Google 20% Project

Proposal
Name(s): Lindsey Harding, Lizzie Collier, Catherine Keeter
Title of Project: Character Counts: Building a Positive Classroom
Community
Needs and Opportunities:
Research says that character education is not only effective at
promoting the development of good character, but is a promising approach
to the prevention of a wide range of contemporary problems. (Character
Education, Prevention, and Positive Youth Development) One of these
contemporary issues is bullying. According to statistics, one out of every four
students are bullied at some point throughout the school year(National
Center For Educational Statistics, 2015). Being in the classroom over the
course of the last few months we have seen first hand how easy it is for
students to tear one another down. We chose to do this project because
character education has the important additional benefits of helping youth
to develop positive personal and social attitudes and skills that will help
them to lead satisfying and productive lives, and to become active and
effective citizens in our democratic society (Character Education,
Prevention, and Positive Youth Development). We thought that we could best
accomplish this through teaching a series of lessons on character. At the
beginning of the project we asked the students What do you think being a
good student means? We recorded each students response so that at the
end of the series of lessons we could determine if their schema on that had
grown. Because it is the middle of the school year, we thought that this
would be a great time for a project like this; to remind the students what is
expected of them and to continue encouraging them in the development of
their character.

Audience / Clients / Users:

This project will executed by Elizabeth Collier, Lindsey Harding, and
Catherine Keeter and will be implemented in Mrs. Jordans first grade
classroom. This project is intended to directly benefit the classroom students
inturn benefiting the classroom teacher. The students will benefit from
learning how to become well-rounded citizens. The students will be learning
about the qualities of a good friend and classmate should have. Mrs. Jordan
will benefit from having a classroom of cooperative students. Student
learning will be impacted because positive classroom communities create an
environment that is physically and emotionally safe for the student and

promotes academic risk-taking. Students make academic growth when they

are willing to try something new and risk being wrong (Minard 2013). When
students feel accepted a comfortable in front of others they are more likely
to participate in classroom discussions and share their thoughts with others.
Without a feeling of community people are on their own, likely to be
anxious, defensive and unwilling to take the risks involved in learning
(Meredith 2013). It is essential that students feel comfortable in the
classroom and students will feel comfortable when their peers are inviting,
kind, and respectful. Some of the most important skills children need for
school readiness and success are the "people skills" of social interaction,
communication, collaboration, and problem solving (Church 2003). The
process of teaching students character qualities will also provide the
students with the skills they will need to interact with others successfully in
the future. Students need an emotionally safe environment to learn in and
we believe that integrating character lessons into a classroom will help
students acquire information on how to be a kind and respectful student. We
believe students will feel safe in an environment where the students are
respectful and considerate towards each other. We will measure the
successfulness of our project by questioning the students on character
qualities after each lesson. We will also create a final video that showcases
the students understanding of being a good friend in the classroom.

Timeline:
February 4 and 6,
2016

February 10, 2016

1 hour

Initial meeting - Decided that

we wanted to work with the
first grade in building
character development. We
have been working with them
over the past few months and
decided to develop a plan of
lessons to target the needs of
the classroom.

30 minutes Met briefly with Mrs. Jordan to

go over our plans with her
and to gain any further
advice or insight on our
project.

February 17, 2016

2 hours

Researched our topic and

worked on our proposal. We
also researched lesson plan
ideas to teach the students
and discussed how we would
bridge our lessons together.
We discussed what we would
do as our final project and
decided on videotaping each
student on what they got out
of the lessons that we will be
teaching.

February 24, 2016

2 hours

Spent time working on our

lesson plans for next week in
the classroom. We
collaborated on ideas and
continued to refine our
project.

March 1-3, 2016

2 hours

Taught lessons on Tuesday,

Wednesday and Thursday to
Mrs. Jordans first grade class
on character development.
Catherines lesson focused on
how to be a good friend. Lizs
lesson focused on saying kind
words and thinking before
you speak. Lindseys lesson
focused on good character
qualities. On thursday we
stayed after class and
videotaped the students
responses.

