1. Essential Words Routine

Teachers use a simple graphic organizer to preteach the meanings of important words in about 5 minutes per word. During this routine, teachers introduce target words with definitions, visual cues, and examples. Students engage in immediate practice using the words through collaborative student turn-and-talk activities.

Resources

2. Frayer Model

One way to have students extend their knowledge of important words is through a Frayer model. This graphic organizer builds vocabulary and conceptual knowledge across content areas. The strategy requires students (not the teacher) to define a vocabulary word and then list its characteristics, examples, and nonexamples. Frayer models can be completed in collaborative groups using textbooks and other subject-matter materials while the teacher circulates around the classroom and assists students.

Resource

Online module, examples, and templates from the IRIS Center

3. Semantic Mapping

Semantic maps visually display and connect a word or phrase and a set of related words or concepts. Implementing semantic map activities in your classroom will help students, especially struggling students and students with learning disabilities, recall the meanings of words and understand how multiple words or concepts "fit together." Teachers will find that using a semantic map, combined with explicit instruction and practice opportunities, is an effective way of expanding students' vocabulary and supporting their content knowledge.

Resources

4. Vocabulary Review Activities

Multiple opportunities to practice using new words is an important part of vocabulary instruction. In previous TCLD research studies, brief review activities were built into novel unit lesson plans to help students practice (and remember) the meanings of important words. Each of these activities takes 5 to 10 minutes and is easy to prepare.

Partner Review Routine: Partners work together to quickly review words learned the previous day.

Sentence Review Routine: Partners create sentences using words assigned by the teacher.

Examples and Nonexamples: The teacher tells students scenarios or shows pictures and students respond chorally to each scenario, indicating whether it is an example or nonexample.

What Word Fits? The teacher asks a question and student partners hold up an index card with the word that fits or answers the question.

Resource

Each activity is described in more detail beginning on page 33 of the TCLD booklet Reading Instruction for Middle School Students: Developing Lessons for Improving Comprehension

5. Morphemic Analysis Routine

Explicit instruction of words is important, but it is impossible to teach all the unfamiliar words students will encounter. One way to help students develop strategies for approaching unfamiliar vocabulary is to teach morphemes (prefixes, roots, and suffixes). Students can be taught the following morphemic analysis routine to help them engage in independent word study.

Resource

Learn more about the morphemic analysis routine by reviewing this online learning module from the Texas Adolescent Literacy Academies.
Have questions? Feel free to drop us a line!

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Texas Center for Learning Disabilities: Five Research-Based Ways to Teach Vocabulary

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The Texas Center for Learning Disabilities (TCLD) website disseminates resources on learning disabilities to parents, teachers, and researchers.

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21 Ideas for Teaching Vocabulary in the Classroom

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Looking for ideas for teaching vocabulary? Here are 21 activities for teaching vocabulary in the classroom, along with links to other sources and ideas.

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This article helps students understand the difference between inference and analysis.

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Here is a check list for TDA writing.

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If your child is struggling with his or her spelling words, there are many steps you can take to help encourage good study habits for spelling tests. Keep in mind that children need to learn how to study for spelling tests just as they need to learn how to spell words. Use one strategy or activity each day.

boy practicing spelling

Spelling Test Practice Strategies That Work

Studies and professionals suggest these spelling study strategies are highly effective for kids.

Highlight the Hard Parts

Many teachers follow the pretest, practice, actual test format for teaching spelling words. You can use the pretest to help you study for the real test by highlighting parts of words you had trouble with.

1. Look at your pretest. Use a highlighter to mark the letter or letters you got wrong in any word.

2. Get a clean sheet of paper. Start with all the words you missed on the pretest and write out your spelling words.

3. As you write a word you missed from the pretest, write the letter or letters you got wrong in a different color than the rest of the letters.

4. As you highlight these letters, think about why you mixed them up.

5. Focusing on the parts you had the most trouble with can help ensure you get them right on the final test.

Use Word Mapping to Develop Spelling Skills

When studying spelling word lists, it's important to help your child avoid thinking of the words as random strings of arbitrary letters. For this reason, the traditional practice of simply studying spelling words by copying each word 10 to 30 times is no more effective than requiring your child to memorize every number in the phone book!

Good spellers are those who look for patterns in their lists of spelling words. Word mapping is a procedure that many educators believe can help students develop good study habits for spelling tests.

The steps to word mapping are:

1. Say the word clearly.

2. Stretch the word to emphasize each syllable as you pronounce it.

3. Segment the phonemes (sounds of the word), working by individual syllables if necessary.

4. Count the phonemes. See The Reading Genie's article on How to Count Phonemes in Spoken Words for a detailed explanation of this process.

5. Draw blank spaces on a piece of paper for each phoneme, adding slashes where the syllables help divide the word.

6. Work out the spelling of the word, phoneme by phoneme.

7. Write the word several times in your best handwriting.

8. Look for features that are unique or difficult in the spelling of the word.

9. Look up the meaning of the word and try to use it in a sentence.

Try Chaining

Break the word down by letter to help you remember how it's spelled. Chaining involves linking the letters of a word together slowly.

1. Write down the first letter of one spelling word on a sheet of lined paper.

2. Say the word, then say the letter as you write it.

3. On the next line, write the first letter again, then the second letter.

4. Say the word, then each letter as you write it.

5. Continue writing on the next line until you have spelled the entire word.

6. Check your spelling by looking at your spelling list to see if you got it right.

Fun Ways to Practice Spelling Words

If spelling practice feels boring or frustrating, use activities to help with spelling and help kids retain more of the information. While games can't replace regular study sessions, there are plenty of fun ways students can work in extra practice for an upcoming spelling list.

Examples of fun and simple spelling study activities include:

Make a word search using the spelling words.

Play simple spelling word games like Hangman.

Make pairs of matching word cards and play a memory game with your spelling list.

Cut letters out of an old magazine to make an artistic collage of the words on the spelling list.

Write a story using a favorite television character that incorporates all the words on the spelling list.

Spell words using the sign language alphabet.

Practice writing spelling words on sliding glass doors or windows with dry erase markers.

Practice spelling on the computer by typing your spelling words in different fonts and colors.

Think of something in your life that rhymes with each spelling word to create memorable spelling word phrases.

Give your parent a practice spelling test using your spelling list, then correct it for them.

Write the spelling words in reverse alphabetical order.

Write the spelling words in order with the fewest letters first.

Use magnetic letters to write your spelling words on the fridge or other magnetic object in the house.

Online Spelling Practice Fun

Kids who enjoy online games and activities can use sites like Spelling City to practice their own spelling and vocabulary words. Spelling city costs about $35 per year, but you can enter your child's actual spelling list and it will be used for online spelling activities.

Educational websites like PBS Kids offer tons of free general spelling practice games for younger kids.

Tips for Developing Good Spelling Study Habits

As you might expect, students who do well on their spelling tests also tend to be those who have taken the time to develop a solid understanding of the basic study habits necessary for academic success.

Good spelling study habits include:

Create a regular schedule for practicing spelling. For example, choose a different spelling practice activity for each week day.

Write down spelling words and keep the list with other study materials.

Keep copies of old spelling lists in a special notebook. You can practice these words while driving to soccer practice, play a game of Scrabble as a family, or look for spelling words in your child's favorite library books.

Ask questions about the meaning of a word or why it's spelled the way it is if you don't understand.

Eliminate distractions such as music, television shows, or conversations among friends during the designated study time.

Importance of Regular Spelling Review Sessions

While your child may think his or her spelling lesson is finished once the teacher grades the test, regular review sessions are an important part of developing strong spelling skills. The best way to encourage a love of written language is to provide regular opportunities for your child to demonstrate his achievements in reading, writing, and spelling. Get started by taking a practice spelling bee quiz.

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How to Study for a Spelling Test in Effective Ways

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If your child is struggling with his or her spelling words, there are many steps you can take to help encourage good study habits for spelling tests. Keep in mind that children need to learn how to study for spelling tests just as they need to learn how to spell words.

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This video provides a simple explanation of how to cite text evidence in an essay.

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This video explains text evidence.

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In this video, teachers demonstrate how to pronounce letter sounds properly for sound foundational reading instruction.

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Here is a video of a 4th grade teacher teaching a CKLA lesson. You can use the scroll bar at the bottom and stop when you see a comment appear on the screen. That way you won't miss the highlights.

Notice...

How she began the lesson

The level of student engagement

Strategies she used to encourage student engagement

The way the students responded aloud

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CKLA 4th Grade, Unit 2, Lesson 10 - Amy Russo

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Watch a third grade teacher facilitate Unit 3 Lesson 10.

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CKLA 3rd Grade, Unit 3, Lesson 10 - Jessica Carrizosa

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Here is a video of a 5th grade teacher teaching Unit 6 Lesson 1 in CKLA.

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In this article a third grade teacher shares her perspective on Eureka math and a mother and a teacher.

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What does Eureka look like in the classroom?

Jessica Doughty teaches at a Title One, rural school in Daviess County, Kentucky with 52% of the students receiving free breakfast and lunch. She will transition into the role of instructional coach this upcoming school year.
This is year one for implementing Eureka Math at my school - Whitesville Elementary. We discussed whether or not we should roll it out slowly, starting with primary grades and then expanding to intermediate in the subsequent years; the staff ultimately decided, however, to dive straight into learning what this curriculum had to offer. Now that I'm at the end of year one, here's what I've noticed about the curriculum and some of the unique activities my colleagues and I have done to make the program work for our students.

There definitely is more focus within the standards, and this is reflected in the Eureka curriculum with more time devoted to the Major Work of the Grade. The modules are tagged to the grade-level standards taught in each lesson, so I'm quickly able to see the focus areas. I also see the elements of Rigor outlined within each lesson. For example, I appreciate the daily fluency lessons that are built in at the beginning of each day. This is a regular routine for the students and they become accustomed to this practice - building fluency became a regular part of each day. A lot of review is hit in the fluency lessons, allowing confidence to build over time. In my classroom, we have added some "Count By" songs to this fluency time, as well. I found several teacher-created videos by Mr. DeMaio (like this one - a cover of "Uptown Funk" to help practice the 3 times tables) that have helped to pump up the engagement level of this fluency time. He creates covers of many popular songs the children are familiar with to incorporate counting by 3's, 4's, 6's, and so on.

Each day also provides conceptual learning time for students to dig deeper into the standard we are studying. This is a time that I have really encouraged team work within my classroom. The text doesn't specify how to differentiate for the needs of your various learners, but I have grouped my students so that they have student coaches scattered throughout the room. I approach this learning time with a "teaching up" mentality and the students really embrace working with one another.

In addition, application work is provided each day through word problems. In my classroom, we have math notebooks for each one of these problems- students are encouraged to first attempt solving the problem on his or her own. After an allotted amount of time, students begin to share their answers and we collect student responses at the board to analyze the various responses and tally how many students produced each different answer. (These are strategies I have added on my own that are not provided in the teacher instruction.) The curriculum encourages a process called RDW in answering and modeling these problems (Read, Draw, Write- Equation, Sentences). This is when they add Mrs. Doughty's way to their notebooks to compare their answer to mine for similarities and differences. I love this part of the lesson because, when the students and I have the same answer but took different approaches to get there, it really demonstrates that there's not simply one correct way to arrive at a solution. It also provides feedback on their thinking, but pushes them to become independent thinkers, as well.

In terms of Coherence, while I have not sat down specifically with other grade levels to look at each module as a whole, I feel that I have a unique perspective since I not only teach at the school but also am the parent of two students who attend the school. My oldest son is in 5th grade and my youngest is in 1st. I have been dazzled by the Coherence I have seen through their work and what I am teaching in my 3rd grade classroom. So much of what my 1st grader brings home excites me for what lays before him. This curriculum presents strategies early on in kindergarten, such as number bonds, tape diagrams, and so on, that they see repeated over and over throughout the years. The language becomes common to the children and parents, as well. I am predicting great growth over time and usage.

I have not had to rearrange the content to be more coherent. During our initial training, it was highly encouraged to allow the modules to play out in the specific order they were presented. The idea is that the learning would take place like a story over the course of the year and I found this to be very true. As we are working on our final module, I am seeing how the modules before this one are being tied into the work in this module so cohesively.

Likewise, I have not found the need to supplement any part of this curriculum with other resources. I have incorporated a strategy called, "My Favorite No" in order to utilize my exit slips as an opportunity for deeper learning. In this activity, all students answer the same question, I sort the answers in piles of "yes's" and "no's" - right and wrong answers. Then I choose my favorite "no" and we look at the process used for solving the problem together. This strategy was shared with me before I began teaching with Eureka Math and I have found it to be highly effective and useful with the exit tickets provided by this textbook. If you would like more information on this strategy, see this link from The Teaching Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srJWx7P6uLE

Eureka Math is scripted for the teacher and anticipates student responses, which is very useful for studying in advance. This makes each module easy to follow and easy to understand what is expected. While some teachers may find this a bit confining, you can make it your own by how you build relationships within your classroom to support the diverse learners in your environment. There are not many scaffolding supports in place in the curriculum, which could leave room for the teacher to determine some best practice strategies for implementing each lesson. Another simple plus to the scripted lesson plan is that when you need to make plans for a substitute teacher, it is very specific in what the substitute should say and do.

