Grade Level: K-4

Content Area: Language Arts

Learning Objective(s)

To teach children to think optimistically.

Virtue/Character Trait:

Optimistic

Lesson Title

Jester’s Lost His Jingle

Lesson Summary:

The teacher reads the book The Jester Lost His Jingle by David Saltzman and discusses how the author was diagnosed with Hodgkins disease. Students will brainstorm the meaning of the words optimism and pessimism and create an art project depicting the jester from the story.

URL:

http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/2489.html

Grade Level: 4-8

Content Area: Language Arts or Social Studies

Learning Objective(s)

To learn to take a stand on an issue and to express ideas

Virtue/Character Trait:

Optimistic

Lesson Title

Campaigning

Lesson Summary:

Students begin by drawing pictures of what they think the world will be like in 50 years and they will explain their pictures to the class (some pictures will be optimistic and some pessimistic). The teacher will explain that the future will be better or worse based on how we act now. Next, students identify a community problem and develop a campaign to correct it by creating a poster describing the problem and by writing a letter to a community official

URL:

http://www.hltmag.co.uk/jul02/less5.htm