LESSONS

The Prohuman Kindergarten curriculum is aligned to two sets of standards: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Character and Social Emotional Development (CSED) National Guidelines. The full collection of units introduces all nine of the prohuman character strengths: optimism, grit, gratitude, curiosity, courage, compassion, fairness, understanding, and humanity. Unit 1, Lesson 1, “What is Optimism?” introduces the spelling and definition of the word optimism. Students will learn examples of optimism, provided by the teacher and an accompanying video. Additionally, students will practice the correct spelling of optimism, demonstrate comprehension through a pictorial demonstration, and practice conversation skills by sharing their illustrations with a partner. LEARNING OUTCOMES: Correctly spell and define optimism Demonstrate comprehension of the word optimism by producing a pictorial representation Practice reading and conversation skills by sharing pictures with classmates Demonstrate understanding of standard English sentence structure and grammar in writing and speaking REQUIRED MATERIALS: One small paper cup for each student Video: Optimism for Kids | The Power of Positivity | Looking on the Bright Side by The Mr Saad Show (~2 min) Prohuman Kindergarten Unit 1 Worksheet 1: What is Optimism? VOCABULARY: Optimism: I have hope and believe that my actions will help things to turn out well. ELA COMMON CORE STANDARDS MET CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.4 Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.10 Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1.A Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.1.A Print many upper- and lowercase letters. CHARACTER AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (CSED) NATIONAL STANDARDS MET Self-Awareness A2 Identify personal strengths (e.g., honesty, curiosity, listening) Social-Awareness A3 Demonstrate the ability to listen carefully and intentionally to others Interpersonal/Relationship Skills 1 Initiate and engage in conversation and social interactions with classmates, peers, and adults Interpersonal/Relationship Skills 7 Play games and appropriately participate in small group classroom activities Responsible and Ethical Decision-Making 1 Describe a rule or principle that everyone should strive to live by (e.g., be kind, be honest, try your best) LESSON PROCEDURE Write optimism on the board and prompt students to write it on their worksheets. Show video: Optimism for Kids (~2 min). Give each student a small paper cup. Escort them in groups of 3 or 4 to carefully fill the cup halfway with water from the drinking fountain or classroom faucet. Ask students what are the two ways of looking at how much water is in this cup. Explain that optimism means that we see the glass as half full. Give an example of optimism (e.g., I’m optimistic that today will be a great day at school.) Write three sentences on the board and ask students which one shows optimism: 1. I don't want to eat celery because I won't like it. 2. I'm going to try these vegetables because I might like them 3. I don't like to try any new foods. Ask students to draw a picture on their worksheets of how they have shown optimism. Have students share their pictures with a partner. EXTENSION ACTIVITIES Talk with your students about times that you have seen examples of people demonstrating optimism. You could give examples of family, friends, historical figures, or current public figures. Talk with your students about times in your life that you have demonstrated optimism, despite hardships. KINDERGARTEN UNIT 1 WORKSHEET 1: OPTIMISM Optimism: I have hope and believe that my actions will help things to turn out well. Write the word optimism: Draw a picture of a time you showed optimism:

Fiction

The Prohuman Kindergarten curriculum is aligned to two sets of standards: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Character and Social Emotional Development (CSED) National Guidelines. The full collection of units introduces all nine of the prohuman character strengths: optimism, grit, gratitude, curiosity, courage, compassion, fairness, understanding, and humanity. Unit 1, Lesson 1, “Learning Optimism from Literature,” reinforces the vocabulary word optimism. Students will learn an example of optimism from a classic work of children’s literature. Additionally, students will practice spelling optimism and copy the definition of the word optimism. LEARNING OUTCOMES: Listen to a read aloud to reinforce understanding of English sentence structure, syntax, and grammar Spell and define optimism Demonstrate understanding of standard English sentence structure and grammar in writing and speaking Practice conversation skills in a class discussion REQUIRED MATERIALS: Video: Tale of the Two Frogs (~2 min) by Elefaanty - Stories & Rhymes for Kids Prohuman Kindergarten Unit 1 Worksheet 2: Learning Optimism from Literature VOCABULARY: Optimism: I have hope and believe that my actions will help things to turn out well. ELA COMMON CORE STANDARDS MET CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.4 Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.10 Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1.A Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.1.A Print many upper- and lowercase letters. CHARACTER AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (CSED) NATIONAL STANDARDS MET Self-Management A3 Explain the different ways people respond to problems and challenges (e.g., ask for help, try harder, learn from mistakes) Social-Awareness A3 Demonstrate the ability to listen carefully and intentionally to others Interpersonal/Relationship Skills 1 Initiate and engage in conversation and social interactions with classmates, peers, and adults Interpersonal/Relationship Skills 7 Play games and appropriately participate in small group classroom activities Responsible and Ethical Decision-Making 1 Describe a rule or principle that everyone should strive to live by (e.g., be kind, be honest, try your best) LESSON PROCEDURE Play video The Tale of Two Frogs (~2 min) for the class. Have a class discussion about how the frog showed optimism. Discussion questions could include: What were the frogs looking for? What problem did the two frogs face? What did the frogs at the top of the pit tell the frogs? Did the frogs at the top of the pit show optimism? What did the first frog think, and what happened to him? What did the second frog think, and what happened to him? Which frog showed optimism? Have students complete their worksheets. KINDERGARTEN UNIT 1 WORKSHEET 2 Circle the pictures that start with the same sound as frog: Image Credit: August House Learning Resources | Tale of Two Frogs

