CHARACTER COUNTS! Kindness 101

Family – A Girl and Her Duck

A family is a group of individuals who share a strong bond of love, trust, support, and connection, regardless of biological or species-related ties.

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

Definitions

Trustworthiness
  • Be honest. Don’t deceive, cheat, or steal.
  • Have integrity. Do what you say you’ll do.
  • Keep your promises.
  • Be loyal. Stand by your values.
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.

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.
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The Ray Center at Drake University
CBS News

Students will learn about family from a 5-year-old in Maine and her duck. Then, they will consider all the different ways family exists in our world.

Download Google Slides
activiate prior knowledge

Activate Prior Knowledge

  • What makes a family?
    • A family is a group of individuals who share a strong bond of love, trust, support, and connection.
Kindness 101

Kindness 101 Video

discussion

Discussion Prompts

  • How does Snowflake know he can trust Kylie?
  • How can you be family if you are unrelated by blood (or species)? Can friends be family, too? How?
  • What is the definition of family to you? What makes someone family?
  • How does Kylie and Snowflake fit that definition?
materials

Materials

  • Paper
  • Crayons or markers
  • Writing utensils
activity

Activity: Family Picture

  • Ask students to draw a picture of their family.
  • Give students time to discuss who is in their family and what they love about them.
  • Follow-up questions:
    • How did you decide who and what to include?
    • After hearing other people share about their families, would you add anyone to yours? Why or why not?
journal prompts

Journal Prompts

K-5

  • Write about each person in your family and one thing you love about them.
  • What is one thing you wish people knew about your family?

6-12

  • What does it mean to belong to a family?
  • Why do some families include people who are not related?
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
Watch the video as a family: https://youtu.be/2f4LTltf174

Discuss
Use these questions to start meaningful conversations about family.

  • How does Kylie make Snowflake feel like part of her family?
  • What does it mean to be part of a family?
  • Who is part of your family that may not be blood-related? Why do you consider them part of your family?

Activity

  • Choose an activity to do as a family this week to be thankful and present with the people you love. Play a board game, go for a walk, make a family tree, play tag in the yard, or have a picnic in the park.

More Kindness 101

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