March 9, 2016

2 hours

Worked on editing the videos

of the students that we
recorded in class last week.
We also worked on looking at

the before and after

responses of the students.
May 2, 2016

2 hours

Worked on our final Google

20% project to present to our
professors and peers.

Product:
The final product for our Google 20% project will be a video of students
responding to questions about what it means to them to be a good friend.
Over the course of the semester, we will be talking with and teaching lessons
on how to be a good friend, practicing saying nice words instead of mean
words, and we will discuss good character qualities. We will be teaching our
main lessons throughout the course of a week. After we teach our lessons,
we will ask a set of questions to individuals in the class asking them what it
means to be a good friend.

Reality Check:
The equipment we need for our Google 20% project are attainable for
us to get without a grant or spending an excess amount of money. Lindsey,
Catherine and I will each be teaching a lesson covering subtopics of bullying.
For Catherines lesson she will need the book, Making Friends is an Art, by
Julia Cook, crown templates, crayons/markers, and scissors. For Elizabeths
lesson she will need the book, Llama, Llama and the Bully Goat, by Anna
Dewdney and the wrinkly Sam paper. Lindsey will need chart paper and the
book The Three Little Pigs.

Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=MSRSWlMvwd8&feature=youtu.be
Conclusion:
In conclusion, we believe that this project will influence students to
become better citizens, classmates, and friends. The lesson plans and
activities that we designed were intentionally selected so that we could
target specific character areas for the students. Today where bullying is an
issue and our culture breeds selfishness and even violence, we really saw it

as important to instill in these children what it means to have good

character. We chose to videotape each students responses to our week of
character building so that the students can look back and watch it, being
reminded of not of what we told them, but what they themselves said and
believed. We believe that all students should feel welcomed, comfortable,
and loved in the classroom and we thought that this project would be a great
way to encourage that. We feel like positive character qualities and
friendship can never be overemphasized in the classroom and students will
only benefit from every mention of these aspects.

Reflection:
We feel as if our google project had a positive impact on the
community of Mrs. Jordans classroom. The students benefited from a week
immersed in character focused lessons. Everyday they were able to
participate in a new activity that involved building friendship skills or
learning about character qualities. The students reacted positively towards
Catherines lesson. They were able to relate to the different colored pencils
mentioned in the read aloud book Making Friends is an Art by Julia Cook.
When asked why the brown colored pencil didnt have any friends the
students recognized that Brown didnt have any friends because he wasnt a
good friend himself. They stated that Brown learned from the qualities he
found in others. When asked how to be a friend to others the students
decided that they could be kind to others and help them. They could
encourage each other and could refrain from doing rude things to one
another. The students also reacted positively to Elizabeths lesson. The
students were able to realize what the Bully Goat was doing wrong and
discussed how it would make them feel to be bullied. During the Wrinkly
Sam activity, students and Ms. Collier sat in a circle and passed around the
paper friend. The first time we spoke mean words to Sam and each time a
mean word was said the students wrinkled the paper. Eventually, Sam was
just a big, crumpled ball of paper. The second time we passed our friend
around, we said kind words to him and unwrinkled him. After all of our words
you were able to see that Sam still had wrinkles. This gave the class a clear
understanding and visual that their words to one another have a lasting
effect. The class stated that they did not want Sam to be sad therefore each
student was able to say something loving and encouraging. The classroom
teacher, Mrs. Jordan also had the class go around in the circle and say one
nice thing about Elizabeth, Lindsey, or Catherine. In Lindseys lesson, she
integrated a language arts study of character analysis to showcase different
character qualities that the students should or should not follow. They

analyzed each pig as well as the wolf. The class had a grand discussion
talking about features of the characters and what the students thought about
each ones qualities. They then wrote a story about why they would or would
not want to be that character based off of the traits they learned that day
and earlier in the week. This lesson also included a STEAM component that
modeled the students the hard working quality of the last little pig. The
students really enjoyed it and it helped them apply what they have learned
to everyday tasks.
Our video shows that the students truly picked up on friendship
qualities. The students in the video stated that you should treat others the
way you want to be treated, be kind to others, help each other, be respectful,
say nice words, and not be mean to those who are mean to you. The video
reflects that the students picked up on ways that they can be a good friend
to others through the display of positive character qualities such as kindness
and respect. As the students exhibit positive character traits in the classroom
they are creating an uplifting classroom environment that makes others feel
welcome, safe, and respected. As the students continue to grow in their
friendship skills we believe the classroom community will deepen and the
students will have an increased opportunity to learn as they become
comfortable around each other.

