DO YOU SPEAK KINDNESS?

There’s no better time to talk about kindness and positivity than on Random Acts of Kindness Day. 

It gives me great pleasure to welcome today’s guest blogger, Russie. Russie is a freelance teacher and materials writer based in the UK. In today’s post, she kindly shares her lesson plan Random Acts of Kindness Day from her weekly magazine Explore English with Russie, and her ideas about positive thinking, kindness and empathy.

Take it away, Russie:

My personal belief is that every person is unique and that is what I have been teaching my pupils. In this day and age, people should be encouraged to help each other, be supportive, compassionate and follow their dreams. I have been blessed with some incredible students who have acknowledged the fact that I have made a big difference in their life. This has inspired me to follow my vocation- teaching not only English but also Life Skills as well as being a role model.

LESSON PLAN

Acts of Random Kindness

17^th February is Acts of Random Kindness Day. What a great reason to talk to our students about Kindness and how we could express it. My lesson is planned around a short video from the film “Evan Almighty”. For those of you who have not seen the film, here´s a short synopsis:

Newscaster Evan Baxter leaves Buffalo behind when he wins a seat in Congress. Moving his wife and family to northern Virginia, he seems to have it made, then God throws a crisis of biblical proportions at his feet: The Lord wants him to build an ark and line up all the animals two-by-two in preparation for a flood.

See more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan_Almighty

1. Do you speak kindness?

Ask your students how they can define the word “kindness”.

Brainstorm their ideas and write them on the board. Then show them Mark Twain´s quote and ask them to work in pairs and discuss how they interpret it.

(Image: Barbara Mazz, Flickr.com, Creative Commons)

2.

Put the students in small groups. Give them 5 minutes and ask them to think of examples of Acts of Random Kindness.

Possible answers: giving, teaching about Kindness, donating, volunteering, helping in your community

3.

Show the pictures to your students and ask them to talk about them. What acts of Random Kindness do they express?

(Image credit: Linda Tanner, Flickr.com, Creative Commons)

(Image credit: Matt Zhang, Flickr.com, Creative Commons)

(Image: Wayne S. Grazio, Flickr.com, Creative Commons)

(Image credit: Reddy Aprianto, Flickr.com, Creative Commons)

4.

Tell your students that they are going to watch a short video from the film: “Evan Almighty”. Ask them if they have seen the film. You can tell them it is a film about a Congressman who has been contacted by God and asked to build an ark. Ask them why they think God asks Evan to build it. Then play the video and pause at 0:19 and discuss the answer.

5.

Play the video till 1:09 and ask the students to predict God´s answer to the question: How can we change the world?

6.

Play the rest of the video and then discuss the following questions:

• Why does God laugh at Evan´s life plans?
• How does God demonstrate an act of Random Kindness?

7.

Before you play the second video ask the students how they think Evan´s life has changed after he builds the ark. Then play the video and discuss it. What lesson do they think God teaches Evan?

Follow-up activities:

Ask your students to come up with ideas how they can express kindness in their everyday life.

For example:

• Send a positive photo/quote to your friend
• Bake a cake for your neighbour
• Smile at three people on the way to work/school
• Put your phone away while in the company of others. Show them you are present and you are listening.

Homework ideas:

1. Write a story about an act of kindness they have witnessed.
2. Find a picture which illustrates an act of kindness and write a caption.
3. Watch the film “Evan Almighty” and then set up a class discussion the following lesson.

Thank you, Russie!