CHARACTER COUNTS! Kindness 101

Individuality – How a Maine 8-Year-Old Inadvertently Became a Fashion Trendsetter at His School 

Practicing individuality helps us express ourselves and show others what is important to us.

Individuality
Grade Level: K-12
 
Character Skills
  • Respect
  • Caring
SEL Skills
  • Self-Awareness
  • Social Awareness
Academic Skills
  • Curiosity and Passion
  • Self-Direction and Engagement

Definitions

Respect
  • Follow the Golden Rule.
  • Be accepting of differences.
  • Be courteous to others.
  • Deal peacefully with anger, insults, and disagreements.
  • Be considerate of others’ feelings.
Caring
  • Be kind.
  • Be compassionate.
  • Express gratitude.
  • Forgive others.
  • Be considerate of others’ feelings.
Self-Awareness

Identify and understand emotions, values, attitudes, motivations, mindsets, and personal attributes.

Social Awareness

Assess and be sensitive to the feelings and needs of others.

Curiosity and Passion

Enthusiastic to understand more about themselves, others, and the world around them.

Self-Direction and Engagement

Fully engaged in the educational process and connected to the school community.

Learn more about our character, SEL, and academic outcomes.
Share This Activity
The Ray Center at Drake University

Students will learn about the importance of embracing their individuality.

Download Google Slides
activiate prior knowledge

Activate Prior Knowledge

  • How do you express yourself?
  • What is individuality?
    • Individuality is how you express yourself through your choices.
Kindness 101

Kindness 101 Video

discussion

Discussion Prompts

  • How did James express his individuality? What effect did that have on his classmates?
  • Every day we are a model for other people. What elements of character should we aim to model at our school?
    • How does this connect to individuality?
  • Every day we are a model for other people. What elements of character should we aim to model at our school?
  • What is the power of telling someone they are a role model to us?
  • In the video, we see James being authentically himself, and his classmates accepting him for trying something new.
    • What is the importance of accepting other people as they are?
    • How does that help us model good character?
materials

Activity Materials

  • Paper
  • Writing utensils
activity

Activity: Positive Referrals

  • Students will create a “positive referral” for a classmate.
  • Ask students to think about a classmate who shows individuality through their character.
  • Students will identify this classmate by writing a paragraph about their character. They should include the student’s name and examples of them showing good character and expressing individuality. Encourage students to reference the specific things this person does. Students should also explain the impact that person’s actions has had on them.
  • Collect the positive referrals from students and share them with the recipient.
  • Follow up-questions:
    • Before today, have you ever thought about how other people express themselves and how that impacts you?
    • Have you ever considered that your individuality inspires other people?
journal prompts

Journal Prompts

K-5

  • How can you be a trendsetter of good character, like James?
  • When is it challenging to show individuality? Why?

6-12

  • When is it most important to express your individuality? Explain your answer.
  • Everyone models something for others to learn from. Think about the friends and people you surround yourself with.
    • Are they models for good character? Why or why not?
    • If not, what can you do to model good character for them?
family connection

Family Connection

Educators: Copy the Family Connection and email it to parents, or click here to download a PDF version to email or print.

Watch

Discuss
Use these questions to start meaningful conversations about individuality.

  • How did the people in James’s school respond to his fashion? Would you have responded the same way?
  • How did James model good character? What can we learn from him about good character?
  • What positive character skills have you had modeled for you in your life? Where did you see these modeled?
  • How can we help one another show our individuality?

More Kindness 101

CHARACTER COUNTS! Lessons and Activities