As a whole, I am more than impressed with Eureka Math as a core curriculum for teaching with the Shifts of Common Core in mind. It is evident that the material was written to challenge and engage students at all levels, and the scaffolding that is embedded becomes obvious as the children progressively move through each lesson of the modules. I anticipate that our school will continue to head in the direction of aligning our goals to college- and career-ready standards, and am looking forward to seeing what our students can accomplish over time.

About the Author: Jessica Doughty teaches at a Title One, rural school in Daviess County, Kentucky with 52% of the students receiving free breakfast and lunch. She will transition into the role of instructional coach this upcoming school year.

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A Third Grade Teacher's Perspective on Eureka Math - Peers and Pedagogy

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Jessica Doughty teaches at a Title One, rural school in Daviess County, Kentucky with 52% of the students receiving free breakfast and lunch. She will transition into the role of instructional coach this upcoming school year. This is year one for implementing Eureka Math at my school - Whitesville Elementary.

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This article provides guidance on pacing a Eureka Math lesson.

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As much as I love the Eureka Math curriculum, teachers seem to have a real tough time figuring out how to pace the lesson while also meeting the needs of all their students. I am finding teachers struggle in this regard with Eureka Math far more than they did with the pre-Common Core textbook. I don't see this as a knock against Eureka Math. If anything, it merely speaks to the cruddy quality of the old textbooks and that the old textbooks were nothing but snake oil, convincing us we were doing a good job, when in reality we weren't.

Recently, I received an email that is very typical of teachers new to Eureka Math. Here is the email and my response. I hope it helps someone else out there in Internet-land.
I am an Instructional Coach in the XXXXX School District in Washington state and I hope you don't mind if I ask you a question about Eureka Math. This is our first year of implementation and teachers are really struggling with the differentiation issue- how to meet the needs of the low and high students. I'm wondering if you have found ways to address this issue?
Additionally teachers are feeling that there is so much to cover in every lesson and the program moves too quickly- and they want to teach the program 4 days a week and then on the fifth day- spend time reviewing concepts taught or missed. They are also struggling with what to cut out... Any words of advice?
Hi there!

Your email is a common one that I get weekly from teachers inside and out of my district! Essentially, you are asking two things:

1. How to meet the needs of ALL students?

2. How to fit all the components of a lesson into a single 45 minutes math time?

I'll start with #2 because it also somewhat addresses #1...

In general, I see teachers move through the components of a lesson too slowly. This is because teachers LOVE their students and do not want to move too fast for the struggling students in the class. Unfortunately, this means a fluency activity that should take only 3 minutes ends up taking 10 minutes. Or an Application problem that should take 8 minutes ends up taking 20 minutes because the teacher turned what should merely be a short formative assessment opportunity into a full-on teaching moment. Finally, the teachers often trudge through too much of the Concept Development, doing too many examples at too slow a pace. Or worse, the teacher skips the Concept Development altogether and just works with the whole class in completing the Problem Set questions.

What is the result?

The students who understand the math and are ready to move on become bored because the teacher is going too slow. I call this "over teaching". The teacher is teaching too much (trying to help the strugglers) and not letting the top students move to independent work time. Moreover, the low students, for whom the teacher is "over teaching", still aren't understanding the math because what they need is something altogether different - perhaps a small group intervention, reteaching with manipulatives, or back-filling with content from an earlier grade.

Here is a blog post I wrote a little while ago that goes more into specifics about how to pace an individual lesson...
http://embarc.online/mod/page/view.php?id=3070

With proper pacing, much of #1 is addressed automatically. Counterintuitively, the proper pacing is probably faster than what teachers typically do.

Now to address #1 a bit more...

Let's assume the teacher has kept a zippy pace with the fluency activity and the application problem. Now she is ready to do the Concept Development. This is where I suggest teachers resist the urge to "over teach". The teacher should choose the minimum number of example problems from the Concept Development vignette in the teacher edition and then release most of the students to independently work on the Problem Set, while she immediately works with a few students in a small group setting.

Of course, this means the teacher is now doing double duty: 1.) continuing to teach the strugglers in the small group and 2.) monitor the rest of the class to ensure they are working productively. This is hard, but can definitely be done.

Keep in mind that the Problem Set is a time-based activity rather than a product-based activity. This means students are working on the Problem Set for a fixed amount of time (about 10 or 15 minutes) regardless of whether they finish all the problems. Indeed, the teacher should identify the problems in the Problem Set as "Must Do", "Could Do", or "Extension". During the 15 minutes, students should first do the Must Do questions, then the Extension Questions. Time permitting, the Could Do questions are last.

As students complete the Problem Set, I encourage teachers incorporate some sort of problem-solving opportunity for students to work on. Some awesome online resources:

These allow students to work on something OTHER than drill-and-kill math. Of course, the teacher can certainly use other problem-solving activities she may already have.

Once the teacher finishes working with the strugglers in the small group, often there is no time for those students to work on the Problem Set. This is okay. Just move on and have the students skip the Problem Set that day.

The important thing is for the teacher to resist the urge to reteach the entire lesson the next day simply because a few students do not understand today's lesson. The curriculum is specifically written to spiral and review, which makes reteaching rarely necessary.

So...let's boil this whole thing into a simple game plan for teaching:

1. Properly pace the fluency activity and Application problem. Keep it zippy. Assess student understanding, but don't turn it into a teaching moment.

2. Keep the Concept Development to a minimum. Do as few examples as possible in order to release most students as quickly as possible. I call this "UNDER teach" the math...meaning the teacher should send students to work independently a little earlier than she might otherwise have done.

3. The teacher now does double duty: reteach a small group while also monitoring the rest of the class.

4. Have additional problem-solving activities (online or paper-and-pencil) for early finishers of the Problem Set.

5. Limit the Problem Set time to 10 or 15 minutes only. Then do a short Debrief conversation with the whole class.

Sheesh...there is more we could talk about. Specifically, Universal Design for Learning (UDL). This is a framework for how a teacher can design/modify a lesson in order to meet the needs of more students within the lesson, thereby reducing the need to differentiate for the high- and low-students after the lesson. In UDL, teachers proactively plan strategies for removing barriers to student learning in three ways:

Strategies for engagement

Strategies for representation

Strategies for expression.

Here is a good resource for learning more about UDL...
https://goalbookapp.com/toolkit/strategies

I hope this gets you started on your journey. Please feel free to email again. We all need to support one another as we help our teachers implement Eureka Math!
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eureka math: more advice on how to pace eureka math to meet the needs of all your students

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Eureka Math: More advice on how to pace Eureka Math to meet the needs of all your students

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As much as I love the Eureka Math curriculum, teachers seem to have a real tough time figuring out how to pace the lesson while also meeting the needs of all their students. I am finding teachers struggle in this regard with Eureka Math far more than they did with the pre-Common Core textbook.

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This article provides hundreds of (Universal Design for Learning - UDL)strategies to help students achieve their learning goals.

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This is a strategy from Read*Write*Think (NCTE, IRA) aimed at increasing reading comprehension.

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This website focuses on helping teachers be "more awesome in the classroom."

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This article provides resources for scaffolding writing instruction.

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Here is the webpage for SC testing information.

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Tests - South Carolina Department of Education

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The parent tip sheets available on your Eureka Math dashboard help parents know what their children are learning in math and how they can help.

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Great Minds Resources | Math | Family Tip Sheets

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To help parents address questions children may have about Eureka Math at home, we have developed Parent Tip Sheets (K-8) that provide an overview of each topic. These tip sheets include suggested strategies and models, key vocabulary, connections to previous learning, and tips for how you can support your child's learning at home.

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Heads up
Eyes on the teacher or the task
Hoods off

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Be quiet
Keep hands to oneself
Stand away from the wall
Face forward
Walk

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Here is a document that details the expectations for preparations for substitutes. This document along with a Google Slide presentation is on the Drive.

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Amplify CKLA Student Hub
1. Go to my.amplify.com.
2. Login using Amplify.
Here are the class codes:
Grade     Student Username   Student Password

K              BXSTK                      one-clam8

1               JZDMS                     cool-toad5

2               RPHKP                     busy-lion7

3               ZMVQZ                     one-bunny7

4               GQKNX                     red-emu9

5               HDKPS                     good-mole6

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SC Discus is South Carolina's Virtual Library. Discus stands for Digital Information for South Carolina Users and provides free access to an electronic library. This is a valuable resource for your students when they need to research a topic and can help them avoid potential issues associated with Google and Wikipedia.

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Discus - South Carolina's Virtual Library is a service of the South Carolina State Library and is funded by an appropriation from the South Carolina General Assembly through the K-12 School Technology Initiative and the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

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SC Discus is South Carolina's Virtual Library. Discus stands for Digital Information for South Carolina Users and provides free access to an electronic library. This is a valuable resource for your students when they need to research a topic and can help them avoid potential issues associated with Google and Wikipedia.

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This presentation discusses the TDA portion of the SCReady test. It includes discussion of the process of creating the TDA items and provides insights into preparing students for the test.

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This presentation discusses the TDA portion of the SCReady test. It includes discussion of the process of creating the TDA items and provides insights into preparing students for the test.

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This post includes student TDA writing samples.

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These annotations provide information as to how each sample essay was scored.

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This page contains additional resources for teachers. Quick links includes the SC READY, SCPASS, and EOCEP sample release items, a link to the Online Tools Training (OTT), test blueprints, Data Review reports, and other pertinent information. Additional content will be added as information becomes available.

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Hope and Joy

May

Wonder

​

To arrive in May-at long last May!-is to rejoice. Traditionally, May has been a time for festivity: May poles, May flowers, Mother's Day, and We showcase the opposite- hope for the future, wonder at the unknown, and joy in the gift of life: these virtues give spring to our steps. To raise people who live in hope and wonder is not to create starry-eyed and clueless "Candides." It is to form individuals who will engage, who are catalysts for positive change and a brighter future. And if we teachers and parents are looking for ways to enhance our own sense of hope, read the reflections of a psychologist working on this issue. See the July 2020 article by Benjamin Hardy here. May crownings, all speak to a tradition of new life and hope renewed. As spring asserts itself, we live in greater wonder at the world around us. Core Virtues celebrates that.

Accordingly, we highlight the virtues of hope, joy, and wonder. It is our belief that parents and educators-who are responsible for forming the next generation of citizens-have a special responsibility to nurture the hope of our children. A great deal in our culture and media has the potential to turn children to cynicism, contempt, and despair. The "get-real" and "so what?" undertone of much popular culture is a very real threat to children's hope and innocence, and therefore to their willingness to be constructive participants in life's journey.
( A Seed is Sleepy. Dianna Aston. Illustrated by Sylvia Long. Chronicle Books, 2007 (K-3) Wonder
Poetic text and exquisite watercolors magnify seeds of every shape and size, making this gift of nature a source of wonder. "A seed is adventurous. It must strike out on its own in search of a less crowded place to put down roots." This is one of a truly "wonder-ful" series of science/wonder books by Aston and Long, each as beautiful as the first. A Nest is Noisy, An Egg is Quiet, A Butterfly is Patient, A Rock is Lively)

Brendan Wenzel.
​Chronicle Books, 2019. (K-1) Wonder, Wisdom
This deceptively simple, and supremely lyrical picture book is, as the title suggests, about one stone, immobile but not immutable. The stone changes its qualities, depending on the perspective of those who visit and surround it. It is a bright, moonlit resting place for an owl; a dark, sheltering stump for a mouse, a tiny pebble for a moose, a great hill to a bug, a silent witness for some, or a loud echo for the clam shell tossed by the gull. Yet all the time, "It was as it was where it was in the world." Illustrations soft, pale, but striking show how one inanimate presence could be so many different things to so many. Beauty of nature abounds but also an excellent springboard for K-1 discussions about perspective, empathy, and the changing ways we see.

Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai.
Claire Nivola. Frances Foster Books, 2008. (K-3)
Stewardship, Hope, Lives to Learn From
A beautifully illustrated and inspiring biography of 2004 Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai, who led Kenya's "Green Belt" movement. Born and raised in the hills of central Kenya, Wangari treasured the richness and beauty of her land. She went off to study biology in the United States (in 1960) and seven years later returned to her homeland to find it largely deforested. Maathai led a movement of Kenyan women to replant trees and restore not simply the stripped land, but the relationship between the land and its people. She was fabulously successful, and was awarded the Nobel Prize for her efforts. This is a stunning book about a woman determined to make the world better place - one tree and one woman at a time.

The Watcher. Jane Goodall's Life With the Chimps. Jeanette Winter. Schwartz Wade Books, 2011. (K-3) Lives to Learn From, Diligence, Stewardship, Hope, Joy
A simple biography of Jane Goodall's amazing life with her beloved chimps. A quiet and keen observer from an early age, Jane loved animals and knew that she wanted to study them in the wild. She worked hard to make that happen, eventually moving from London to the Gombe forest in Tanzania to study chimpanzees. The chimps became accustomed to "the white ape" among them (the phrase is Jane's self-description). Goodall spent many years studying the primates, writing about them, and educating the world about their habits. When deforestation threatened the forests in which they lived, Jane realized she could be a voice for the chimps. At age 85, she continues to educate many about protecting animals, their habitat, and the planet.