Works Cited:
Church, E. (2003). Building Community in the Classroom. Retrieved from
http://www.sch
holastic.com/teachers/article/building-community-classroom
Meredith, J. (2013). Classroom Community: The Ecology for Learning The
Research.

Retrieved from

https://www.missouristate.edu/fctl/193962.htm
Minard, D. (2013, September 4). Building Successful Learning Communities
In The

Classroom. Retrieved from

http://www.sequimschools.wednet.edu/domain/781

Google Project Minilesson

Name: Catherine Keeter
Date: 1 March 2016
Objective or Focus: Standard: PS:A2.8 - learn how to make and keep friends
Objective: Students will learn the qualities they should have in order to make and keep friends.
Materials List:

Making Friends Is an Art by Julia Cook

Colored pencils

Markers

Crayons

Scissors

Crown templates
o One per student

Invitation or Introduction:
Okay class, when I call your table number please come sit on the carpet in front of the
reading stool. Table one. Teacher continues to call table number two, three, four, and five to
come to the carpet. Today we are going to be talking about friendship and we will be
learning about how we can be a good friend. What are some ways you can be a good

friend? Example student response: You can be nice to others! Thats a great example!
What else can you do to be a good friend? Example student response: You can share with
others! Yes, thats right! We are going to learn about some more ways to be a good friend
as we read this book. Teacher shows Making Friends Is an Art! Book to the students. This
book is called Making Friends Is an Art! And it tells the story of a brown colored pencil
who learns how to be a good friend. Teacher begins to read the book. Teacher asks guiding
questions while reading such as Why doesnt Brown have any friends? What colors are you
most like? What does Brown learn from the other colors? What did Brown change about
himself? How can you help other kids who dont have other friends? How do you make friends?

Teacher Modeling: The teacher will discuss friendship with the students and listen to their
thoughts on how to make and keep friends. The teacher will ask the students about the qualities
discussed in the book.

Independent Practice: Okay class, in order to remember the positive qualities we have
learned about today we are going to make a crown! Teacher pulls out crown example to
show to the students. On each point on the crown Ive written tips I learned from the other
colored pencils about how to be a good friend. In the book we learned that the pink
colored pencil is a good listener so on one point of the crown I wrote listen. The other
points of the crown say share, help others, smile, laugh, be kind, be respectful and
encourage. Does everyone know what encourage means? Encourage means to support
others. Encouraging would be to tell someone that they are doing a good job.
Encouraging is not telling someone they are not smart when they get an answer wrong.
What about respectful does anyone know what respectful means. Teacher calls on
students who know what respectful means. Being respectful is caring about the importance
of others. An example of being respectful is not talking while the teacher is talking.

Listening, sharing, helping others, smiling, laughing, encouraging and being kind and
respectful to others are great ways to be a friend. We want to make sure to be a good
friend in the classroom so others feel welcomed and loved here and to make school a fun
place to be. On your tables you will find crown papers. First color your crown and then
cut it out with scissors and I will help you tape together to wear. Table one, you may walk
back to your table. Teacher continues to call tables two, three four, and five, and students walk
back to their tables.

Assessment and Reflection:

The teachers will observe how the students interact with each other in the classroom. The
teacher will make a note of which students are acting with the positive character traits they
learned about in the lesson. The teacher will also reemphasize how to be a good friend and will
reference the crowns the students made whenever the students seem to be struggling with
friendship issues. The students responded well to the lesson. They enjoyed listening to the book
and picked up on the character qualities mentioned in the book. The students also enjoyed
coloring their crowns and wore them for awhile after they created them. I feel as if the lesson
went well and as if the students gained an understanding of how they can be a good friend to
others.

