CHARACTER COUNTS! Kindness 101

Grace - The Story of a Blended Adoptive Family

Showing others grace is an important way to care and respect their growth as a person.

Grace
Grade Level: K-12
 
Character Skills
  • Fairness
  • Caring
SEL Skills
  • Relationship Skills
  • Self-Management
Academic Skills
  • Curiosity and Passion
  • Diligent Learner

Definitions

Fairness
  • Play by the rules.
  • Take turns and share.
  • Be open-minded. Listen to others.
  • Don’t take advantage of others.
Caring
  • Be kind.
  • Be compassionate.
  • Express gratitude.
  • Forgive others.
  • Be considerate of others’ feelings.
Relationship Skills

Create positive relationships and meaningful connections with family members, classmates, and teachers.

Self-Management

Regulate emotions, attitudes, and actions, and manage negative emotions and impulses.

Curiosity and Passion

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

Diligent Learner

Exhibit a growth mindset and willingness to learn from mistakes.

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

Students will learn about the power an act of grace has on others through the story of a family who practices grace every day.

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activiate prior knowledge

Activate Prior Knowledge

  • Who in your life is accepting of others when they make mistakes or make different choices? How do they show this acceptance?
  • What is grace?
    • Grace is loving and accepting someone for who they are, in a compassionate and understanding way.
Kindness 101

Kindness 101 Video

discussion

Discussion Prompts

Think about the video.

  • In the video, Chris says, “Sometimes, we create barriers where barriers don’t need to be.” How can grace help us break down barriers between people?
  • At the beginning of the Kindness 101 video, Meryl calls grace “Kindness 201.” How is grace an elevated practice of kindness?
  • Is grace always your first instinct? Why or why not?
  • How do you know when someone needs grace?
  • When is grace challenging to show? What can you do in these situations where it may be necessary?
  • Do you have to earn grace? Why or why not?
materials

Activity Materials

  • Pencils and paper
activity

Activity: Receiving Grace

  • Students will imagine themselves as someone who received an act of grace. Examples include:
    • A time where they personally made a mistake or needed someone to understand
    • A scenario relating to challenges your class faces
    • Or, students can take the point of view of Schauna from the video and write a letter to Jennifer and Chris, her son Steven, or grandson Riley
  • In their letter, students should include:
    • Who the letter is to
    • A statement of thanks
    • An outline of what happened 
    • How the act of grace impacted them
    • How receiving grace could inspire them
  • Follow-up questions:
    • How did it feel to be on the receiving end of grace?
    • Why is it important to show grace to others?
    • What are some ways we can show grace more often?
journal prompts

Journal Prompts

K-5

  • Write about a time this week where you gave someone grace. How did it feel?
  • Who in your life is a good role model of showing grace? Which of their habits could you try this week?

6-12

  • How can you practice showing yourself grace?
  • Write about a time where grace changed how you felt about a situation.
  • When was a time that you did not give grace to someone else? How would it have changed the situation?
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 grace.

  • Grace is loving and accepting someone for who they are, in a compassionate and understanding way. What does grace look like in our family?
  • How can we remember to show grace to one another when it is challenging?
  • When do you wish you received more grace, both in our family and outside our home?

Activity

  • Create a Grace Jar as a family.
  • Anytime you witness someone practicing grace in your family or in your community, write it down on a slip of paper and place it in the jar.
  • After 1-2 weeks, read what everyone wrote down. Talk about the new ways you saw grace in your lives and discuss where it can be shown more.

More Kindness 101 Activities

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