Nonfiction

The Prohuman Kindergarten curriculum is aligned to two sets of standards: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Character and Social Emotional Development (CSED) National Guidelines. The full collection of units introduces all nine of the prohuman character strengths: optimism, grit, gratitude, curiosity, courage, compassion, fairness, understanding, and humanity. Unit 1, Lesson 3, “Learning Optimism from a Nonfiction Text,” reinforces the vocabulary word optimism. Students will learn the correct spelling of optimism, its definition, and examples from a nonfiction text. Finally, students will practice spelling optimism and copying a sentence about the topic. LEARNING OUTCOMES: Listen to a read aloud to reinforce understanding of English sentence structure, syntax, and grammar Spell, define, and give an example of optimism Compose a sentence using the correct letters Demonstrate understanding of standard English sentence structure and grammar in writing and speaking Practice reading and conversation skills by sharing sentences with classmates REQUIRED MATERIALS: Prohuman Kindergarten Unit 1 Worksheet 3: 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 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.4 Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.10 Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.1.A Print many upper- and lowercase letters. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1.A Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.2 Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.6 Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly. CHARACTER AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (CSED) NATIONAL STANDARDS MET Self-Awareness A2 Identify personal strengths (e.g., honesty, curiosity, listening) Social-Awareness A3 Demonstrate the ability to listen carefully and intentionally to others Interpersonal/Relationship Skills 1 Initiate and engage in conversation and social interactions with classmates, peers, and adults Interpersonal/Relationship Skills 7 Play games and appropriately participate in small group classroom activities Responsible and Ethical Decision-Making 1 Describe a rule or principle that everyone should strive to live by (e.g., be kind, be honest, try your best) LESSON PROCEDURE Read the nonfiction text on the worksheet. Have students take turns reading the nonfiction text to a partner. Have students copy the sentence on their worksheets. KINDERGARTEN UNIT 1 WORKSHEET 3: LEARNING OPTIMISM FROM A NONFICTION TEXT NONFICTION TEXT: Optimism means I have hope and believe that my actions will help things to turn out well. If I have optimism about school, I will learn reading, writing, math, and more. ACTIVITY: Write the word optimism: Copy this sentence about optimism on the lines below: If I have optimism about school, I will learn reading, writing, math, and more.

Nonfiction

The Prohuman Kindergarten curriculum is aligned to two sets of standards: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Character and Social Emotional Development (CSED) National Guidelines. The full collection of units introduces all nine of the prohuman character strengths: optimism, grit, gratitude, curiosity, courage, compassion, fairness, understanding, and humanity. In Unit 1, Lesson 4, “Writing About Optimism,” students will practice writing sentence dictations from the teacher. Students will also work with a partner to read their sentences aloud. LEARNING OUTCOMES: Take sentence dictations from the teacher to practice writing sentences Demonstrate understanding of standard English sentence structure and grammar in writing and speaking Practice reading and conversation skills by sharing sentences with classmates REQUIRED MATERIALS: Prohuman Kindergarten Unit 1 Worksheet 4: Writing About Optimism VOCABULARY: Optimism: I have hope and believe that my actions will help things to turn out well. ELA COMMON CORE STANDARDS MET CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.10 Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.1.A Print many upper- and lowercase letters. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.1.B Use frequently occurring nouns and verbs. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.2.A Capitalize the first word in a sentence and the pronoun I CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.2.B Recognize and name end punctuation. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.2.C Write a letter or letters for most consonant and short-vowel sounds (phonemes). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.2.D Spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.1.E Use the most frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., to, from, in, out, on, off, for, of, by, with). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1.A Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion). CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.6 Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly. CHARACTER AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (CSED) NATIONAL STANDARDS MET Self-Management A3 Explain the different ways people respond to problems and challenges (e.g., ask for help, try harder, learn from mistakes) Social-Awareness A3 Demonstrate the ability to listen carefully and intentionally to others Interpersonal/Relationship Skills 1 Initiate and engage in conversation and social interactions with classmates, peers, and adults Interpersonal/Relationship Skills 7 Play games and appropriately participate in small group classroom activities Responsible and Ethical Decision-Making 1 Describe a rule or principle that everyone should strive to live by (e.g., be kind, be honest, try your best) LESSON PROCEDURE Explain the worksheet to the students: Today on your worksheet, I will read you three sentences. You will write the letters for each word you hear on your worksheet. Write on your worksheet beside number 1: I have hope. Write on your worksheet beside number 2: She has hope. Write on your worksheet beside number 3: He thinks things will go well. KINDERGARTEN UNIT 1 WORKSHEET 4: WRITING ABOUT OPTIMISM Optimism: I have hope and believe that my actions will help things to turn out well.