Jim LaMarche. Harper Collins, 2002. (K-3)Wonder, Joy
When Nicky has to spend the summer with his grandmother in the woods of Wisconsin, he is sure it will be the worst summer ever. But one day he finds a raft floating down the river. It makes his chores (fishing for their dinner) fun and brings him to a new relationship with his grandmother. She shares his adventures and her love of drawing. Beautiful pastels illustrate and illuminate this charming story.

The Library. Sarah Stewart. Illustrated by David Small. Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1997. (K-3) Wisdom, Wonder, Generosity.
Whimsical and buoyant verse delight the young reader. Elizabeth Brown is a bibliophile through and through -- from her youth to her old age, when her impressive book collection becomes a library for others. If the following lines sing to you, delight your students too. "She didn't like to play with dolls. She didn't like to skate. She learned to read quite early. And at an incredible rate." In clever verse and illustration, the author tells the story of Elizabeth Brown's life and fortune. A story that will feed the soul of any young bibliophile.

Leslie Kimmelman.
​Illustrated by David C. Gardner. Sleeping Bear Press, 2018. (K-3)
​Lives to Learn From, Hope & Joy, Love of Country
The inspirational story of the self-taught musical genius, who became America's most iconic songwriter. Fleeing persecution in Russia in 1893, five-year-old Israel Baline emigrated to the United States with his family of eight. The Balines lived in a small New York City apartment, lacking money and sometimes food, but they had their freedom and their wits. And little Izzy always seemed to have a song in his heart. He began singing in saloons, writing songs, and signing himself Irving Berlin at age thirteen-and the rest is history. (He sold his first song for 37 cents.) Write On is a whimsically illustrated picture book that captures Berlin's drive, optimism, passion for music (he wrote songs on his shirt sleeves, in elevators, in the bathtub), and his unabashed love of country (which he served overseas in World War I). "Alexander's Ragtime Band," "God Bless America," "Always," and "White Christmas" are just a few of his hits for stage, screen, and troops overseas.

Exquisite. The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks. Suzanne Slade. Illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera. Abrams for Young Readers, 2020. (1-4) Lives to Learn From, Wonder, Perseverance, Black History Month.
Born in 1917, she dared to dream. The first Black author to win the Pulitzer Prize, Chicago-born Gwendolyn Brooks grew up in a family that prized the written word, and she began to write poetry at age seven. She wrote with grace and beauty about poverty, race, gender, nature and loneliness. We meet Brooks in this lyrical work; she lived through the Great Depression and saw ways to make it sing in words. Named Poet Laureate of Illinois in 1958, Brooks will inspire young readers to make poetry of their lives.

Swirl by Swirl. Spirals in Nature. Joyce Sidman. Illustrated by Beth Krommes. Houghton Mifflin, 2011. (K-1) Wonder
Striking and vibrant illustrations practically leap off the page, as we explore spiral shapes in nature, and how those fabulous swirls in plants, shells, animals, water, and galaxies protect and preserve life. The spare text is just enough to enhance understanding of the illustrations, and make kids marvel at nature's grandeur. If "wonder" is the "first step on the path to knowledge," this book is truly wonder-full.

Deborah Hopkinson.Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen.
​Illustrated by Qin Leng. Balzer and Bray, 2018. (K-3)
​Wonder, Lives to Learn From
Long before children will read the great writer, they can learn an important lesson from her: pay attention to your childhood! In this engaging biography, Hopkinson takes us back to Jane Austen's youth, growing up in a lively home with one sister, six "boisterous brothers plus packs of boys who came to live and study at their father's boarding school," scads of books, and a vivid imagination. Jane is observant, attentive to the personalities and quirks of each of the characters in her midst, and in her writing about the ordinary, conveys the extraordinary. Leng's soft watercolor illustrations glow and bring the period to life.

Patricia MacLachlan. Illustrated by Mike Wimmer. Harper Collins, 1994. (K-2) Hope & Joy, Wonder
On the day he was born, grandpa cried and grandma held Eli up to the window "so that what I heard first was the wind. What I saw first were all the places to love: the valley, the river falling down over rocks, the hilltop where the blueberries grew." Try not to cry as you follow Eli and his family through meadows, hayfields, rocks and rivers, as he learns about all the places to love and imagines sharing them with his newborn sister. Themes of wonder, hope, and family devotion.

Let There Be Light. Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Illustrated by Nancy Tillman. Zonderkidz, 2014. (K-3) Wonder, Schools of Faith
Beautiful retelling of the creation story. Nancy Tillman's digital illustrations lend a great deal to the beauty and wonder of the story.

Night of the Moonjellies. Mark Shasha. Purple House Press, 2017. (K-4) Diligence, Responsibility, Wonder.
Combining family, responsibility, hard work, and the beauty of the New England shore, this is the story of a devoted seven-year-old boy who spends two weeks each summer helping his grandmother run her seaside hot dog stand. After a day of labor, Gram has a surprise. The intrepid pair set off at night in her motor boat to see a spectacle of nature: luminescent moon jellies, tiny shimmering creatures that bespangle the sea in late summer. Joy, wonder, and love suffuse the pages. ​

​ by Cynthia Rylant. Illustrated by Brendan Wenzel.
Beach Lane Books, 2017 (K-3) Wonder, Stewardship
This meditative reflection on life in the world encourages children to think beyond themselves. Beautiful illustrations transport us from Africa to the Arctic and everywhere in between. "life begins small...then it grows" is a reassuring thought for a small child. There is comfort in knowing that change is coming and even if there are some hard times, they can trust nature and find beauty everywhere

Robert Burleigh. Illustrated by Mike Wimmer.
​Puffin, 2014 ( K-4) Hope & Joy​, Wonder, Love of Country
Burleigh captures the suspense, excitement, and nail-biting quality of the extraordinary flight of Apollo 11. Children will identify with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, who set off to explore a world that human beings had dreamt of visiting for centuries. "One small step for a man; one giant leap for mankind." This is a marvelous book with spectacular, slightly surreal illustrations that put one in mind of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Flat Stanley: His Original Adventure.* Jeff Brown.
Illustrated by Macky Pamintuan. Harper Collins, 2013. (1-5) Humor, Wonde r
When a bulletin board falls on Stanley one night, he wakes up flat. Flat - as in only half-an-inch thick. Life as a pancake doesn't stop Stanley from enjoying himself and having adventures. This is a fun early chapter book for beginning readers, which encourages kids to think about the wonder of being themselves. What things can they enjoy because of who and how they are? There are many additional books in the series.

The Strange Birds of Flannery O'Connor. Amy Alznauer. Illustrated by Pin Zhu. Enchanted Lion Books, 2020. (2-4) Wonder, Lives to Learn From.
"Right from the start young Flannery took a shine to chickens." How's that for an opening line? This large, quirky, and wondrous book, celebrates the life and vision of American literary great Flannery O'Connor. From her childhood, Flannery stared and drew to penetrate meaning. She was drawn to strangeness, particularly the strangeness and majesty of birds. In them she saw our quirks, majesty, violence, sadness, and the design of a greater power. Not surprisingly, the peacock was her favorite. The vivid illustrations immerse the reader in the bold sashay of color that was her life: a witness to hope amid suffering.

John Muir Wrestles a Waterfall.* Julia Danneber. Illustrated by Jamie Hogan. Charlesbridge, 2015. (1-4) Wonder, Lives to Learn From
This glimpse at naturalist John Muir's life in Yosemite centers on his fascination with the giant waterfall there. He built his cabin in sight of the fall, and studied it from all angles ("cascading, crashing, careening wildly over the side of the mountain."). One night he was drawn to climbing the rock face next to the water. Suddenly the wind lifted the wall of water away from the rocks and John was able to slip behind the wall of water! Oh exhilaration! Until... the wind ceased, and the water poured down on top of him. Fortunately, he survived to tell the tale and continued to study and record the sites and sounds of Yosemite. Beautifully drawn pastels along with handwritten journal pages make this an exciting and interesting read. Scottish-born Muir was America's first and premier conservationist, seeing the divine in the majesty of nature.

Earthrise: Apollo 8 and the Photo that Changed the World. *
James Gladstone. Illustrated by Christy Lundy. Owlkids Books, 2018
(K-3) Wonder, Gratitude, Stewardship
Kids raised in a digital age can scarcely conceive of a time when we did not know what our planet looked like from space. The Apollo 8 lunar mission (1969) was a milestone, and this first picture of the earth rising above the surface of the moon struck a chord worldwide. People were inspired to see the world without borders; struck by its beauty, they launched a new movement to care for the earth. An important moment to remember even 50 years later.

American photographer Ansel Adams often captured the stillness and awe-inspiring majesty of nature, but his own nature was far from tranquil. This lyrical text chronicles the childhood of a boy who could not sit still. He sought out the gusts of the sea, the pound of the surf, the rush of water through canyons, and the glow of light on craggy peaks. He was "on fire for learning," but his father realized that traditional schooling was not for Ansel; he Antsy Ansel: Ansel Adams, A Life in Nature. Cindy Jenson-Elliott. Illustrated by Christy Hale. Henry Holt, 2016. (K-4) Hope & Joy, Wonder
needed to be outside. Jenson-Elliott captures the young boy's exuberance, his wonder at all of nature (so evident in his photographs of the Sierra Nevadas, Yosemite, the Tetons). Christy Hale complements the text with her clean, striking, collage illustrations, including two vertical spreads mimicking Ansel's Yosemite heights photos. An excellent introduction to the trail-blazing photographer, whose "awe before the unexplained" suffuses every photo. (The book will also reassure any child who has a hard time sitting still, and just might encourage restless kids to seek out the wonders of nature.)

​Sky Boys: How They Built the Empire State Building. Deborah Hopkinson. Illustrated by James E. Ransome. Schwartz & Wade, 2012.
​(K-3) Hope, Love of Country
It's the Depression and times are tough, but one project offers hope: a new building rising from the ground at the rate of one story per day. A young boy is fascinated, brings his jobless father to see the wonder, and wondrous things result. Bold illustrations and lyrical text inspire awe for one of the greatest construction projects ever and for the people who pulled it off.

Antelope, Bison, Cougar. A National Park Wildlife Alphabet Book.
​ Steven P. Medley. Illustrated by Daniel San Souci. Yosemite Association, 2001 (K-3)Wonder
Daniel San Souci's vivid watercolors capture the majesty of America's national parks and the grace of the wild ones who call them home. Steven Medley's richly informative text serves up intriguing detail on critters known and unknown. Did you know that the 2000 pound bison in Theodore Roosevelt National Park (ND) is a very good swimmer, who keeps his head, hump and tail above water as he paddles? Have you ever met the javelina in Chiricahua National Monument (AZ)? The text provides basic and not-so-basic information on animals and their national park habitats. The book will captivate third graders as well as Kindergartners, inspire wonder, curiosity, and an appreciation for the beauty and diversity of the land children call home.

Jess Keating. Illustrated by Marta Alvarez Miguens. Sourcebooks, 2017 (K-4) Wonder, Lives to Learn From
​As a little girl, Eugenie Clark visited the aquarium and became fascinated with sharks. Others saw them as "ugly and scary," but their silvery fins and graceful glide fascinated Eugenie. Though many people tried to discourage her from following her dream, she was determined to make them her life's work-studying hard, and eventually exploring the oceans and seas for sharks. This female pioneer in marine biology was fearless, and the book teaches us much about her discoveries. Lovely text and bright illustrations convey the excitement and beauty that Eugenie experienced while diving.

Charlotte Zolotow.
Illustrated by Wendell Minor. Charlesbridge, 2017. (K-2) Wonder
A mother explains to her son what its like at the sea's edge, where the sky meets the sea, and the "swishswashing sound" of the waves lulls you to sleep on golden sand, and "two little gray sandpipers run past you ... and when you wake up, you ...see their claw prints like pencil lines in the sand. You rub your eyes and it seems there is nothing in the world except the sound of the wind and the rising and falling of the waves." As children look longingly toward summer, this beautifully illustrated work will inspires hope and wonder.

Brian Floca.Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11.
​National Geographic, 2010. ( K-4) Hope, Wonder, Love of Country
A rich and crisply written account of the 1969 lunar expedition. Floca's text brims with detail both accurate and poetic, as three American astronauts don suits and gloves, strap themselves sideways into their seats and roar off on a tower of fuel and flame make history. A silent moon awaits them, and they see their home in a new light. A grand adventure story, all the more amazing because it's true.

Seeker of Knowledge: The Man Who Deciphered Egyptian Hieroglyphics James Rumford. HMH Books, 2003. (K-5) Wonder
In this fascinating volume Rumford chronicles the untiring efforts of nineteenth century Frenchman, Jean-Francois Champollion to decode Egyptian hieroglyphics or picture writing. The scholar's interest in Egypt was awakened as a boy when Napoleon marched into Egypt. Champollion's childhood fascination grew to an adult passion, as he learned of the discovery of the Rosetta stone, and eventually cracked the code. Rumford's illustrations and story are a complete delight, proving once again that "wonder is the first step on the path to knowledge."

The Amazing Air Balloon . Jean Van Leeuwen.
Illustrated by Marco Ventura. Phyllis Fogelman Books, 2003 (K-4) The inspiring story of Edward Warren, the orphaned thirteen-year-old apprentice, who became the first American to ascend in a hot air balloon. Set in colonial times and brought to life with vibrant oil paintings, Jean Van Leeuwen's story reinforces the themes of wonder and passionate pursuit of one's dreams. The wiry teenager is able to take this flight because the balloon's creator, Peter Carnes, is too heavy to take it up! Evocative illustrations bring the period to life.

The Secret Cave: Discovering Lascaux. Emily Arnold McCully.
​Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010. (1-4)Wonder
Three French boys looking for buried treasure discover it: but in an unexpected form. In 1940 the curious kids were exploring an underground cave, searching for rumored gold, when they happened instead upon 17,000 year-old cave art. With suspenseful writing and lush illustrations, McCully retells the fantastic true story of re-discovering humanity's first known works of art. The silent cave walls, painted with bulls, boar, reindeer and more, come to life with startling force. The boys are awed. They do not immediately reveal their find, but eventually share word of it with other children, and a trusted teacher, who introduces an expert to authenticate the marvel. The boys become guardians of the cave and heroes for the town. A marvelous tale of how a child's sense of wonder, can introduce to the world a great wonder.

Harvesting Hope. The Story of Cesar Chavez. Kathleen Krull.
​Illustrated by Yuyi Morales. Harcourt, 2003 (1-3) Hope, Responsibility, Courage, Lives to Learn From
Cesar Chavez grew up on his family's ranch in Arizona. In 1937, at the depths of the Depression, a devastating drought took the farm into foreclosure, and the family moved to California to work on other people's farms. Migrant families worked hard, but at this time of Depression, they were underpaid and unwelcome in the towns and schools. Cesar left school after eighth grade to work in the fields, so his mother wouldn't have to. He listened to those who called for reforms, and himself began to speak out for fair hiring and higher wages for farm workers. Cesar espoused non-violence in the quest for justice, leading a march from Delano to Sacramento with thousands of farm workers for fair wages. This lead to the formation of the United Farm Workers Union. It was a great victory and the beginning of reform for the industry. Vibrant, mural-like illustrations.

Yuki and the One Thousand Carriers.* Gloria Whelan.
Sleeping Bear Press, 2008. (2-5) Wonder, Hope
Set in Shogun Japan, the mesmerizing illustrations (evocative of Japanese woodcuts) make the book a treasure. Yuki, the daughter of a high ranking official, travels with her family from Kyoto to Edo (Tokyo), home of the shogun. She is uneasy about leaving her home in Kyoto for their new life in Edo, and she is charged by her teacher with writing a haiku each day to recall the fifty-three day journey. The haikus sing. Lyrically written, this book celebrates the beauty of Japan and a child's hope for new life. It also introduces children to a land where the privileged are carried in litters (palanquins) on the backs of carriers, one thousand of whom bend to their task. In Core Knowledge schools this could be used fruitfully in second grade (Culture of Japan unit) or fifth grade (Shogun Japan; haiku).

Van Leeuwen. Hope & Joy
Beautifully illustrated tale of a family who leaves all behind, braves a covered wagon journey, storms, drought, and danger to settle in the west, a land of opportunity, "where anything you planted would grow and a farm could stretch out as far as the eye could see."

Finding Narnia. The Story of C.S. Lewis and His Brother. Caroline McAlister, Illustrated by Jessica Lanan. Roaring Brook Press, 2019. (2-4) Lives to Learn From, Wonder, Loyalty
Children (and parents and teachers) who love C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia will delight in this gorgeous biography. McAlister tells the tale of two brothers: C.S. Lewis ("Jack") grew up with a younger brother, Warnie, and though they differed in temperament, they delighted in playing imaginary games together. A massive wardrobe in their childhood home became the stage for adventures of knights, talking animals, and magical trains. The brothers stood by each other when their mother passed away, and when they were sent to boarding school. They each served in the army during WWI and later they moved into a house together along with the wardrobe they played in as children. During WW II they provided a safe home for two girls from London, who were also fascinated with the wardrobe. C.S., inspired, began to write the Narnia series. The brothers had a life-long collaboration: C.S. wrote in long hand and Warnie typed up his manuscripts. Subtle watercolors and lyrical text quietly tell the story of these two brothers and life long friends.

Crow Call. Lois Lowry. Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. Scholastic Press, 2009. (2-5) Hope, Joy
Lois Lowry (author of Number the Stars and other poignant chapter books) created this beautiful picture book tale of young Liz getting to know her father again when he comes home from World War II. He is a stranger, but she longs to reconnect. The haunting illustrations show father and daughter sharing a day, eating breakfast at a diner, then walking through the woods to hunt crows. Liz knows the crows eat the crops, but she doesn't want her dad to kill them either. Beautiful sensitive illustrations bring you right into the woods on that November day.

Coming On Home Soon. Jacqueline Woodson.
​Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. G.P.Putnam's Sons, 2004 (2-5) Patience, Hope
Set in the mid-west during World War II, this is a touching tale of an African-American family struggling to survive. With Dad at war, Ada Ruth's Mama must support the family, and finds work in Chicago in one of the many railroad jobs vacated by men. Promising to send money home, she leaves Ada Ruth and her grandmother, who pass the time together, writing letters, telling stories, and waiting for a letter in return. Winter passes slowly, with a bit of joy when a kitten shows up at the door. E. B. Lewis' gorgeous water colors invite you to sit and wait with Grandma and Ada Ruth and hope that Mama is coming on home soon. (Spoiler: she does!) A wonderful model of hope and patience in a time of trial.

Mumbet's Declaration of Independence.* Gretchen Woelfle. Illustrated by Alix Delinois. Carolrhoda Books, 2014 (1-4) Hope, Perseverance
Mumbet grows up as a slave to the Ashley family of Massachusetts in the late eighteenth century. She did not mind hard work, but she did mind not being free. One night at a town hall meeting, Mumbet hears people discussing the Constitution for the state, which proclaims that "all men are born equal and free." She takes this to heart and hires a lawyer to sue for her freedom. She is not only successful winning her freedom, but also having slavery declared unconstitutional in Massachusetts! Powerful, bright acrylic illustrations highlight Mumbet's strength and hope in justice in her future.

The Greatest Skating Race: A World War II Story from the Netherlands.
Louise Borden. Illustrated by Niki Daly. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2004. (3-6) Courage, Hope
​ Ten year-old Piet, a strong skater, dreams of taking first place in his nation's famous two hundred kilometer ice-skating race. But in the winter of 1941, he realizes the most important race in his life may be a mere twelve kilometers long. His grandfather asks him to skate two children (whose lives are in danger in German-occupied Holland) to the safety of the Belgian border. They plot a route and strategy to outwit German guards posted along the frozen canal. Piet must rely not only on his own skating abilities, but on his ability to support and inspire his younger charges to push on with him. A touching and breathtaking work of historical fiction showing that courage starts young and is buttressed by hope.

Karen Hesse.
Illustrated by Wendy Watson. Scholastic, 2004. (3-6)
Courage, Hope
Based on a true story of the Warsaw ghetto, this World War II-era tale is appropriate for older children (third graders and up). A young Jewish girl (ten or twelve) helps her older sister smuggle food to fellow Jews trapped behind the wall of Poland's Warsaw ghetto. The two come up with an ingenious plan to outwit the Gestapo and its dogs (which sniff out food) by using the superabundance of stray cats in Krasinski Square. The clever rouse was the courageous work of a young girl, and it worked. Sparse, lyrical text and uncluttered watercolor illustrations make this a powerful and quick read-aloud for 3-6.

Rechenka's Eggs. Patricia Polacco.
Puffin, 1996. (2-4) Hope & Joy
Poor Russian peasant woman aids and cares for a wounded goose, undergoes trials as result, but is richly rewarded in the end. A tale of hope, rebirth, and miracles as well as compassion.

Daring Dozen: The Twelve Who Walked on the Moon.* Susan Slade. Illustrated by Alan Marks. Charlesbridge, 2019. (K-6)
Lives to learn from, Wonder, Courage
Neil Armstrong took the first step on the moon in 1969, but eleven other Apollo astronauts succeeded him in the next four years. Beautiful text and exceptional watercolors bring to life the unique and inspirational journey, and show how the various missions built on the work of the previous. This is one of the rare books that can be enjoyed by children at various stages of the elementary school continuum. The lively text (in story form) makes it come alive for younger readers, while detailed backmatter (a timeline, information about the rocket ships and crews) make it a great resource for older kids.

Wonders of Nature. Ben Hoare. Illustrated by Angela Rizza and Daniel Long. DK Children, 2019. Wonder (2-4)
Astonishing illustrations on every page of the 224 pg book! Covering Rocks, Microscopic Life, Plants, and Animals, each page is a delightful bite sized bit of information about so many of natures marvels. It fills you with wonder and leaves you wanting more. This is a treasury that every home and library should have on hand.

Jeanne M. Lee.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1994. (K-3) Hope, Joy
Lotus is a gentle Cambodian child, born deaf and mute, but has a knack for imitating the graceful steps of the heron and egrets that live near her home. She is shunned by other children, growing up both lonely and longing for more. Her parents take her to the temple of the gods, hoping for a sign, and Lotus is mesmerized by the temple dancers. The king notices her grace and offers her the chance to learn the court dances, and in time she becomes the leading dancer of the Khmer kingdom. This is a stirring and superbly illustrated story of a child who, though different, realizes her talents, and through them hope and joy.

The Lady With the Books* Kathy Stinson. Illustrated by Marie Lafrance. Kids Can Press, 2020. (2-4) Hope, Courage *Available on Epic!
In the wake of World War II, two German children suffer from hunger and see nothing but devastation around them. When they see a long line of people outside a building, they assume the line is for food and quickly join. Instead, they wander into a beautiful exhibit of children's books. Based on a true story, this is the tale of Jella Lepman, a German Jew who escaped Germany before WWII. She returned to her devastated homeland and dedicated herself to helping children who had been traumatized by the war, and her approach was novel: a traveling exhibition of children's books. Children could come to her pavilion and read or be read to -- everything from Winnie the Pooh to Babar to Ferdinand the Bull or Heidi. Lepman knew the children needed books--a world of imagination and hope--as well as food. Attempting to create "bridges of understanding," she brought back books that had been banned. Anneliese and Pieter forget their hunger for a time and begin to imagine a future.

Traveling Man. The Journey of Ibn Batutta, 1325-1354.
James Rumford. Houghton Mifflin, 2001. (3-6)Wonder, Hope
​Less well known than Marco Polo, the fourteenth century Moroccan-born traveler Ibn Batutta, undertook equally exciting and perilous journeys. He spent nearly three decades traveling the world, leaving a rich account, which is brought to life in this eloquent and elegant picture book. The book inspires not just wonder for the vast world and its unknown marvels, but for the whole experience of travel. While the text is simple, the material is rich and the thoughts run deep. ("Traveling - it gives you a home in a thousand strange places, then leaves you a stranger in your own land.") This book is a wonderful complement to any study of the late Middle Ages. Profitably read by fourth and fifth graders who may know more of the geography. A fine map at the end shows his journeys through Africa, Arabia, Asia Minor, Russia, India, and China.

Like a Bird. The Art of the Slave Song. * Cynthia Grady.
Illustrated by Michele Wood. Milbrook Press, 2016 (3-6)
Black History Month, Hope, Faith
Music lends beauty even to our suffering and brings hope. Here the music, lyrics, and history of thirteen Negro Spirituals are compellingly presented and illustrated. Go Down Moses, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, Michael, Row the Boat Ashore, Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen are some of the many revisited and explained. Though you may be familiar with some or all of these works sung by slaves in captivity, the explanations of their history and meaning along with the lively folk-art paintings bring new life to this folk art.

Rachel Carson and Her Book that Changed the World. Laurie Lawlor. Illustrated by Laura Beingessner. Holiday House, 2014. Wonder, Diligence, Stewardship (2-6)
This is a fine introductory biography to a pioneer in environmental science and the author of Silent Spring. As a child exploring Pennsylvania woods, Rachel learned to recognize the call of a yellowthroat and the song of a wood thrush. The family farm constantly fed her curiosity and both parents knew how important education was, sacrificing much to send Rachel to college, where she studied biology. But hard times of the Depression followed and after graduating, Rachel considered herself fortunate to find a job writing for a radio program about sea life. This led to articles for scientific journals, however, and soon her research became well known. She loved writing about nature."Once you are aware of the wonder and beauty of the earth, you will want to learn about it."

Yours For Justice, Ida B. Wells. The Daring Life of a Crusading Journalist* Philip Dray. Illustrated by Stephen Alcorn. Peachtree Publishing, 2008 (3-6) Justice, Hope, Compassion, Lives to Learn From
Born into slavery but freed by the Emancipation Proclamation, Ida B. Wells was a force of nature. She loved to read, and reading the newspaper to her father opened her eyes to the world beyond her small town. When she lost both her parents and her brother to an epidemic, she took charge of her six siblings and taught school to support them. She never stopped learning, and she felt the need to start writing about the injustices daily. She became a leading journalist, writing about many issues, but when one of her friends was lynched, Ida became the voice for justice for him and many others like him. Intriguing illustrations bring Ida's story to life. Afterword and bibliography make this a great tribute to a Life to Learn From. *Available on

Demi.
Two Lions Publishing, 2012 (3-6) Wonder
Demi's lush, intricate illustrations immerse young readers in "a seamless tale of wonder," as Barbara Auerbach described it. In 1254 the young Venetian, Marco Polo, embarked on a world journey that led him to China, Persia, the Holy Land, India, Arabia, Egypt, and then home. Twenty-four years and thirty-three thousand miles later, Polo had served as an advisor to China's Kublai Khan; an ambassador for him abroad, and an explorer par excellence. Marco Polo survived deserts, monsoons, and dust storms; climbed mountains and battled bandits, pirates and cannibals. He was open to and awed by what he encountered, and he lived to tell his tales back home. Whether he exaggerated has always been a matter of dispute, but this rendering, with Demi's exquisite illustrations, captures his own quest for knowledge and wonder before the unexplained.