Design for Learning

Instructor: Lindsey Harding

Grade Level/Cooperating Teacher:

1st/ Jordan
Lesson Title: The Three Little Pigs
Curriculum Area: ELA

Date: March 4, 2016

Estimated Time: 40 min

Standards Connection:
7.) Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or
events. [RL.1.7]
Learning Objective(s):
Students will display their understanding of one of the characters in The Three Little
Pigs through writing an opinion piece scoring at least a 3 on the rubric.
Learning Objective(s) stated in kid-friendly language:
Today you will learn more about the characters in this story The Three Little Pigs!
Evaluation of Learning Objective(s):
Students will choose one of the four characters in the story The Three Little Pigs.
They will brainstorm traits about the character of their choosing by filling out the
graphic organizer and having it approved by the teacher. Once they have done that,
they will move on to the writing piece. They will write an opinion piece on why they
would or would not want to be like the character they chose. They will use examples
from the story as well as character trait examples that have been talked about
throughout the week with Miss Keeter and Miss Collier. They must score at least a
three on the rubric to be considered proficient. The students that score below a
three will be considered in the red range and need further remediation.

Engagement:
The students have been reading many different versions of the three little pigs in
class throughout the week. They will watch a BookFlix of The Three Little Pigs and
the teacher will ask students questions before and after the video. Okay class, I am
going to call you by table to come to the carpet. Please come quietly and sit next to
someone who is going to help you learn! Table 1 you may come to the carpet. Table
2345. Teacher allows time for students to get in their spots. Boys and girls,
today we are going to look more into the story of the three little pigs. I heard that
you have been learning about Fairy Tales lately. I want you all to turn and talk to
your neighbor about your favorite character in one of the fairy tales that you have
read so far. Teacher gives students one minute for them to discuss. Can someone
share with me who your favorite character is that youve read about so far? Teacher
calls on student A. Student A said Cinderella. Anyone elses favorite character
Cinderella? I like her too. Student A, why is she your favorite character? Teacher
waits for student response. Boys and girls, each story has characters that have
different traits and personalities. Each character is different and we may or may not
like them for certain reasons. Why might we not like a character in a story? Teacher
calls on students and writes their responses on chart paper. You all have been
talking about character with Miss Keeter and Miss Collier this week, right? Looking
at this list, do you think these qualities are something that a good student would
have? Teacher refers to the list that the class has made. No, thats right. What kind
of qualities do we want to have? Give me a silent thumbs up if you think you know.
Teacher listens to students responses and writes them on the board. These are all
great. Now looking at this list, can you think of any characters that have these
qualities? Teacher waits for student responses. Cinderella was very kind to her

stepsisters and family even though they were mean to her. Class, something that I
think is really cool is that you can learn a lot from studying the characters in a story.
Today, we are going to look at the story of The Three Little Pigs again. Right now we
are going to watch a BookFlix but as you watch I want you to really think about the
characters. At the end of today you are going write a story about one of these pigs
and what set him apart from the others. See if you can find out what set him apart
as you watch this. Teacher plays the video and then transitions into instruction.
Learning Design:
I. Teaching:
The teacher will tell the students the objective again. She will remind them of the
lessons that have been taught earlier in the week by Miss Keeter and Miss Collier on
character traits. The teacher will use this as a lead into reminding students how
characters affect a story and why it is important to look at them and understand
them. Okay boys and girls, like I said earlier we are going to be learning more about
the characters of the three little pigs today! We are going to be talking about the
characters in this story, but this week you also have been talking about another
kind of character. Miss Keeter and Miss Collier talked this week about some things
that make us good friends and students. They have been talking about character
traits. Who can tell me what a character trait is? Teacher waits for student response.
Character traits are things about a person that tell us more about them. There are
both good and bad character traits that people can have. Who can give me a silent
thumbs and tell me what kind of character traits you have learned this week?
Teacher waits for student responses. What character traits make someone a good
friend? Teacher waits for student responses. Thats great you guys. Well today as
we talk about the three little pigs I want us to think about their character traits and

how it relates to the story and to you as students! Who are the characters in this
story? Teacher calls on student A. She says the wolf. The teacher writes this on
the chart paper. Teacher calls on a few other students to tell her the other 3
characters (the three pigs). So now we have all of our characters lets look at their
traits. Are all the characters the same? No! We are going to look at what makes
them different. First, lets look at the wolf. I know you all have been reading lots of
different versions of this story, but lets look at this one right now. Teacher refers to
the original book The Three Little Pigs. What does this book tell us about the wolf?
Teacher listens to students responses. Good job. He was not very nice because he
wanted to tear down the pigs houses. What are some other character traits of the
wolf? The teacher allows students to respond and writes down on the chart paper
that the wolf is bad, mean, angry, naughty, and hungry. Why do you think the wolf
was so mean? How did his character traits affect the story? If the wolf was not
mean and hungry do you think story would have been different? Turn and talk to
your neighbor about what you think. Teacher gives students time to respond and to
share some responses with the class. Class, character traits that the author gives
the character can really shape a story. Do you all agree? Lets look at the other
three characters and see if their character traits shape the story. What did you all
think of this first little pig? His house obviously didnt work out. What do you think
might have caused his house not to stand? Teacher waits for student responses. Do
you think it had to do with how hard he worked? I do too! Lets list some of the
character traits we see in this pig. Student B, what are some characteristics of the
first little pig? Remember we are looking at the pig, not the materials he used.
Teacher calls on different students and listens to their responses. The teacher writes
down the characteristics on the chart. She writes down lazy, not smart, wants to

play, and doesnt want to work. So the first little pig was lazy and not a very hard
worker. Boys and girls, how did the pigs character traits affect the story? How did
those traits affect the pig? Teacher gives students time to respond. He ended up
with no house! Yikes! Lets look at pig number 2. This pigs house didnt stand
either! Lets look at some of his character traits and see why the whole house thing
didnt work out for him either. Student C, what are some characteristics of this little
pig? Teacher calls on students and writes their response on the chart paper. They
realize that the traits are the same as the first pig and the teacher writes down the
same traits in that category. What do you all notice about the character traits of this
little pig? It is just like the other little pig! Do you think it was the materials that the
pigs used? Yes, it could have been. Do you think that if they worked harder and
smarter that they could have built a stronger house? Teacher waits for student
responses. So boys and girls we can already see how a persons character traits can
really affect a story. Lets look at the last little pig. Do you think he was the same as
the other two pigs? Teacher waits for student response. Turn and talk to your
neighbor about why you think this little pig is different. Teacher gives students time
to talk to one another. One, two, three eyes on me. Student D, I heard you say
something interesting. Can you share with the class what you and Student E talked
about? This pigs house withstood the wind! What changed here boys and girls?
Lets write down some character traits of this third little pig. Teacher calls on
students and writes down their responses. She writes down that he was a hard
worker, a good builder, smart, and that he had a good brain. Man, this is a lot
different then the other pigs. Looking at the story, how did these character traits
affect the rest of this story? It changed it all, right? The wolf wasnt able to blow the
house down anymore. After looking at these character traits class, what kinds of

things do you think it can teach us? Teacher waits and listens to student responses.
The first two pigs were very lazy and did not want to work hard. It did not turn out
very well for them. Can you think of another story where the character was lazy?
How did that turn out? Have you ever been lazy? How did that turn out? Teacher
gives time for students to respond. The last pig was different. What was different
about him? I want you to think in your head about what pig you would want to be
like and why. Now I want you to think about what pig you would not want to be like
and why you would not like to be like them. Boys and girls, character traits not only
affect a story in a book, but our character traits can affect our own life story. How
could your character traits affect your life story? I want you to answer this question
in your head. Teacher allows time for students to think. Character traits are very
important both in the story and in our lives. We can always learn a lot from looking
at the characters in a story! Teacher transitions into practice.
II. Opportunity for Practice:
The teacher will pass out a graphic organizer to each student. She will explain how
they will use this character web to brainstorm traits of one character from the story.
They will use the story to provide evidence for the character traits. Once they fill out
the graphic organizer they will transition into writing their opinion piece. Alright
boys and girls, we just looked at all of the characters in the book The Three Little
Pigs, but now you all are going to look at just one of them. The fun part is that YOU
get to choose which one you want to pick. Each one of you will be writing and
telling me why you would or would not want to be this character. Boys and girls,
that is very important to keep in mind when you are choosing the character. You
have to take time to think about the character traits so that you can really write a
good paper! You all have been writing a lot, so I expect to see some good pieces!

Before you start to write, you have to get to know your character a little bit more
first. I have the fun sheet that I want you all to fill out. Teacher draws attention to
the graphic organizer. There is a big blank circle in the middle. What do you think is
going to go there? A picture of your character! You all get to draw it however you
want! In these other boxes I want you to write a few words that describe your
character. You do not have to fill in all of the boxes, but you have to fill in at least 3.
This is very important because like I said, it helps you understand the characters
helping you write your paper about why you would or would not want to be that
character! I am going to give you 5 minutes to complete this so please be good,
hard workers. I am going to be walking around making sure that you are following
directions. Teacher releases the students back to their tables. She hands out the
graphic organizer and walks around assisting students and formatively assessing if
the students are grasping the character traits of the one that the chose.
III. Assessment:
Before they begin writing the teacher will go over the rubric with the students. She
will put the writing prompt on the board. She will then allow them time to write and
answer questions if needed. When they are finished students will give their written
work to the teacher and she will assess if the student was able to analyze the
chosen character and apply it. Students have to score at least a 3 on the rubric to
be considered proficient. Okay class, now that you have brainstormed your
character, you are going to write about it. You have written an opinion paper before,
right? You did one just the other week. Remember when Mrs. Jordan asked you to
write about why Cinderella was your favorite character? Or when she asked what is
your favorite fast food restaurant? We have to remember that when we are writing
our opinion we have to tell the reader why! We always have to keep in our brain

whoever is reading our paper! We want them to understand what we are trying to
say. You all are going to tell me why you would or would not want to be the
character that you chose. Lets remind ourselves of the three characters again. We
have the wolf, the first little pig that built his house with what? Straw! What about
the second little pig? He built his house with sticks! What about the third little pig?
He built his with bricks! We talked about the difference between all the characters;
so lets remember that. You have the notes on the board to remember it. Before we
begin I am going to read you the rubric and show you an example of what I am
expecting. Teacher goes over the rubric with students and shows them an example
of what she is expecting. Remember again to think about the character traits that
we have talking about this week! Does anyone have any questions? Alright then if
you have on anything pink you can go back to your deskblueblack. Teacher
passes out writing sheet and walks around supporting students if needed.
IV. Closure:
The teacher will gain the students attention back after they have finished their
writing. She will revisit how important characters are to each story and how we can
learn from each of them. She will talk about how some characters we want to be like
and some we should not want to be like. To close out the lesson she will explain to
the students a STEAM project that they will work on. They will use gumdrops and
toothpicks to build a house that will have to withstand wind from a hair dryer.
They will have to work hard and smart like the last little pig to make sure that it can
withstand the wind. The teacher will give the students instructions and let them
work in their table groups before she comes around to test each house with the hair
dryer. Okay class, I need all eyes and ears on me. It is very important that you listen
to me during this time because we are about to do something where you will need

to hear what I am saying. We have just talked about all the characters in the story.
We focused a lot on the last little pig. What are some character traits about the last
little pig that we learned? Teacher waits for student responses. Good! He was smart
and hardworking. We also looked at the other characters who werent so
hardworking or nice. There are some characters that have qualities that we want to
have and some that we do not. Today, we are going to try to be like the last little
pig. We are about to do a project so I am going to need your full attention right now.
You are going to go back to your tables in just a minute. I have given each table
some gumdrops and toothpicks. You are not to eat the gumdrops or poke one
another with the toothpicks at all. If I see you doing this, your table will be
disqualified immediately. This can only be fun if you all follow directions. You all are
going to use these materials to build a strong house like the last little pig. The only
thing is that it will have to withstand the wind of the hair dryer! Are there any
questions before we begin? You will have 5 minutes to work on building a house. It
has to have four walls and a roof. I am going to call you back to your tables, but
please wait to begin until everyone is back in their seats. Table 1 you may go back
to your tabletable 2345. You all may begin working and think like that last
little piggy!! Teacher walks around observing student work and collaboration. When
the 5 minutes is up the teacher will walk around with the hair dryer and the
students will watch to see if they all withstand the wind.
Materials and Resources:
Book Flix
The Three Little Pigs
Chart Paper
Graphic Organizer

