Can one act of kindness change the world?

Why or why not?

 

Success Criteria: I can resolve a conflict with a friend by:

• listening to one another
• trying to understand each other’s point of view
• apologizing
• taking time to consider solutions
• getting help from a peer or an adult

After reading the picture book, “The Power of One” for a second time, students took time to unpack the question, “Can one act of kindness change the world? Why or Why not?” After some debate, all of the students in Room 12 came to the decision that one small act of kindness can change the world. This was evidenced in the book when one child reached out in friendship to a classmate who seemed lonely. This then created a chain reaction of kindness that rippled throughout her school and her community.

Next, students were asked to create a list of friendship qualities that they believe are important in their own friendships. We took some time to discuss how “good” friends can provide support to others and help to prevent isolation and loneliness and can increase your sense of belonging and purpose. With that said, misunderstandings and disagreements can and do occur between even the best of friends. This can lead us to feel upset, jealous, angry, disappointed and/or frustrated.

Students were then tasked to work together in small groups to find evidence from the text, “The Power of One” that shows how the main characters were able to use problem-solving strategies to resolve a friendship conflict. This connected beautifully to our Grade 3 Health and Wellness Curriculum.

From here, students went on to investigate, role-play and describe how problem-solving can affect healthy relationships. Students then went on to complete a self-assessment about their current problem-solving abilities when dealing with a conflict and a task that had them write about a scenario where they had recently encountered a problem and how they were able to solve it.