Cheryl Bardoe. Gregor Mendel. The Friar Who Grew Peas.
Illustrated by Jos. A. Smith. Abrams, 2015. (4-8) Wonder, Diligence
This extraordinary picture book presents the compelling life of one who wondered fearlessly. As a child growing up on a farm in (what is now) the Czech republic, Gregor Mendel wondered why two kinds of apple trees grown in proximity produced better fruit than a single type grown alone or why breeding two different kinds of sheep yielded thicker wool. Mendel's curiosity and wonder propelled him to seek an education despite his family's poverty, enter religious life where he had access to libraries and scholarship, and then conduct his own meticulous experiments with 28,000 pea plants. Through patient experimentation he discovered certain rules for passing on what he called "dominant" and "recessive" traits. Friar Gregor is now known as the world's first geneticist, and "Mendel's laws" (1865) are foundational to the modern science. The Friar's life provides additional lessons in the virtues of persistence and humility: though he published his work and attempted to disseminate it, fellow scientists ignored him. "Mendel's laws" lay unnoticed until 1900, when three scientists interested in precisely these questions, happened upon his paper, and the rest is history (or genetics)... Gorgeous illustrations, beautifully told, but because of the science involved, this is an older child's book.

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Lynn Curlee.
Atheneum, 2002. (4-6) Wonder
To leave something that will last forever... Art historian Lynn Curlee brings his formidable talents to the world of antiquity and looks at the seven wonders of the ancient world renown for their "size, beauty, grandeur and perfection." The pyramid at Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Colossus at Rhodes, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, and others are explored with an eye toward all that makes us marvel. This work, illustrated by Curlee's fabulous paintings, excites intellectual curiosity and wonder.

Charlotte's Web. E.B. White.
Illustrated by Garth Williams and Rosemary Wells. Harper Collins, 2012. 192 pgs.(3-6) Hope, Wonder
Beloved by generations, Charlotte's Web is the story of a runt-of-the-litter pig named Wilbur, adopted by a farm girl named Fern, and befriended by a spider named Charlotte. In this magical barn kingdom, Wilbur can talk to both Fern and all the farm animals. When Fern learns that her adorable pet pig is to be fattened for someone's dinner, she is devastated, but Wilbur even more so. Charlotte, the wise, enterprising and resourceful spider, weaves a pattern in her web that ensures his survival. The pure joy, delight, and wonder of this book, with its extraordinary characters and very right ending have made it a classic for generations.

Home of the Brave. Katherine Applegate.
Square Fish, 2008. Hope, Gratitude, Courage. 5-6
This story is not to be missed: you will laugh, cry, and shout for joy with Kek, a ten-year-old boy who, fleeing violence in his African homeland (Sudan), and has settled (with aunt and cousin) in Minnesota. Kek is an optimist, who earnestly strives to embrace his new life, and is quick to see goodness. In Minnesota, he experiences the joy and hardship of winter (moon-shaped snowballs but bone-chilling cold), of school (a chair and desk of his own, but sometimes classmates who mock him), of technology (machines that wash clothes and dishes, but do not forgive if he puts dishes in the wrong one). He is often overcome with wonder at the "honors" that come to him for free. But he is haunted by the memories of violence that took his father and brother, and the uncertainty of ever seeing his mother again. Is she even alive? Then there is the nagging question of whether America will ever be home for him. His friendships (with Hannah, a girl in foster care and Lou, an older woman who runs a farm) and ingenious schemes to better his life and the lives of those around him will win your heart. (Spoiler alert: Mom is alive and joins him at the end.) It is a book of hope, gratitude, and great courage shown on the part of one so young, as by many immigrants over the years. Though it is 272 pages, it is written in free verse with wide margins. A riveting read-aloud over 5-7 sessions for older children.

Bound for Oregon. Jean Van Leeuwen.
Puffin, 1996. 164 pgs. (3-6)Hope, Perseverance
This slender historical novel shows the power of hope and determination in one of the most trying adventures of the mid-nineteenth century - the 2000 mile trek across the Oregon Trail. A pioneer's story told from the vantage point of a nine-year old girl, Mary Ellen Todd. Well researched and hugely reaffirming of the human spirit.

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Hope and Joy May Wonder ​ To arrive in May-at long last May!-is to rejoice. Traditionally, May has been a time for festivity: May poles, May flowers, Mother's Day, and We showcase the opposite- hope for the future, wonder at the unknown, and joy in the gift of life: these virtues give spring to our steps.

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Here is a resource that can be used for the character trait of Diligence. Please preview these materials to be sure you feel they are appropriate for your students.

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Here is a video you can use for the character trait of Diligence. Please preview this material to be sure you feel it is appropriate for your students.

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This video is for K-2, maybe 3rd. Please preview before using.

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The diligent girl and the lazy girl - Stories about hard work - The Lazy girl story

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This is a free online library. Students create accounts and then read books on their device.

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Around the Library

Here's what's happened over the last 28 days. More recent changes.

About the Project

Open Library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. More

Just like Wikipedia, you can contribute new information or corrections to the catalog. You can browse by subjects, authors or lists members have created. If you love books, why not help build a library?

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Open Library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. Read, borrow, and discover more than 3M books for free.

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This is a blog with some helpful tips about pacing Eureka lessons.

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eureka math: short advice on pacing your daily lesson

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Eureka Math: Short advice on pacing your daily lesson

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Often in Eureka Math, the lessons move very incrementally from one lesson to the next. If a student doesn't understand Lesson 4, move on to Lesson 5 because it is likely the student will suddenly have the Ah-ha moment in that lesson rather than in Lesson 4.

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Helpful insights about pacing Eureka lessons.

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Useful insights about Eureka Math instruction.

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Several years ago, my 3rd grade team had the honor of piloting the Eureka curriculum (Engage NY). We did not receive any training on this program that year. We struggled. Honestly it felt like we were treading water all year and there were several times that we started taking in some water. It was tough. But we survived!

We found as the year went on how helpful their strategies and lessons were for our students.

Our school decided to adopt this program the following year and brought a trainer to our school. During that training we learned some important tips from the creators of this curriculum. We kept saying, "OMG! I wish I had known this last year! It makes so much more sense now!" So if your school can afford the official training, DO IT!

When it comes to the concept development, do not follow the script word for word. The trainers had us practice giving the lesson to our peers. We couldn't be too wordy. We were told to be efficient and keep the concept development within 20 minutes. Some suggestions to help you be successful with this would be to not use every example in the lesson. Choose ahead of time which examples are best.

You can also save time with the fluency activities by not completing every activity each day. One day you may only do the Sprint activities. The next day, you may just do the skip-counting. There may even be days when you do not have time for either.

The Problem Set should also be a quick activity. We were told to only have your students spend 10-15 minutes on this piece. You can easily differentiate these as well. There are some problems that you will want everyone to complete, and there are extension problems at the end to extend and challenge other learners.

Module Order

Teach the modules in order!

Yes, it felt strange teaching multiplication at the beginning of this grade. But, the modules build upon each other. Follow the order of the modules! #seriously

If you find that you will not have time to teach all lessons, go to the beginning of the teacher manuals and find the page that gives suggestions on which lessons you can skip due to time constraints. Some of those skipped lessons would make great enrichment activities for your higher learners.

Differentiate

I've already mentioned that the problem sets can be differentiated. The same can be done with the homework piece. Some learners may only be able to complete the front side, others may be ready for the back side and the last few challenging problems. The writers of the curriculum flat out told us that they did not intend for every student to complete every problem on the practice sheet!

You may also want to differentiate with small groups. At my teacher table during centers, I have some students complete the problem set again on their white boards, but I change the numbers around.

I also used the Word documents from Engage New York to rewrite assessments with different numbers as an activity within my groups. This is key!!! It will increase your test scores because students will understand the type of questioning!

Technology

Use the resources available online!

My students complete Zearn (www.zearn.org) at their seats during centers. Sometimes, I would even project lessons from Zearn on the board during the whole group lesson.

Embarc is another great online resource for this curriculum. You can find application problems written out on Google slides, videos of every lesson, Google Slides for each lesson, exit tickets, and many other downloadable resources. You can also find a teacher faculty lounge on this website. This is a place to engage in conversations about this curriculum, and share tips and advice.

If your district or school is using Engage New York, a free online resource, remember that there are a few minor differences between Engage and Eureka.

Add in Centers

Math centers and guided math groups made such a difference in my math instruction and student engagement with Eureka lessons.

I could easily differentiate my centers and my guided math group lessons to meet the needs of my students. My guided math groups gave me an opportunity to reteach lessons that students were struggling with. My independent center rotation became another opportunity to continue practicing the skills with hands-on activities. If you are interested in learning more about how I used math centers in my classroom, click HERE.

Click on your grade level to learn more about what skills and activities are included in these center bundles.

Parent Help

Communication is key. Send home the parent newsletters (I found these on Embarc) that explain each module.

I also asked my parents to communicate with me when their child was struggling with the homework. I told them it is okay to circle the problem where their child started to struggle and stop for the night. The students then had the responsibility of coming to see me the next day to show me where they struggled and to get extra help.

Every class is not the same. Some of these tips may be helpful to you, others may not work for you. I hope you can take away a tip that will help you with your instruction using Eureka or Engage New York.

Have a Not So Wimpy day!

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Get the Training Several years ago, my 3rd grade team had the honor of piloting the Eureka curriculum (Engage NY). We did not receive any training on this program that year. We struggled. Honestly it felt like we were treading water all year and there were several times that we started taking in some [...]

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Please preview these activities to determine if they are appropriate for your students.

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We usually show our gratitude to others when we feel indebted to them, when we have benefitted from their actions, and when we want to make our feelings towards them known.

Showing gratitude is sometimes a required or expected thing, but at other times, a spontaneous " thank you " to someone who has unknowingly made our day. On most occasions, we show gratitude to bring the good feelings we have been gifted back to the gifter.

While it is admirable to want to share our gratitude and good feelings with others, we rarely stop to think about what giving others our gratitude does for us.

As it turns out, it does quite a lot for our brains and mental wellbeing.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Gratitude Exercises for free. These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or your clients connect to more positive emotions and enjoy the benefits of gratitude.

Research shows that gratitude can:

Help you make friends. One study found that thanking a new acquaintance makes them more likely to seek a more lasting relationship with you.

Improve your physical health. People who exhibit gratitude report fewer aches and pains, a general feeling of health, more regular exercise, and more frequent checkups with their doctor than those who don't.

Improve your psychological health. Grateful people enjoy higher wellbeing and happiness and suffer from reduced symptoms of depression.

Enhance empathy and reduces aggression. Those who show their gratitude are less likely to seek revenge against others and more likely to behave in a prosocial manner, with sensitivity and empathy.

Improve your sleep. Practicing gratitude regularly can help you sleep longer and better.

Enhance your self-esteem. People who are grateful have increased self-esteem, partly due to their ability to appreciate other peoples' accomplishments.

Increase in mental strength. Grateful people have an advantage in overcoming trauma and enhanced resilience, helping them to bounce back from highly stressful situations. (Morin, 2014).

With all of these benefits to practicing gratitude, your next question is probably "How do I do it?"

If so, you're in luck! Read on to discover some of the most popular exercises and activities for this, as well as tips to cultivate your own gratitude practice.

13 Most Popular Gratitude Exercises and Activities

There are infinite ways to show our gratitude to others, to ourselves, and to a higher power or even "the universe" itself. However, it can be tough to get started without practical ideas. These gratitude exercises and activities are some of the most well-known and proven ways to practice and enhance your gratitude.

1. Journaling

Writing down a few things you are grateful for is one of the easiest and most popular exercises available.

The purpose of the exercise is to reflect on the past day, few days, or week, and remember 3-5 things you are especially grateful for. In this way, you are focusing on all the good things that happened to you in a given set of time.

What is the appropriate amount of journaling one should do per week? Some people propose doing it every day while others suggest once per week. The arguments against doing it every day are that it can be tedious and forced. It becomes a practice you feel you should do or need to do instead of something you want to do.

When journaling becomes a banal task and not an enjoyable practice then you need to adjust the amount of journaling you do.

Besides the benefit of focusing on the wonderful things, this practice actually can increase your quality of sleep, decrease symptoms of sickness, and increase joy (Marsh, 2011).

It is important to cater your practice to what you need. Perhaps journaling every day for a short amount of time works for you, but over time, it feels better to journal every Friday.

Paying attention to what you are grateful for becomes easier as you practice it.

Imagine your life without the things or people that matter to you, before you begin writing. That should definitely boost your gratitude barometer.

2. Gratitude Jar

The gratitude jar is a stunningly simple exercise that can have profound effects on your wellbeing and outlook. It only requires a few ingredients: a jar (a box can also work); a ribbon, stickers, glitter, or whatever else you like to decorate the jar; paper and a pen or pencil for writing your gratitude notes; and gratitude!
Step 1: Find a jar or box.

