A pencil and an eraser bring forth the message that negative comments never truly disappear. On a large piece of paper, scholars list negative comments then attempt to replace them with kind ones. Pupils discuss the impact of negative comments and the work it takes to repair the damage such remarks make.

Concepts

kindness, friendship, relationships, peers, social awareness, social skills, relationship skills, social-emotional learning, communication, caring

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• For the hook, ask for general mean comments not towards a specific person
• End each day with a positive comment poster, direct learners to write something nice that happened that day for all to read
• Create a Caught Being Kind sticker to give to individuals that exhibit the desired behavior

Classroom Considerations

• This lesson is the second in a series of two, designed to examine social skills
• A counselor or teacher may perform the lesson

Pros

• Boosts social and emotional learning concepts—social awareness and relationship skills
• Eraser marks make for a strong visual of how negative comments to do not completely go away

Cons

• The mean comments may easily result in hurt feelings, be prepared to redirect and offer more appropriate examples

Common Core

SL.3.6