Sneak Peek: A free, 2-day lesson plan to get students thinking about how to help others, and have a positive impact in the community by paying it forward!
Teenagers are in a great spot in their lives to learn about how to positively influence others. By being leaders and critical thinkers they can see how no act of kindness is too small—and that doing something for someone else without respecting anything in return is a way to create positivity that endures long past the act.
Learning Objectives: In this lesson, students will work together to create a “Pay It Forward” chain. They will read in Spanish about how helping others can be a significant source of happiness, and discuss different ways that they can be helpful in their communities.
Many thanks to Zachary Bryant for creating this lesson so we can share it with teachers like you!
Materials:
- Article: Beneficios emocionales de ayudar a los demás
- Strips of blank paper – preferably colored paper or construction paper (can purchase here as an option)
- Anchor chart (teacher created with a white board, flipchart, smart board etc.)
Free Downloads :
Lista de favores anchor chart notes sheet (FREE)
Lista de favores anchor chart ejemplos (FREE)
Article Graphic Organizer Student Version (FREE)
Article Graphic Organizer Teacher Version (FREE)
Prep:
For this lesson you will want a spot where you can show the Anchor Chart for two days. Have the Cadena de Favores video ready to play on your screen. Print out a copy of the Student handout (Lista de favores anchor chart notes sheet) and the Graphic Organizer for each student for day 1. Cut colored paper into strips of 2” x 10” that will be used to make the paper chain for day two. Staples or tape to connect the chain.
Duration:
This lesson is designed for two, 57-minute class periods.
Teacher Instructions:
Day 1
- Pass out the “Lista de favores” paper and have students write down 3 ways that they might help a stranger. (“¿Cuáles son tres maneras que puedes ayudar a un desconocido?”)
- Students will then share out and the teacher will write down the responses on the “Anchor Chart,” while students also copy down new responses onto their “Lista de favores.”
- Students watch this video and add any new favors they see to the list.
- After the video, discuss as a class what they saw so that the teacher can add the new favors to the anchor chart and students can add any favors that they may have missed. Ask if the video sparked any other new ideas that can be added to the list and add if necessary.
- Read this article about how helping others actually makes us happier. Have the students fill in the Graphic Organizer to summarize the main points of the article by using the headers and a small description.
Day 2
- Students will answer and discuss: En español hay un refrán que dice “Hoy por ti, mañana por mí.” ¿Qué crees que significa?
- Pass out the colored paper strips. Students will write their name on one side, and on the other side they will write down (without telling anyone) one example of a “favor” from their “Lista de favores.”
- Have the class sit in a circle if possible. If it is a big class, maybe two groups by splitting the class in half.
- Class story: The class will then create a story where each student contributes by saying that they did the favor from their paper strip to the person next to them. For example, the teacher starts and makes up a story where they went to Starbucks last weekend and saw José (student next to the teacher) going into the store at the same time, so they held the door open for José. Then José continues the story by saying that after Starbucks, he was walking home and saw Daisy fall from her skateboard so he helped her up (what he wrote on his paper). Daisy then continues with her strip and so on.
- After each person says their part of the story, the first person (teacher) folds their strip to make the first part of the paper chain. As students tell their part of the story, they add their strip to the chain. At the end, you will have a literal “Cadena de favores” to decorate the classroom and to serve as a reminder to do good deeds.
This class story will require creativity and collaboration. It is really fun to watch how the simplest acts of kindness can be woven into everyday life, making it much easier to turn it into a habit they can practice!
Optional
Set up a kindness jar to keep going in the classroom. When students notice an act of kindness, or do something on their own out in the community, school or at home, have them write it down on a slip of paper. Periodically pull the notes out of the jar and share them with the class. The student can put on their note if they want it to be shared anonymously or not.
For example, a student may have noticed that there is a new student at school who did not have anyone to sit with at lunch. They invited this person to their table and helped them make new friends. Maybe they stayed late at work to cover for someone who was ill, or helped someone look for a lost item. Much like anything in life, what you pay attention to will become more abundant!
Looking for more ways to keep that close knit, community feel in your classroom? Check out this blog post: Building Community through Partner Conversations in Heritage Spanish Class for more ideas!
If you are ready for all of your lesson plans for heritage class done for you, join us in the Heritage Spanish Club! If you liked this lesson you will love our unit La felicidad in Ascendencia Year Two.
Pin for later!