Step 2: Decorate the jar however you wish. You can tie a ribbon around the jar's neck, put stickers on the sides, use clear glue and glitter to make it sparkle, paint it, keep it simple, or do whatever else you can think of to make it a pleasing sight.

Step 3: This is the most important step, which will be repeated every day. Think of at least three things throughout your day that you are grateful for. It can be something as benign as a coffee at your favorite place, or as grand as the love of your significant other or dear friend. Do this every day, write down what you are grateful for on little slips of paper and fill the jar.

Over time, you will find that you have a jar full of a myriad of reasons to be thankful for what you have and enjoy the life you are living. It also will cultivate a practice of expressing thanks.

If you are ever feeling especially down and need a quick pick-me-up, take a few notes out of the jar to remind yourself of who, and what, is good in your life.

3. Gratitude Rock

This exercise may sound a little silly. You may be thinking, "A rock? How can a rock help me practice gratitude?"

The secret to this exercise is that the rock is a symbol, a physical object you can use, to remind yourself of what you have.

The instructions are about as simple as instructions can be: just find a rock!

Make sure to pick one you like, whether you like it because it's pretty because it is smooth or has an interesting texture, or because you picked it up from a special place. If you have another small object you'd rather use instead, feel free to substitute that for the rock.

Carry this rock around in your pocket, leave it on your desk where you will see it throughout your day, or even wear it on a chain around your neck or your wrist.

Whenever you see it or touch it, pause to think about at least one thing you are grateful for. Whether it's something as small as the sun shining down on you in this moment or as large as the job that allows you to feed yourself or your family, just think of one thing that brings you joy or fulfillment.

When you take the stone out of your pocket or off of your body at the end of the day, take a moment to remember the things that you were grateful for throughout the day. When you put it on or in your pocket again in the morning, repeat this process to remember what you were grateful for yesterday.

Not only will this help you remember the things you are grateful for, but also it can trigger a mini-mindfulness moment in your day. It will bring you out of your head and into the present moment, giving you something to focus your attention on. It can also act as a switch to more positive thinking.

When you flip this switch multiple times a day, you will likely find that your average day has become much more positive.

4. Gratitude Tree

The gratitude tree is a great activity for children, and it can also be effective for adults who are open to experiencing a childlike sense of fun and wonder. You will need several double-sided colored sheets of paper, string or ribbon, scissors, twigs or tree branches, some stones or marbles, a vase, and a sense of gratitude.

Step 1: Make one or more leaf cutouts to use as a template for your leaves. Trace leaves on your colored paper.

Step 2: Cut out the leaves, punch a hole at the top of each leaf, and loop your string or ribbon through each hole.

Step 3: Put the stones or marbles in a vase and stick the tree branch or twig in the middle.

Step 4: Have your (or your child) draw or write things that you (or your child) are grateful for on the leaves. You can also use photographs if you'd like.

Step 5: Hang the leaves from the branches, and behold your gratitude tree!

This activity is easy and results in a pretty reminder of the things that bring you or your child joy throughout your daily life. It may be intended for kids but there is no age limit on finding creative ways to cultivate your gratitude, so get to drawing!

Here's a quick how-to video on the gratitude tree:

5. Gratitude Garden

The gratitude garden activity is a good activity to follow creating gratitude trees. This is also intended for children, but adults can certainly follow along to get into the gratitude spirit.

Follow these steps to journey to the gratitude garden.

The Grateful Garden: Finally, you have all arrived at the Grateful Garden! What a good job they have done! To celebrate, everyone can do a Happy Hop! (All Done Monkey, 2012)

Going through each of these negative emotions can be a fun and interactive learning opportunity for kids. For older children (or young-minded adults!), you can even add in a few other, more complex negative emotions, like the "Disgusted Dock" or the "Petty Pier."

To read these instructions, click here.

6. Gratitude Box

The gratitude box is a thoughtful way to share your feelings with loved ones and cultivate your own sense of gratitude.

This is another easy activity that requires only a box, some paper, and a pen or pencil to write down gratitude messages. You can make the box yourself or buy one, the prettier the better!

On the paper, write down a heartfelt message of gratitude to your loved one. If you're not sure how to start, here are some suggestions to begin your message:

1) "Thank you for..."

2) "What I love about you..."

3) "My holiday wish for you..."

You can also collect messages from others about your loved one, to pack the box with multiple messages of gratitude and love.

Place the message(s) into the box, wrap it up or put a bow on it, and give it to your loved one as a special gift, to both your loved one and yourself.

Read more about gratitude boxes here.

7. Gratitude Prompts

Gratitude prompts are a great way to get started, continue your practice, or kick-start a stalled gratitude practice. This is also a relatively simple exercise, with only one instruction: fill in the blank!

These prompts provide several ways to begin a gratitude statement, with infinite possibilities for completion. They cover multiple senses, colors, people, and things. The goal is to identify at least three things in each category that you are thankful for.

The prompts include:

I'm grateful for three things I hear:

I'm grateful for three things I see:

I'm grateful for three things I smell:

I'm grateful for three things I touch/feel:

I'm grateful for these three things I taste:

I'm grateful for these three blue things:

I'm grateful for these three animals/birds:

I'm grateful for these three friends:

I'm grateful for these three teachers:

I'm grateful for these three family members:

I'm grateful for these three things in my home:

I'm grateful for these three people who hired me:

Etc.

This simple exercise is a great way to identify all the things you are grateful for. To see all of the categories and examples for each category, click here.

8. Gratitude Amble

This exercise only requires your sense of gratitude and a pair of feet or wheelchair.

When you are going through a particularly rough time, try cleansing your mind with a gratitude walk. Just as the combination of meditation and gratitude can combat stress or increase feelings of wellbeing, walking with a gratitude focal point can offer the same remedy.

Walking is therapeutic in itself.

It has health benefits like increased endorphins that decrease stress, increased heart health, and circulation in the body, decreased lethargy, and decreases in blood pressure. Couple this activity with a grateful state of mind and you are bound to nurture a positive mind and body (Rickman 2013).

The goal of the gratitude walk is to observe the things you see around you as you walk. Take it all in. Be aware of nature, the colors of the trees, the sounds the birds make, and the smell of the plants. Notice how your feet feel when you step onto the ground.

The effects are more potent when you can enjoy a gratitude walk with your partner or a friend. In this way, you can show them an appreciation for being able to spend the time walking together.

9. Gratitude Reflection

Reflection is an important part of mindfulness meditation and the cultivation of a sense of self-awareness. These practices can lead to an enhanced sense of wellbeing, among other benefits, although enhanced wellbeing is enough of a benefit for most of us.

To practice gratitude reflection, follow these steps:

1. Settle yourself in a relaxed posture. Take a few deep, calming breaths to relax and center. Let your awareness move to your immediate environment: all the things you can smell, taste, touch, see, hear. Say to yourself: "For this, I am grateful."

2. Next, bring to mind those people in your life to whom you are close: your friends, family, partner.... Say to yourself, "For this, I am grateful."

3. Next, turn your attention onto yourself: you are a unique individual, blessed with imagination, the ability to communicate, to learn from the past and plan for the future, to overcome any pain you may be experiencing. Say to yourself: "For this, I am grateful."

4. Finally, rest in the realization that life is a precious gift. That you have been born into a period of immense prosperity, that you have the gift of health, culture, and access to spiritual teachings. Say to yourself: "For this, I am grateful." (Still Mind, 2014)

To read more about how impactful this exercise can be, click here.

10. Gratitude Flower

The gratitude flower is similar to the gratitude tree, except that instead of creating leaves of gratitude, we create flower petals of gratitude.

Start by cutting out a circle from colored paper. Yellow is a popular color for this piece since it will be the center of the flower.

On the circle, write "Things I'm Thankful For" or write your name or family name, or even an overarching thing you're grateful for (i.e., "my family").

Next, use a template or freehand cut to create flower petals. You can use several different colors for a bright and vibrant flower, or the same color for a more uniform looking flower.

On the flower petals, write down things you are grateful for. These can be things like the sunny weather, having wonderful parents, or a promotion at work.

Glue or tape these petals to the center to create a flower. This is your gratitude flower!

11. Gratitude Letter or Email / Gratitude Visit

This might be the most powerful gratitude exercise. Write a hand-written letter to a person you are particularly grateful to have in your life.

Be detailed. Express all the wonderful qualities about this person, and how they personally have affected your life for the better.

If you have the time personally deliver this letter to the person yourself.

Do it unexpectedly. Your level of gratitude should skyrocket, as you observe the bliss the receiver gets from your generous act. It will probably be one of the greatest gifts you will ever receive.

The positive effects of this gratitude exercise were researched and carried out by Kent State professor Steve Toepfer, associate professor in Human Development and Family Studies.

In his 2007 study, his undergraduate students experienced enhanced levels of life satisfaction and happiness, as well as decreased symptoms of depression. Toepfer's goal of this study was to determine the psychological benefits, if any, for the authors of these gratitude letters (Vincent, 2007).

The results of this study are quite straightforward. If you wish to increase your gratitude and happiness levels then intentionally script letters to inspiring people in your life.

If you are feeling down and maybe even depressed, you should most certainly give this practice a try. For an even further joy boost hand deliver your letter to the receivers so you can witness the receiver's reactions for yourself.

This activity can be either an email or a letter which you can send off in the mail or deliver personally.

Think about a person who has recently done something good for you, to whom you have not yet expressed your gratitude. This person may be a friend, family member, coworker, teacher, or mentor.

Try to pick someone who you can visit within the next week if you are practicing the visit component.

Next, write them an email or letter. Use these guidelines to write an effective and grateful letter:

Write as though you are addressing the person directly.

Don't worry about getting your grammar or spelling perfect (unless you are sending the email/letter to them).

Describe what this person has done that makes you grateful, and how they have impacted your life. Be as concrete as possible here.

Describe what you are doing in life now, and how frequently you remember their act of kindness or generosity.

Try to keep your letter to about 300 words or so.

If you are writing an email or a letter to be mailed, go through the letter to make sure it is clear and you get the intended message across. Hit the "send" button or drop it in a mailbox.

If you are delivering your letter in person via a gratitude visit, follow these steps:

Plan a visit with the recipient. Let him or her know you would like to meet with them to share something, but be vague about what you have to share.

When you meet this person, let them know that you are grateful and that you would like to read them a letter you wrote expressing your gratitude. Ask that he or she does not interrupt you until you are done reading the letter.

Take your time reading the letter. While you read, pay attention to the reactions of both you and the recipient.

After you have read the letter, listen to his or her reaction to the letter and be ready to discuss your feelings together.

Remember to leave the letter with this person when you leave.

If you are located far away from this person, you can arrange a phone call or video chat instead.

12. Meditation

Gratitude meditations are a double-whammy for wellbeing. You are performing two of the most impactful happiness practice at the same time.

Meditation isn't always easy especially when the mind is aggressively wandering and distracting your attention, but if you practice this kind of mediation consistently be prepared to experience incredible upgrades in gratitude and joy.

Unlike a normal meditation where intentionally become aware of your breath and keep your mind clear, during a gratitude meditation you visualize all the things in your life that you are grateful for.

It is important to give each person or item the concentration it deserves. You can take the time to go through all the people you are grateful for or all the physical objects you are grateful for.

I like to simplify this sometimes and show gratitude for the things that are often taken for granted: the ability to breath, hands to touch, eyes to see, legs to walk and run, etc. There are numerous advantages to meditating. These advantages magnify when you take the time to target your reasons for gratitude.

Spend some time really taking stock of the things you are grateful for and I am certain you will feel much better afterward. It is a powerful exercise.

13. Collage

This is similar to the gratitude journal, except you are going to take pictures of all the things you are grateful for. This gives you the opportunity to visualize your gratitude.

Try taking a picture of one thing you are grateful for every day for a week. Notice how you feel. Take a look back at the pictures every week. You don't have to find grandiose things to be grateful for. A simple picture of a flower will do.

The more you do this the easier it will be for you to spot out the things you are grateful for. You will no longer take these simple things for granted.

Perhaps you will document multiple pictures in a day. After a given time period put all your pictures together in a collage and simply be grateful for all that you have.

A Gratitude Trick That Marie Forleo Learned from Robert Emmons

The following video shows the results of a USC study where students kept a gratitude journal for 10 weeks. Watch what happened when the three groups had different prompts-and results.

If one of the three prompts mentioned in the video resonate with you, why not give it a try? If not for 10-weeks, for 2 weeks? You might be surprised with the slow and steady benefits this simple tip brings.

Gratitude Exercise: The Can of Beans

The following gratitude exercise was invented by Seph Fontane Pennock. For this exercise you're going to need:

Many of us can buy a can of white beans without thinking much, let alone the food many of us are fortunate to put into our bodies. For this exercise, we invite you to have a meal of a can of beans. Nothing else that night. Just the beans.

There's no warming them up or pouring the beans into a nice cup. That beats the purpose of the exercise. You simply grab a spoon, open up the can, imagine you're sitting around the campfire at the foot of the Sierra Madra, and dig in.

What is the purpose of the exercise?

The purpose of this gratitude exercise is to realize and appreciate what we have. Appreciation. It can make you realize that every day, you are able to eat all sorts of foods, flown or shipped in from all over the world for you to eat. It is quite extraordinary if you think about it, but it can be easy to take for granted for those who have food security.

