Learning Optimism from a Nonfiction Text
Grade
Grade 1
UNIT
1
•
Optimism
Unit 1, Lesson 2, “Learning Optimism from a Nonfiction Text,” reinforces the vocabulary word optimism. Students will learn an example of optimism from the life of a real person. Additionally, students will practice their reading comprehension skills by reading alone and hearing a reading from the teacher. Finally, students will create their own sentences that demonstrate their reading comprehension.
.jpg)
SUGGESTED TIME:
20 minutes
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Practice reading aloud to support reading comprehension
- Spell, define, and give an example of optimism
- Compose 2 sentences that demonstrate comprehension of the word optimism
- Demonstrate understanding of standard English sentence structure and grammar
- Practice reading and conversation skills by sharing sentences with classmates
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
- Video: Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation by Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (~2 min)
- Prohuman Grade 1 Unit 1 Worksheet 2: Learning Optimism from a Nonfiction Text
VOCABULARY:
- Optimism: I have hope and believe that my actions will help things to turn out well.
ELA COMMON CORE STANDARDS MET
CHARACTER AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (CSED) NATIONAL STANDARDS MET
LESSON PROCEDURE
Today we will continue to learn about optimism.
- Write optimism on the board.
- Ask students to spell optimism on their worksheets.
- Ask students what we learned about optimism from the last lesson.
- Play the video: Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (~2 min).
- Have students read the nonfiction text independently, quietly to themselves. Circle the room to support the students.
- After giving the students 10 minutes to practice reading, then read the text aloud to the whole class.
- Have students write the answers to the worksheet questions.
- After students write the answers to the worksheet questions, have them take turns reading their sentences aloud to a partner. Circle the room to support students.
- Ask students to share one sentence from their partner’s worksheet with the class, explaining how it shows optimism.
Extension Activity: Organize a class lemonade stand to raise money for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.
GRADE 1 UNIT 1 WORKSHEET 2: LEARNING OPTIMISM FROM A NONFICTION TEXT
Optimism: I have hope and believe that my actions will help things to turn out well.
Write the word optimism:
_________________________________________________________________________
NONFICTION TEXT: ALEX’S LEMONADE STAND
When Alex Scott was a baby, she got sick. She had a disease called cancer. Doctors helped her feel better. She had hope about the future. She wanted to help other kids. When she was four years old, she told her mom that she wanted to start a lemonade stand to raise money. She would give the money to doctors. She said, “I want the doctors to help other kids, like they helped me.”
She held her first lemonade stand and raised two thousand dollars. Alex and her family held many lemonade stands to help kids with cancer. People from all over the world, moved by her story, held their own lemonade stands and gave the money to Alex and her cause. After four years, Alex raised one million dollars. Alex’s family keeps raising money to help kids with cancer through Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.
Source: https://www.alexslemonade.org/about/meet-alex
ACTIVITY:
Write a sentence that explains how Alex showed optimism.
Write a sentence that explains how Alex’s optimism helped others.
Prohuman K-12 Curriculum © 2025 by Prohuman Foundation is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/