Writing paper
Rubric
Gum Drops
Tooth Picks
Hair Dryer
Differentiation Strategies (including plans for individual learners):
For students in the green range, they will be asked to fill out more character traits in
the graphic organizer and do an extended writing project based on their opinion
piece.
For students in the red range, those who are not proficient in writing and could not
explain their opinion of the character, will meet with the teacher one on one and
explain their opinion of the character/ prompt to the teacher orally.
Data Analysis:
Students were given time to brainstorm and respond to the prompt I would want to
be like Pig #3 because or I would not want to be like the wolf because over
half of the students scored a 3 or above. Some of the students did not have time to
finish so their writing was not complete. My goal was not for them to become better
writers, but to understand, discuss, and relate to the characters in the story.
Through our discussion, project, and brainstorming activity I observed that every
child understood the characters. It was harder having a writing assessment for
younger grades because they do not have all of the skills developed for writing
making it more challenging to check for understanding. Even though the writing was
difficult for some students, I think that it was still a great way for me to see if they
understood the characters. Next time, I would allow them more time to write and
give them more support for their writing.

LESSON

PRACTICE

ASSESSMENT

Mini-lesson for Character Count (Google Project)

Name: Elizabeth Collier
Date: March 2nd, 2016
Objective or Focus: Students will learn to think before they speak. They will learn the power of
their words and how saying mean things can affect others.
Materials List:

Chart paper Wrinkly Sam

Llama, Llama the Bully Goat by Anna Dewdney

Invitation or Introduction: Good morning boys and girls like Ms. Keeter and Ms. Harding said
my name is Loving Lizzie. I heard Ms. Keeter taught you a lot of nice words you can use to
describe people yesterday. These words are also traits that we should all strive to have. Could
anyone tell me a couple of character traits you would like yourself and others to have? Teacher
will listen to words mentioned by students. For example: kind, trustworthy, honest, good listener,
and fun. Yes, those are very encouraging and nice words! Today I am going to read you all a
story. This story is called, Llama, Llama and the Bully Goat. After reading, the teacher will ask
questions about how the animals in the class were being bullying by the goat and what the goat
should have done.

Teacher Modeling: Teacher will show her paper friend, Sam. Sam is a character who is smooth
and looks very happy. Teacher will ask the class how Sam looks. Okay class, this is my friend
Sam. Sam is a great friend. He is in first grade at another elementary school. Can anyone tell
me how Sam looks right now? (Teacher and student will list qualities). What if Sams friends at
school said mean words to him? Could anyone predict how that would make him look? Teacher
will then lead students in an activity and model example mean and kind statements. This activity
will be the students sitting in a circle. They will past the paper friend, Sam, around in a circle.
The first time Sam goes around the circle, the students will say something mean to him. When
mean words are said, the students will wrinkle the piece of paper. By the end, Sam will be a big
wrinkled ball. The second time Sam is passed around, the students will say something kind and
unfold Sam. By the end of the second time, Sam will be unfolded but still not smooth. This will
show the class that words have a lasting impact and to remember to always be kind.
Independent Practice: Okay boys and girls, now we are going to go around the circle and say
something nice about a friend in the classroom. Students will practice saying kind words to their
friends.
Assessment and Reflection: This activity gave the class a clear understanding and visual that
their words to one another have a lasting effect. The class stated that they did not want Sam to
be sad therefore each student was able to say something loving and encouraging. The
classroom teacher, Mrs. Jordan also had the class go around in the circle and say one nice
thing about Elizabeth, Lindsey, or Catherine.