During this exercise, you may start to compare the beans that you're eating with other meals you crave. This allows you to take a moment and appreciate those usual foods, and how they fuel you.

The benefits:

Performing this gratitude exercise once a week:

1. Makes you a more mindful eater.

2. Makes you appreciate what you have in life, or at least, what you eat.

3. Makes you realize that we don't need so much in order to satisfy our basic human needs.

4. Allows you to actually enjoy the ritual and experience positive emotions while your eating beans that tend to last throughout the whole evening.

The most powerful thing about this gratitude exercise is its simplicity. Performing this exercise is easier than its alternative, which means cooking up a whole meal (and ending up with the dishes).

What about your spouse or kids?

In case you are living with someone or if you have kids, you're going to have more of a challenge in performing this exercise.

You can either explain the exercise to them and invite them to join you if they wish (it's important that they decide to do so themselves), or do the exercise on one of those evenings that you don't get to eat together with your family or spouse.

2 Gratitude Quizzes and Questionnaires

Looking for a quick way to assess how grateful you are? These quizzes and questionnaires are readily available on the internet.

1. Greater Good at Berkeley Quiz - This 20-item quiz is based on a scale developed by psychologists, Mitchel Adler, and Nancy Fagley. It is available online, and completion will give an overall gratitude score, as well as being given steps on how to promote further gratitude in life.

2. This is the GQ-6, a brief questionnaire that may take as little as about 30 seconds to complete. It was devised by Michael E. McCullough, Ph.D., Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D., Jo-Ann Tsang, Ph.D. The GQ-6 gives an impression of how grateful a person is already. It consists of 6 questions, with responses in a Likert-type scale from 'strongly disagree' to 'strongly agree'.

Handy Gratitude Worksheets

If you like easy to follow worksheets, we have several suggestions that can help you get started practicing gratitude. Try one of the following worksheets.

Gratitude Exercises

This handout describes several useful gratitude exercises, some of which are included above, in a short paragraph. Consider this your master list of the best gratitude exercises with a quick and easy explanation.

You can find this worksheet here.

To learn about these gratitude exercises in more detail, try the worksheets below.

Gratitude Journal

This worksheet is a quick and easy way to document the things you are grateful for each day. It begins by noting that keeping a journal helps to improve your mood. The worksheet then instructs the user to write at least three entries for each day.

This simple worksheet lists each day of the week with five sections of blank space to fill out with things that make you grateful.

Why I'm Grateful Worksheet

This simple worksheet helps you find things you are grateful for, complete with prompts to get you started. These prompts cover multiple areas of life and dive deeper into your sense of gratitude.

Instead of just helping you identify what you are grateful for, this worksheet digs into why you are grateful.

The prompts include:

"I am grateful for my family because..."

"Something good happened this week..."

"I am grateful for my friendship with... because..."

"I am grateful for who I am because..."

"Something silly that I am grateful for..."

"Something else I am grateful for..."

Simply fill in the blanks on this worksheet to discover more to be grateful for in your life! Click here to use this worksheet.

Worksheets for Therapists

This comprehensive resource offers the latest gratitude worksheets for therapists. It includes, for example, a positive journal worksheet, star jar worksheet, and life story worksheet.

Gratitude Letter

Produced by Allina Health, this sheet looks at 'overlooked blessings' and reflections on positive things about the individual's health and body, activities they enjoy, and relationships they are grateful for.

Finally, the worksheet prompts individuals to write a gratitude letter.

Daily Gratitude

This worksheet provides a template for a daily gratitude journal, with room to record three things in the last 24 hours the client is thankful for, and three things that they are looking forward to in the next 24 hours.

Gratitude Journal Activity

This provides a gratitude journal activity creating a list of 100 things an individual is grateful for by completing 5 mini-lists, each containing 20 lines. For example, the prompt for the first list is to "list 20 things that you are grateful worked out for you...evidence that the universe is on your side."

Examples of Gratitude Interventions for Adults

Many of the gratitude exercises described above have been used in interventions to increase gratitude, with varying results. Check out the following studies.

Gratitude as a Psychotherapeutic Intervention

This paper by Robert A. Emmons and Robin Stern describes how gratitude can have a positive impact on patients and clients in therapeutic relationships.

The authors also outline several different methods of applying gratitude interventions to adults, including keeping a journal. The article includes a case study of a woman facing severe stress and multiple challenges in her life.

Susanna was suffering from thoughts of leaving her marriage, her husband's motorcycle accident, the reveal of an extramarital affair on the part of her husband, and finding out that her husband had been hiding a gambling addiction that had nearly bankrupted them.

Susanna's therapist worked with Susanna to develop a course of treatment that heavily incorporated gratitude. Her therapist encouraged Susanna to reflect on all of the things she had to be grateful for and helped her "self-right" her perspective to truly appreciate each moment in her daily life while building a new life that better suited her strengths, weaknesses, and her circumstances.

This treatment improved Susanna's ability to function and helped her to remain emotionally available to her children and more self-aware.

The authors end by noting the ways that gratitude interventions differ from most other types of interventions.

First, the prosocial and relational nature of gratitude can build unique pathways to happiness and wellbeing. Gratitude is also a fulfilling practice, facilitating an appreciation of both the current moment and one's past.

There is much evidence that gratitude interventions result in many positive benefits, and that incorporating gratitude into therapy can help clients and patients realize these benefits.

To read this paper for yourself, click here.

Using a Gratitude Intervention to Enhance Wellbeing in Older Adults

This article utilized the "three good things" exercise to enhance gratitude in adults 60 years and older. This exercise involves writing down three good things you have to be grateful for each day, generally at night.

The study was conducted on a group of 88 healthy adults aged 60 or over and lasted for 45 days. Results showed that this gratitude intervention improved wellbeing via flourishing, at multiple points throughout the duration of the study. Perceived stress also decreased over the first 15 days.

This intervention was effective whether administered via paper or online and showed that gratitude journaling can have a significant positive effect on older adults.

Gratitude and Wellbeing: The Benefits of Appreciation

This piece by Randy A. Sansone and Lori A. Sansone explores the effects of gratitude on wellbeing.

The authors describe several studies that have provided evidence of a link between these two constructs.

For example, the authors describe three journaling methods for investigating these effects undertaken by gratitude researchers Emmon and McCullough, including one group that journaled about negative events or hassles in life, one group that journaled about things they were grateful for, and one group that journaled about neutral life events.

The group focusing on things they were grateful for reported significantly higher wellbeing than the other two groups.

Another study pitted a group who completed the "counting one's blessings" exercise, in which participants wrote about things they were grateful for or for which they felt blessed at the end of each week, against a group who identified challenges or hassles in life and a control group. Those who counted their blessings seemed to experience a boost in wellbeing.

The authors conclude that gratitude can be an effective way to enhance wellbeing, and suggest several exercises that can be used as interventions in therapy, including:

Journaling about things for which to be grateful.

Thinking about someone for whom you are grateful.

Writing and/or sending a letter to someone for whom you are grateful.

Meditating on gratitude The "count your blessings" exercise.

Practicing saying "thank you" and really meaning it.

Writing thank you notes.

If you are religious, incorporating your gratitude in prayer.

To read about these examples and learn how to measure gratitude, you can read the paper here.

4 Gratitude Lesson Ideas for Teachers

The modern classroom sees teachers educating about far more than literacy and numeracy. Social and emotional learning is now incorporated into the curriculum. Teaching gratitude provides students with powerful life-skills. Here are some resources to utilize in planning gratitude lessons.

1. What is Gratitude?

After an initial 'activation of thinking' exercise, brainstorm about gratitude. Then, students can watch a video, such as Gratitude HD, Moving Art on YouTube, and jot down reflections from it on post-it notes. Then, in pairs, students work through guiding questions and the teacher introduces a book that is age-appropriate.

After the story, in pairs, have students discuss what they noticed in the book, what they connected with, and what they are thankful for.

Use photos, calendar images or Visual Talking Cards to provide a starting point for a discussion about gratitude and sharing knowledge among the class. Before closing the lesson, use an ABC Brainstorm Template (available from the link provided below) to generate a list of things students are grateful for.

Find the lesson idea here at its source (Heart-Mind online, 2014).

2. Acts of Kindness (Grades K - 2)

This lesson is designed for students to be given the opportunity to identify ways that they have acted with kindness and caring towards others.

Firstly, provide an explanation to the class about feeling grateful and have a discussion. Then, have the students close their eyes and visualize someone they have been kind to or helped, and to recall how this made them feel as well as what the other person said or did.

Ask students to open their eyes and share what they visualized. Then, ask students to draw a picture of what they visualized and write a caption to go with it. Alternatively, students could write a short paragraph about it.

To extend this lesson, older students could be encouraged to record times when they show kindness to others, the reasons why they did, and how they feel, in a gratitude journal. Or, the class could be prompted to talk about an act of kindness they could do for someone in the school and the teacher can help them put this into action.

3. Food Gratitude (Grades 3 - 5)

The class lists as many different fruits as they can. Then, they vote on which fruit is the favorite fruit for most people in the class.

Guide students through a visualization of all of the people or resources who made it possible for them to enjoy this fruit.

In groups of four, students discuss the visualization and on a large piece of paper, draw all of the people, tools and natural elements necessary to produce the fruit. As students draw, discuss the many people involved in the process of making the fruit available, and prompt the class to think about how they would show gratitude to all of the people-they then add this to the drawing.

The following day, bring in some of the fruit that the students selected (being sure no student is allergic) and ask them to think of all of the properties of the fruit and reflect upon all the people involved in its production.

Finally, before the class enjoys eating the fruit, invite them to recall the expressions of gratitude that they wrote on the drawings and to feel that gratitude.

4. People Who Made a Difference (Grades 6 - 8)

This exercise is designed to help students understand that they can feel gratitude to people whose actions benefit the whole of society and these benefits can last for centuries.

Students identify a historical figure who did something that they feel grateful for. Then, helps students visualize the person, what it would be like to be with them, and the sense of gratitude the student has. Following this, students write an essay looking into what the person did that they were grateful for, and consider the intention and motives of the person.

Students should also think about the 'cost' of the figure's actions, not only in terms of money but more general personal sacrifices. Ask students to reflect upon how they have benefited from the person's actions and how the whole of society may have benefited.

To conclude the lesson, the class can present brief summaries of the historical figure they researched.

Here are the original sources for Lesson Plans 2-4 above (Zakrzewski, 2016).

Gratitude Games and Ideas for Kids

By now, you're probably thinking about all the good things that can happen when gratitude is incorporated into one's life. This is particularly true for children and using gratitude to boost resilience, enhance wellbeing, and encourage a positive outlook on life.

7 Tips for Fostering Gratitude

This piece describes seven ways to encourage the development of gratitude in children.

These tips include:

1. Model and teach gratitude. This is the best way to teach any trait you want your child to develop.

2. Spend time with your kids and being mindful with them. Quality time is not only a positive experience for both children and adults; it also offers opportunities to model empathy and cultivates a sense of appreciation for the things you love.

3. Support your child's autonomy. Allowing your children to be semi-autonomous helps them to build their strengths and talents, and encourages them to take ownership of their actions.

4. Use your children's strengths to fuel gratitude. Create opportunities for your children to be helpful and cooperative with others, enhancing their ability to feel and express gratitude.

5. Help focus and support kids to achieve intrinsic goals. In steering children away from the pursuit of materialistic goals and toward intrinsic goals, you can help children fulfill their own higher-level needs and aid in their development. Savor their accomplishments with them as one way to boost their sense of gratitude even more.

6. Encourage children to help others and devote time to nurturing relationships. Volunteer to help others with your child, and encourage them to offer a helping hand to loved ones in need of support. Helping them to develop strong, positive relationships is a great way to make sure they have something to be grateful for

7. Help kids find what matters to them. Assisting your child in finding what he or she is passionate about is a good way to help them find gratitude as well. A sense of purpose or meaning in life helps us all to discover what we love, contribute to society, and practice gratitude.

More information on cultivating a sense of gratitude in children can be found here.

Gratitude in the Classroom

If you'd like to build gratitude in your children or the children you teach or mentor, try these suggestions:

1) Create a classroom gratitude book for each child to take home and add a page of pictures and descriptions of what they're grateful for. Switch out each week so every child has the opportunity to add a page.

2) Take a picture of each student holding a large piece of paper with one thing they are grateful for written on it, frame the picture, and send it home as a gift.

3) Create a gratitude collage or bulletin board, with pictures of things each student is grateful for.

4) Have each child write down something they are thankful for on strips of paper, and use the strips to create a gratitude chain, which can be hung around the classroom.

5) Hold a "Special Friends Day" before Thanksgiving, in which each student brings someone special to class. Each pair will write or draw something they are thankful for, which will be posted on a bulletin board.

6) Have the children create gratitude surprise sticky notes. Hand these sticky notes out to students and have them write down something they're grateful for in regards to someone else around the school, then encourage them to "deliver" the note to that person's locker, mailbox, or classroom door.

For many more classroom gratitude ideas, visit this website.

Gratitude Exercises for Children

The website www.blissfulkids.com also provides some popular gratitude exercises that can help develop gratitude in children.

The top three gratitude exercises according to Chris Bergstrom and Blissful Kids are

1. The Gratitude Journal. Provide your child with a journal and encourage them to write down five things they are grateful for each day. Bedtime is a great time to practice this exercise since children will have the whole day from which to choose what to write about.

