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By Maribeth Boelts
Illustrated by Noah Z. Jones

All Jeremy wants is a pair of those shoes, the black high-tops with two white stripes like everyone else at school, but he just can't afford them. When he finally finds a pair he can afford, Jeremy is devastated to find that those shoes are too small. Even though he loves those shoes, he chooses to use them to do something kind for someone else.

Extension Questions/Activities:

-Put yourself in Jeremy's shoes. What would you do?

-Put yourself in Antonio's shoes. How do you think he felt?

-Imagine Antonio continued the chain of kindness. What is something that he might do to help someone else, all because someone was kind to him?

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By Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Douglas Carlton Abrams
Illustrated by A. G. Ford

Mean words can tear you up inside, but getting even isn't the answer. Even though it's hard, when someone hurts you, the answer is to forgive. Desmond learns this very important lesson in this story inspired by an event in Desmond Tutu's childhood.

Extension Questions/Activities:

-Reflect on the saying "Sticks and stones may break my bones by words will never hurt me". Do you agree or disagree? Why? Share your thoughts with a partner.

-Cut out a heart shape. What are some things that you have heard people say to you or to someone else? Every time a new phrase or word is shared, rip the heart. When everyone is finished sharing, tape the heart back together. What happened? Is the heart truly fixed? How is this similar to how people feel when mean words are said?

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By Bob Sornson
Illustrated by Shelley Johannes

When Emily interrupts her sister's studying, she learns that empathy means understanding others by imagining what it's like to stand in their shoes. Emily goes through the rest of her day thinking more consciously about how other people feel, and ends up making many people smile along the way.

Extension Questions/Activities:

-Role Play: Put yourself in someone else's shoes. Pretend to be the teacher, or an outcast, or the most popular kid in school. How might this person feel throughout their day? What is something you can do to help this person or make their day better?

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Empathy and kindness are very important skills for students to learn.  While students tend to identify what kindness means early on, they are not always consistent in their abilities to show it.  In addition, they may not understand the implications of kindness and what one kind act can really do.  Likewise, they may not realize the hurt that can happen when people are not kind.  Empathy is a bit more difficult for students to understand, but it is still a very important concept for students to learn.  Empathy helps us to understand other people and in turn show more kindness to others. Empathy also helps us to know how to respond to and support others when they are hurting.  These two skills help young students to become less egocentric and instead be more aware of others and their feelings.

We chose to create a text set that supports the teaching of empathy and kindness because they are two important skills that all students need to practice.  Empathy and kindness are both skills that students need to learn about and intentionally practice in order to develop their social skills and build stronger relationships with others.  The Responsive Classroom approach outlines five skills that are essential for developing students’ social and academic skills.  Empathy is one of these skills.  Responsive Classroom practices teach that the social and emotional skills that students learn in school are just as important as the academic skills they learn.  In order to be successful, students need instruction and practice in a variety of social and emotional skills, including empathy, as well as in the core academic areas (Responsive Classroom, 2014).

The texts we chose for this text set represent a variety of genres dealing with empathy and kindness.  We tried to choose texts that would be both appealing and accessible to all different types of learners.  This text set focuses primarily on texts that are appropriate for a kindergarten through third grade level.  Through the stories, poems, videos and songs students will learn all about what it means to be empathetic and show kindness to others.  Students will learn the true power that a simple act of kindness can have, and will even be challenged to take action by carrying out their own acts of kindness.  This text set will engage students in activities related to kindness and empathy to help them internalize the importance of these social skills.  With acts of violence and hatred happening all over the world on a daily basis, it is important for students to learn about empathy and kindness early on so that someday, they might take action.

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How Would Y ou Feel?

Pretend that you were the main character. How would you feel and why? Draw how you feel.

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Character Change

Choose one of the following activities then answer the questions below.

New Character:
Put a new character in the mix.
Character Substitution:
Take one of the characters out and put yourself in their place.

Good Bye:
Take a character out.

-Would this character solve the problem or cause the problem?

-How is the story different?

-Would the message or theme be the same?

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Switching!
Choose one of the following activities then answer the questions below.

Gender Switch:
Pretend the gender was switched in the stories.

Setting Switch:
Tell the story in a different time or place.

Character Switch:
Change human characters to animals or animal characters to humans.

-How would the story change?

-Would the message be the same?

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Boelts, M. & Jones, N. Z. (Illustrator). (2007). Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Cuyler, M., & Yoshikawa, S. (Illustrator). (2007). Kindness is cooler, mrs. ruler. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Ludwig, T., & Barton, P. (Illustrator). (2013). The invisible boy. New York, NY: Random House, Inc.

Nelson, K. (2013). Neslonmandela. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.

Pearson, E., & Kosaka, F. (2012). Ordinary mary’s extraordinary deed. Layton, UT: Gibbs Smith.

