To begin their study they read the book We Are Grateful, by Cherokee author Traci Sorell. The story progresses through each season and reminds us of things we can be grateful for throughout the year, things like naming new family members and listening to the stories told by elders.
After listening to the story, they brainstormed and discussed the various things that made them feel grateful. After sharing ideas as a group, they each worked on creating their own gratitude tree. They wrote what they were grateful for on leaves on their tree.
Christina reflected at the end of the project,
“It was beautiful to see what each student came up with individually. It was even more powerful to see the similarities and the differences in what each student was grateful for and what they wrote on their tree. Together it made an interconnected, ‘gratitude forest.’ This forest shows commonalities in gratitude that allow viewers to share a deep appreciation for these entities. The vastness of the forest also provides a visual representation of the countless things that make us feel gratitude.”
A week after the project, the class took time to reflect on the project. Initially students began to name things that made them feel grateful.
Dad
Water
Food
Family
Friends
Cats
The kids agreed that there were some things that they shared in gratitude, but also there were things unique to each of them.
Christina then asked the question,
“How often do you think about gratitude?”
After some pondering one student responded,
“Not very often.”
They considered how they think a lot about gratitude during certain seasons of the year.
“Can you try to think of things you are grateful for during any time of the year?”
The challenge for the students, and for everyone is twofold:
“Can you take random times in your day to focus on gratitude? Can you try and think of something different than what you have already listed that you are grateful for?”
Students Practiced and Developed the Following Skills During This Study
- Empathy and connection, self-awareness, and mindfulness
- Reading comprehension and connections – After listening to We Are Grateful the students discussed themes and how they relate to their own lives. They identified key ideas in the story and gained a better understanding of how the Cherokee culture expresses gratitude.
- Spelling and writing skills
- Critical thinking, problem solving, reflection and growing from that reflection