2. The ABCs of Gratitude. Have your child sit comfortably and close their eyes. Tell them to list things they are grateful for, beginning with "A" and working all the way through the alphabet to "Z." Don't be surprised if this exercise gets a little silly-it's bound to get silly at some point, so just embrace it and enjoy the laughter with your child!

3. Bedtime Thank Yous. This can be incorporated into the gratitude journal or practiced as a standalone exercise. Help your child to think of happy things that happened to them during their day. They can simply say these things aloud, write them down in their journal, draw a picture of them, or simply think of them. This exercise can ensure that your child drifts off to sleep with a heart full of love and gratitude.

How to Develop Your Own Gratitude Ritual

Creating a gratitude ritual can be tough, just as starting any new habit can be difficult to stick with at first. Like most other practices, the more you do it, the easier it will get.

Try these tips to help you cultivate a fulfilling and impactful gratitude ritual:

1) Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and take several slow, deep breaths.

2) Think of something good that has happened to you recently.

3) Think of a person or animal you love.

4) Think of an occasion when you were honored or appreciated by others.

5) Think about your present situation and what is going on in your life. (Rodrigues, 2017)

The popular website www.tinybuddha.com also provides several useful suggestions on implementing and sticking to a gratitude ritual.

Their steps are as follows:

1. Commit to your practice. There will be days when you feel like doing anything other than finding reasons to be grateful, but pushing through these days will empower you and help you build the strength and resilience necessary to push through other challenges.

2. Begin your practice. Just do it! Sit down with a pen and paper or a computer and start simply, with a prompt like "I am grateful for..." You may need to sit and think for a while, but that's okay. If you give it time and put in the effort, it will come!

3. Write it down. Sometimes thinking about what you are grateful for will not be enough. Be sure to write down what you are grateful for. Writing can have a powerful impact that just thinking may not bring about.

4. Feel it. Allow yourself to fully experience gratitude. Let it come up from your heart and throughout your body. Savor the feeling.

5. Choose a set time of day. This can be extremely helpful when starting a practice. Some popular times to practice gratitude are first thing in the morning and last thing at night, but choose a time that works for you.

6. Practice present-moment gratitude. While you may be writing these things down at the beginning or end of the day, make sure to notice all of the things for which you are grateful as they pop up throughout your day. Allow yourself to be in the present and to fully appreciate each thing you are grateful for as it arises.

7. Share the gratitude. Find a gratitude partner to share your list of things you are grateful for with, to discuss your challenges and your successes with, and to motivate you when you are not feeling up to the task (and vice versa).

8. Don't stop when you start noticing results! Although counterintuitive, it can be tempting to stop any practice once you start seeing the benefits. Make sure you are committed to your practice, whether it feels beneficial in the current moment or not.

9. Allow yourself to be human. It's alright to miss a day once in a while, and it's alright to feel grumpy about having to follow through on your commitment when it's the last thing you want to do. We are human, and we will make mistakes. If you're having trouble coming up with anything, at least write something like "I am grateful I am writing my gratitude list." (Russell, 2016).

The popular dating website eharmony also provides tips on how to cultivate gratitude, especially in the context of dating and relationships. They suggest four steps:

Finally, Chris Libby from www.livehappy.com provides four rituals that you can implement to build gratitude in your life.

These rituals are:

Amazing Grace. Reflect on what you are grateful for at the dinner table before you begin eating, whether alone or with your family.

Focus on the "Haves." Instead of thinking about what you are missing, think about what you have. Write down at least three things you are grateful for each night.

The Write Stuff. Write a letter to someone you are grateful to or for, and read the letter aloud to them if possible. you can find more instructions for this exercise earlier in this piece.

Thankful Awareness. Try something new and fulfilling, such as volunteering at a food bank or soup kitchen, or handing out toys at a children's hospital. Witnessing the trials and challenges of others can often be a spur for you to notice the good things in your own life. (Libby, 2016)

Gratitude Apps That Help You Stick to It

Sometimes, even when we know all of the right steps and have all of the right tips, practicing regular gratitude can be difficult. This is where an app can help! Try one of the gratitude apps described below to help you keep a regular gratitude practice.

1. Gratitude Journal

This classic gratitude exercise is put into digital form, with a daily journal for you to fill with things you are grateful for. It includes space for writing down several things each day, ratings of your feelings, daily quotes, and up to three photos per journal entry.

This app is available through iTunes here.

2. Gratitude Journal 365

This app is a bit cheaper than the Gratitude Journal app, but it can be just as useful. It also allows the user to create a daily gratitude entry with space for the one thing you are most grateful for. You can also share your gratitude on social networks, edit and add filters to your gratitude entries, and add frames to photos.

The entries are organized by a calendar and can be used to track progress on goals as well as count your blessings. You can find this app here.

3. Mojo App

The Mojo app is another app based on gratitude journaling, but here you can also tag it with emotions and emoticons, add pictures, and import entries from other apps.

This app is currently offered on special with a Wonder Woman emoji, and you can find out more about it here.

4. Gratitude Garden App

This app not only allows you to recall and record the things you are grateful for each day, it also rewards you with points for journaling. You can build up a gratitude garden with these points, a pretty space that can bring you joy by reminding you of what is good in your life. You can also receive gratitude cards, which contain suggestions for further actions that can increase gratitude and happiness.

This app is free, and you can download it on iTunes here.

5. Grateful: A Gratitude Journal

Grateful was developed to make expressing gratitude both easy and fun. By recording your blessings in Grateful, during those 'down' moments you can be reminded of all the things in your life that you have to be grateful for.

Available here from iTunes.

6. Happyfeed

This is a private gratitude journal app allowing you to record happy moments each day. As well as securely recording these moments as they happen, Happyfeed also writes fun, silly, and informative daily reminders. The more you use this app, the more valuable it becomes.

Head here to get the app.

7 Podcasts Focused on Gratitude

Podcasts are a convenient way to hear from experts, and can also be a good use of time such as when on public transport. There are some available on the topic of gratitude. Here they are...

1. The Gratitude Podcast is by Georgian Benta. It is devoted to all things gratitude, with over 500, 000 downloads. It includes interviews with successful people and getting them to share fascinating stories about how gratitude has helped them get to where they are now.

2. Episode 18 of the 'Being Well' podcast sees Dr Hanson and Forrest discuss the 5th of 12 strengths to be examined in the series - gratitude. They look at the role of positive emotions generally and especially the value of "thankfulness".

3. This podcast, "Why Gratitude Works" is by Christine Carter and Rona Renner. In it, these experts discuss the science of gratitude and the reasons why consciously practicing gratitude can improve people's happiness so markedly.

4. This podcast looks at the power of gratitude. The presenters explain how being grateful is actually scientifically proven to be beneficial. Shawn Achor, sometimes known as "The Happiness Guy" also shares his ideas on why we ought to be thankful. There is also a discussion of the small things in the presenters' lives that they are grateful for.

5. Featuring acclaimed author and grounded theory researcher, Brene Brown, the topic of this podcast is "On gratitude, vulnerability, and courage". When gratitude and the power of appreciating the smallest moments were discussed, the podcast became emotional.

6. This relatively short podcast, featuring Lewis Howes from the School of Greatness, looks at developing an 'attitude of gratitude'. Howes shares both expertise and personal experience - such as almost losing his father in a car accident, and how he learned not to take things for granted.

7. This podcast is slightly different to the others discussed above. It looks at gratitude as a skill, and how to build this skill. There is a lot covered in the podcast. If you don't have the time, or the inclination, to listen to a podcast a summary of the points covered is available on the site which is accessible from the hyperlink provided.

A Take-Home Message

I hope you have found this piece useful. I'm grateful for you, as a reader, who took the time to process some of these ideas.

The "gratitude muscle" is like any other muscle, in that it must be flexed periodically to remain strong.

Return to this page whenever you need a reminder about why gratitude is important to practice, or suggestions on how to boost your own sense of gratitude. Visit the section on developing gratitude in children to encourage your own children, clients, or students to commit to a lifetime of gratitude and happiness.

Thank you for reading, and please be sure to find at least three things to be grateful for today.

Do you have a regular gratitude practice? Are there other gratitude exercises that work for you? Please let us know in the comments section below.

We love hearing from you!

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don't forget to download our three Gratitude Exercises for free.

BONUS: Gratitude Exercise (PDF)

Here is an additional gratitude exercise for you from LivingWhole.net as a downloadable PDF.

For further reading, please see:

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13 Most Popular Gratitude Exercises & Activities [2019 Update]

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We usually show our gratitude to others when we feel indebted to them, when we have benefitted from their actions, and when we want to make our feelings towards them known. Showing gratitude is sometimes a required or expected thing, but at other times, a spontaneous " thank you " to someone who has unknowingly made our day.

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This is a Kid President video on gratitude.

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Kid President’s 25 Reasons To Be Thankful!

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As Thanksgiving rolls around each November, teachers and parents look for ways to instill an attitude of gratitude in children and students. Studies show that when children practice expressing gratitude, they have higher levels of optimism, increased life satisfaction, and decreased negative feelings.

Additionally, children who regularly express gratitude appreciate close relationships and feel better about life and school.

To help teachers create a culture of thanksgiving in their classrooms, we've compiled a list of eleven fun, gratitude-focused activities to do with students.

Read More: Beyond the Thankful Turkey: 10 Ways to Teach Gratitude All Year

1. Alphabet Gratitude

Have your students write out each letter of the alphabet and try to come up with at least one item they are grateful for under each letter.
For example:
A might be "air" and B might be "bed."

To extend this activity, students can choose a few words from their list to write a poem or short story about Thanksgiving.

2. Gratitude Journal

Have your students create a journal from stapled paper (or bring in a blank notebook from home) for a gratitude journal. Take five minutes in class every day to have your students write down 3-5 things they are grateful for. Teach them to be specific.
For example:
Instead of writing, "I'm thankful for my family" they might write, "I'm thankful that my mom packed me a peanut butter sandwich in my lunch today." Challenge them to think for one minute about what they will write before they start writing.

You might even ask a handful of students each day to voluntarily share one item from their list with the class.

3. Gratitude Collage

Using old magazines and newspapers, have students cut out and glue pictures of items they are grateful for on a piece of cardstock.

This can include pictures of animals, the world, people, food, homes, and musical instruments-anything they would like.

Have students display their collages in the classroom. Encourage any students who feel comfortable to share at least one item from their collage with the class.

4. Classroom Gratitude Jar

All you need is an empty jar, strips of paper, and writing utensils for each student. As part of your class morning routine, have students write down something specific they are grateful for on a strip of paper and put it in the jar.

When you have free time-maybe after lunch or near the end of the day-have students come up and read items from the jar.

5. Circle of Gratitude

Have your students sit in a circle. Ask one student to share something they are grateful for. Go around the circle allowing each student the opportunity to say something they are grateful for.

You can mix this up to have students say something they are grateful for about the person on their left one day-and the person on their right another day (mix up where students sit so they have the chance to tell a variety of classmates what they are grateful for about them).

You can also choose a theme, such as what they are grateful for in the winter, or in their family, or in nature.

6. Gratitude Paper Chain

Give each student one piece of colorful construction paper and have them cut it into strips to create a paper chain. Before creating the chain, have the students write what they're thankful for on each strip of paper. Connect the strips of paper to create a classroom gratitude paper chain and hang the chain up in your classroom as a visual symbol of everything your students are grateful for.

7. Random Acts of Kindness

Discuss what random acts of kindness are. Give your students ideas on what types of things they can do at home and at school that are random acts of kindness-like writing a kind note to a friend or helping someone pick up something they have dropped. Encourage your students to practice doing random acts of kindness.

You might even create a bulletin board with a leafless tree on it. Cut out paper leaves and place them near the bulletin board for students to write the random acts of kindness they've performed. They can then attach the leaf to the tree. Watch the tree fill up with leaves and talk about how this makes the class and each individual student feel.

8. Gratitude Artwork

There are a variety of ways to make gratitude art. Students can draw something they are grateful for and create a classroom gratitude art wall.

Or students can trace their hands on a paper and write one thing they are grateful for on each finger. Have students cut out their paper hand. Attach all the hands on to a paper tree trunk bulletin board to create a gratitude tree.

9. Gratitude Photos

Take a picture of each child holding their gratitude artwork. Frame the picture and send it home as a Thanksgiving gift.

10. Books About Gratitude

There are a variety of children's books about gratitude that you can borrow from your local library.
These include:
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

Thankful by Eileen Spinelli

Thanks from the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

The Thank You Book by Mo Willems.

See your library for more options of books to read with your children. Older children may want to read a few books about gratitude and try writing a story of their own.

11. Host a Gratitude Party

Invite parents, grandparents, siblings, or other family members to join your class for a "Gratitude Party." Have students share some of the ways that they've show gratitude in the classroom.

Family members can even take part in these activities by creating their own art or collage, writing in their child's gratitude journal, reading books about gratitude with their children, or participating in the gratitude circle.

Read More: Building Empathy and Gratitude at School

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11 Classroom Activities to Teach Students Gratitude

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11 Classroom Activities to Teach Students Gratitude As Thanksgiving rolls around each November, teachers and parents look for ways to instill an attitude of gratitude in children and students. Studies show that when children practice expressing gratitude, they have higher levels of optimism, increased life satisfaction, and decreased negative feelings.