Principles and Practices of Responsive Classroom. (2014, January 1). Retrieved December 7, 2014, from https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/principles-and-practices-responsive-classroom.

Robins, J. (Unknown). Haiku empathy

Seeger. L.V. (2013). Bully. New York, NY: Roaring Book Press.

Silverstein, S. (2004). Where the sidewalk ends. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.

Sornson, B., & Johannes, S. (Illustrator). (2013). Stand in my shoes. Northville, MI: Nelson Publishing & Marketing.

Stein, D. E. (2012). Because ameliasmiled . Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Thong, R., & Neilan , E.K. (Illustrator). (2010). Fly free!. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press.

Tutu, D & Abrams, D. C. & Ford, A. G. (Illustrator). (2013). Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Woodson, J., & Lewis, E.B. (Illustrator). (2012). Each kindness. New York, NY: The Penguin   Book.

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“How many slams in an old screen door?
Depends how loud you shut it.

How many slices in a bread?
Depends how thin you cut it.

How much good inside a day?
Depends how good you give 'em.

How much love inside a friend?
Depends how much you give 'em.”

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By Jonathan Robin

Empathy's attained
neither greed, nor need for speed,
joy uncontained
Empathy we reach
when soul twin soul meets, completes,
each teaches each speech

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Children’s Songs by the Learning Station

Song for K-2

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TheLearningStation - Kids Songs and Nursery Rhymes

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Fill Your Bucket - Children's Song by The Learning Station

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Black Eyed Peas

Song for 2-3

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The Black Eyed Peas - Where Is The Love? (Official Music Video)

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Black Eyed Peas

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What can you do today to make the world  a more colorful place?

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By Emily Pearson
Illustrated by KumiKosaka

The most ordinary thing can create the  most extraordinary reaction. Even an everyday, not so special bowl of blueberries can be the little act of kindness that leads to something astonishing.

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Listen to  author Emily Pearson talk about how her book Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deeds and the idea of kindness changed one school.

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By Jacqueline Woodson
Illustrated by E.B. Lewis

One kind act can ripple out like a pebble in the water. What would you do? What choice would you make? Would you throw the stone or sit back? Everyday counts because when tomorrow comes, you can’t take yesterday back.

Extension Questions/Activities: -What is a time when you had the opportunity to stand up for someone. Did you? What happened?

-Write a letter to someone in your life telling them how you feel about them.

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By Kadir Nelson

A biography told in free verse, the story of Neslon Mandela revolves around his quest for a just country. But to establish equality, kindness and empathy have to be heard first.

Extension Questions/Activities:

-Create a poem about being kind.

-Today try and do something kind for someone.

-Put on a play. Act out ways you can show kindness.

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By David Ezra Stein

What can a smile do? Well, it can make the world a better place. A smile can set off good deeds all over the world from one person to the next. A smile can  inspire kindness and love at every corner.

Extension Questions/Activities:

-Create your own story based on a positive action you did. How did this action make you feel? What impact could it have had on others?

-What are some positive actions you can do to make other people happier?

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By Roseanne Thong
Illustrated by Enjin Kim Neilan

Mai, a young Vietnamese girl,  gives her beautiful red slipper to someone in need. This set off a chain reaction of good deeds. Little acts of kindness can set the spirit free.

Extension Questions/Activities:

-Think about a time when someone did something nice for you. How did it make you feel?

-How can you help other people in need? Make a list of things you can do in your school to help others. Try to complete some of these as a class.

-What actions can you do at home or in your community to make other people's lives better.

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By Trudy Ludwig
Illustrated by Patrice Barton

Brian is not invisible, but people choose not to see him. He spends his school days alone. It just takes one act of kindness for everyone to see how amazing he can be

Extension Questions/Activities:

-How would you feel if people ignored you?

-What can you do if someone is being left out of a game or activity?

-Make a card for someone, write why they are special and give it them.

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By Margery Cuyler
Illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa.

How can you show kindness? Mrs. Ruler knows how! There are so many ways to show kindness right now. Look in the back, for 100 ways  to act, at home, school, and in your community. It’s so cool!

Extension Questions/Activities:

-What were your favorite acts of kindness that the students in Mrs. Ruler's class did? Why?

-Have you ever performed an act of kindness for someone else? How did it make them feel? How did it make you feel?

-Choose some acts of kindness off of Mrs. Ruler's list or come up with some of your own and try them out in your school, home, and community!

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by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Hurtful words can hurt. In Bully, a bull becomes a bully because he was bullied. Feeling upset and hurt, he starts to yell and name call at others. When he realizes what he has become, he turns around and puts things right.

Extension Questions/Activities:

-How does it make you feel when someone is mean to you?

-Draw a picture of how you heart looks when someone is mean to you?

-Just because someone was mean to you, should you be mean to them?