Gratitude Map and Kindness Notes

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Study Skills and Advisory · Study Hall / Advisory / SEL
SP-STUDY-011 · Free to print and use in your classroom · substituteplans.com
Page 2
Gratitude Map and Kindness Notes
Study Skills and Advisory · Study Hall / Advisory / SEL · Grades 6-9 · 45 minutes
Time needed
45 minutes (one class period)
Prep
Copy the 2-page worksheet (one per student). Optionally set out a few blank index cards or
scrap paper.
Technology
None.
Student
independence
High. Students work alone, then share one kind idea with a partner.
Copies to make
One 2-page worksheet per student
Materials
Pencils, Worksheet, Optional: index cards or scrap paper
Goal for today: Students will identify things they are grateful for, write a specific thank-you note, and plan three kind
actions.
Before the bell
☐ Copy the worksheet, one per student (2 pages).
☐ Optional: put a few index cards or scrap paper on a front table for students who want to copy their thank-you
note neatly.
☐ Read the sample answers in the key. Most answers are personal.
Say this to start
Good morning! Today is a calm, positive lesson. We are going to think about what we are thankful for and how small
acts of kindness make a day better for other people. You will write a short thank-you note to someone and plan a few
kind things to do this week. You choose who your note is for, and nobody is required to share it aloud.

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Study Skills and Advisory · Study Hall / Advisory / SEL
SP-STUDY-011 · Free to print and use in your classroom · substituteplans.com
Page 3
Run of show
Minutes
What you do
What students do
0–5
Take attendance. Hand out the worksheet and ask
students to read the word bank.
Settle in and read the word bank.
5–13
Read this aloud: “Gratitude means noticing what is good
and saying thanks. A specific thank-you says exactly what
the person did and how it helped. For example, ‘Thank you
for staying after class to explain the map. It helped me
finish my project.’ is stronger than ‘Thanks for
everything.’” Then tell students to complete the Gratitude
Map table.
Fill in the Gratitude Map with at least one
idea in each box.
13–20
Tell students to complete the matching section, questions
1–4, then answer questions 5–6.
Match kind actions to situations, then
choose the most specific thank-you.
20–32
Tell students to write their thank-you note in question 7
using the frame. They may choose a teacher, a family
member, a friend, or a school worker.
Draft a note using the frame.
32–40
Tell students to complete the Kindness Plan table with
three actions for the week. Allow students to share one
idea with a partner.
Plan three small kind actions.
40–45
Tell students to finish question 8, then collect the
worksheets. Tell students the notes stay on the worksheet
unless the teacher decides otherwise.
Reflect in a sentence or two. Hand in the
worksheet.
If things go wrong
• If a student says they have nothing to be thankful for, suggest small things (a meal, a friend, a pet, a favorite
song, a teacher) and let them pick any. Do not push for personal details.
• If a student says kindness is silly, remind them it can be as small as holding a door, and let them list two
simple actions.
• If a student writes something that sounds worrying, do not make a scene. If a student shares something that
worries you, follow your school’s reporting procedure and tell the office right away.
• If students are chatty, allow quiet partner talk only during the Kindness Plan.
Early finishers
• Write a second thank-you note to a different person.
• Design a small thank-you card on the back of the worksheet with words and a simple drawing.
Support and challenge
• Support: Give students the sentence frames from the worksheet and let them finish only two lines of the note.
• Challenge: Ask students to write a thank-you to someone they have not thanked before, and to explain what
has changed because of that person.

SubstitutePlans.com
Study Skills and Advisory · Study Hall / Advisory / SEL
SP-STUDY-011 · Free to print and use in your classroom · substituteplans.com
Page 4
Notes for the teacher (you fill this in)
Jot a few lines before you leave. A full Daily Sub Report is in the free Sub Survival Kit at SubstitutePlans.com.
How far the class got / what to pick up next:
Students who were especially helpful:
Anything the teacher should know: