Counting Everyday Gifts - Teacher’s Guide 1
Written by IMELDA S. CALEON & RONNEL B. KING
CONTENT
•
Note to theTeacher
•
A Primer on Gratitude
3
4
•
The Power of Counting Gifts and Blessings
•
Session 1: Group Gratitude Collage
5
•
Session 2: Elements of
Gratitude
7
•
Session 3: Counting Gifts at Home
•
Session 4: Counting Gifts at School
•
Session 5: Counting Gifts from Friends
•
Session 6: Counting Gifts from the
Community
23
•
Session 7: Counting Gifts: Making
Gratitude Visible
26
•
References
35
Counting Everyday Gifts
Teacher's Guide
10
19
2
NOTE TO THE
TEACHER
The set of activities included in this guide are meant to cultivate students’
sense
of gratitude through individual and group reflections. Before the first
activity, the teacher must inform the students that the subsequent sets of activities
are parts of the school’s initiative,
Foundation Inc.,
to
improve
in
collaboration
students’
academic
with
the
experience
Unilab
and
perceptions of school life by focusing on positive thoughts and activities.
This will help prime the students to the activities but not to the point of
explicitly stating the main focus of the activities.
At the end of the program, students are expected to understand gratitude
as an emotion; explain why having a sense of gratitude is important and develop
awareness of gifts or blessings that are usually taken for granted.
The teacher should also highlight to the students that they will be involved in
six to eight weekly sessions focusing on gratitude reflection.
Counting Everyday Gifts
Teacher's Guide
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A PRIMER ON GRATITUDE
Gratitude is not only the greatest of the
virtues but the parent of all others. -Cicero
Gratitude is an emotion that is felt or experienced whenever one receives something
good or beneficial, not necessarily deserved or earned, from others (Emmons &
McCullough, 2003). These “others” are social agents such as parents, friends, priests,
teacher, and other individuals who play key roles in our daily existence. Recognizing the
role of a benefactor—the giver—provides the social component of gratitude.
Central to the experience of gratitude is the receipt and appreciation of a gift that can be
material or non-material.
A gift can be defined as an “unearned benefit from a donor”
(Camenisch, 1981, p. 2). A gift has five key attributes that make it special: (1) comes from
others; (2) something beneficial;
(3) intentionally given to benefit the recipient; (3) costly to the giver; and (4) not earned or
deserved (Camenisch, 1981). One reason that makes a gift special is that it is a
symbol that someone is intentionally shining a spotlight on the recipient. The giver makes a
conscious choice to offer the gift to the recipient, with benevolent intentions, such as showing
care, love or support, instead of some selfish motives (McCullough, Kimedorf & Cohen, 2008).
A good gift is something beneficial or useful— it meets the needs or adds value to the life of
the recipient (Lim, 2014). In giving the gift, tthe giver also incurs some cost or sacrifice for
the receiver; recognizing the effort, inconvenience or pain that the giver experienced in
giving the gift makes it more valuable and be regarded as a “true gift” by the recipient (Lim,
2014). A gift is freely given by others; it is not earned. We do not say we deserve a gift
as if it is a requirement (Lahaie, 2015), a right or an entitlement. No gift can bring joy to the
one who feels as deserving of whatever he or she receives. All of these qualities make a
gift special and increase the intensity of the gratitude emotion that the gift may induce;
however, one can also feel grateful of gifts that do not have all of the attributes mentioned. For
example, a gift may not be beneficial or desirable for the recipient but it may still be
appreciated by the receiver because of the effort spent by the giver to prepare the gift.
Experiencing gratitude serves as reminder of the good around us and our inherent
connection with others. Gratitude serves as an antidote to one’s tendency to take the good
aspects of life for granted (Lyubomirsky, Sheldon, & Schkade 2005). A grateful disposition
allows one to see himself or herself “largely as the beneficiary of the generosity of others”
(Camenisch, 1981, p, 24). Gratitude functions as a moral glue that can bind people together.
Studies have shown that gratitude is causally related to engagement in pro-social behavior
(Emmons & McCullough, 2003; Nowak & Roch, 2007) and quality of relationships (Caleon et al,
2017; McConnell et al., 2016).
Counting Everyday Gifts
Teacher's Guide
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THE POWER OF COUNTING GIFTS
AND BLESSINGS
A common gratitude activity is Counting Blessings. For this activity, subjects are asked to
list down five things that they are grateful for within a short period (e.g., one week). The
core principle for this activity is that inducing individuals to reflect on being recipients of
the benevolence of others can foster a perspective of life being a gift (Emmons &
McCullough, 2003). When people notice and appreciate that there are many things in
their lives that they can be grateful for, they see the world in a positive light. This is
especially important for those who are pre-occupied with the hassles and challenges that
they face. A version of the activity, which was carried out by college students once a week
for 10 weeks, was found to improve mood, coping behavior, health behaviors (e.g., more
exercise and better sleep), and sense of connection with others (Emmons & McCullough,
2003).
In another study, which involved 11 classes of early adolescents who wrote about five
things in life for which they were grateful daily for two weeks, were found to have higher
levels of gratitude, optimism, positive affect and school life satisfaction compared to their
peers who wrote about five hassles in life or carried out control activities during the same
period (Froh, Seffick & Emmons, 2008). Satisfaction with school experience has been
found to be positively related to academic performance and social relationships
(Verkuyten & Thijs, 2002). However, it has also been reported that young adolescents
experience relatively low levels of school life satisfaction compared to those of other life
domains (Weber & Huebner, 2015). Thus, activities that promote gratitude, such as
Counting Blessings, can help counter students’ negative perceptions of school
experience, which can subsequently foster better school outcomes for the students.
The Counting Blessings and Gifts activity in this manual was based on the original
Counting Blessings activity of Emmons and McCullough (2003) and the enhanced
Counting Blessings activity of Caleon et al. (2017). Caleon et al. (2017) asked the
participants of their study to write five things that they were grateful for and why they are
grateful for each entry in their list. For the Counting Blessings and Gifts Activity in this
study, the participants will basically follow the approach used by Caleon et al. (2017), but
the participants will do so in relation to different social domains.
Counting Everyday Gifts
Teacher's Guide
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THE POWER OF COUNTING GIFTS AND
BLESSINGS
In implementing the activities, priming examples and pictures will be presented to the
participants to help them focus their attention on gifts that they take for granted or fail to
notice and help them realize that gifts are present in multiple domains of their lives—that is
to recognize that life is teeming with gifts. The priming examples also focus on key people
from these domains; such primers serve as reminders of personalities or social events that
might have been given little attention, ignored or taken for granted by students (Molden,
2014). As an introductory priming activity, the students are asked to create a collage of
pictures that represent what they are grateful for from varied spheres of their lives. A
collage is a task involving combination of images and/or objects to form an artwork
(Shepard & Guenette, 2010, p. 297). Collage making has been used as a means to
understand “students’ personal values” (Sturgess, 1983) or to facilitate self-expression and
self-healing for individuals facing difficulties in expressing themselves (Morrity, 1978). In
the Gratitude Collage activity, which was developed by Caleon et al. (2017), the
participants were first shown social primers and then worked together in creating a collage
of images or symbols for the objects, events or persons for which they felt grateful. The
group members also share among each other on why they have chosen each picture and
then one representative from each group will present their group collage to the class. The
students are also asked to carry out sharing sessions during which they are given the
opportunity to share positive experiences and emotions with their peers (Goncu, 1993).
This approach, which is also called “capitalizing”, can help in intensifying and prolonging
the positive emotions associated with the positive events and gifts to be shared
(Langston, 1994).
The students also engage in reflection, which can be regarded as a critical component of a
learning experience (based on Dewey, 1933; Flavell, 1979). It allows taking stock of new
experience and knowledge, and increases active engagement in the activities (Fierke &
Lepp, 2015).
Counting Everyday Gifts
Teacher's Guide
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GROUP GRATITUDE COLLAGE
Objectives
At the end of the activity, the students are expected to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Describe the characteristics of a “gift”;
State the potential benefits of making a collage of gifts;
Develop awareness of gifts that are usually taken for granted; and
Work in groups to create and present a collage of gifts.
Materials
1. Picture cut-outs
2. Glue
3. Vanguard paper or cartolina
4. Colouring pens and/or markers
5. Activity Booklet
1. Introduction
a. State the objectives of the activity.
Our main goal for today is to reflect on and share about the gifts and
blessings that you are most grateful for in life. We will do so as we
make a Group Gratitude Collage.
b. Potential benefits of making a gratitude collage:
• It can increase self-awareness.
• It offers an opportunity for self-expression.
• It can help a person increase confidence or belief in his/her
abilities.
• According to the students who participated in this activity
previously, making a gratitude collage helped their friends
understand them better.
2. Defining Gifts and Presentation of Primers
a. Define gifts and blessings.
• Gifts and blessings are often used synonymously. But there
is a subtle difference between the two.
• A blessing is something that makes you feel good; it touches
your soul and inspires you. It also makes you feel lucky or
fortunate. You may not always be sure of the source of these
blessings. An example if this is fresh air, beautiful scenery
etc.
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Teacher's Guide
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GROUP GRATITUDE COLLAGE
•
•
A gift is something useful or beneficial that is given to you by
someone (i.e., benefactor or source of the gift).
All gifts are blessings.
b. Invite students to reflect about gratitude.
What are you thankful for in life? Why? Think about the blessings or gift
(events/ benefits/favors) that have received and/or experienced.
3. Main Activity
Part 1. Picture Selection and Sharing within Group
a. Form groups of 5 or 6 students.
b. Look at the pictures/ magazine cutouts that we have provided to
your group.
c. Find at least 3 to 4 pictures that represent or remind you of the
GIFTS/BLESSINGS (events/benefits/favor) that you are MOST
THANKFUL for.
d. Share your ideas about each selected picture with your group
mates. Each member can speak for 1-2 minutes
•
•
•
•
Why did you choose each picture?
What gift does each picture represent or remind you of?
Why are you thankful for this gift?
Who offered you this gift? Who is responsible for this gift?
Part 2. Group Collage
Now, work together in combining your magazine cuts out/pictures to create a
group collage. [Give students 10 minutes to work on the group collage.]
a. Combine the pictures/magazine cut outs to create a group collage
representing GIFTS/ BLESSINGS that you feel grateful for.
b. Organize the pictures to create a theme representing the
GIFTS/BLESSINGS that your group selected.
c. Think of a NAME for your group in relation to this theme.
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Teacher's Guide
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GROUP GRATITUDE COLLAGE
Part 3. Sharing of Collage to the Class
Choose a member of the group to present your collage. Each group has about 2
minutes to present. The presenter of each group can share about the following:
a. What is the theme your collage?
b. What do they represent?
c. Why are your members thankful for such gifts or blessings?
4. Reflection Time
•
Asking the students to reflect about the activity helps them to take stock of
their new knowledge and experience. Instruct the students to answer the
following questions (page 4 of Activity Booklet):
• Afterdoinga the activity, what did you feel while preparing your
group’s the gratitude collage?
• What did you think about or realize after making the gratitude collage
and doing the presentation?
•
Ask volunteers to share their ideas.
Counting Everyday Gifts
Teacher's Guide
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ELEMENTS OF
GRATITUDE
Objectives
By the end of the activity, you will be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Define gratitude;
Describe the key elements of gratitude;
Describe the key characteristics of a gift;
Share about a memorable gift to peers;
State the importance of being grateful.
Materials
1. Powerpoint Slides
2. Color pencils
3. Activity Booklet
I. Introduction
1. Present the objectives of the activity .
2. Define gratitude.
a. Introductory Statement: When was the last time you felt grateful? Can
you describe when it happened? [Ask for volunteers.]
b. Gratitude is the emotion that we feel when experienced o received
some thing good and this good came from others.
c. Gratitude is an affirmation of goodness. We affirm that there are good
things in the world, gifts and benefits we’ve received.
d. Gratitude is recognition that the sources of this goodness are outside
of ourselves. We acknowledge that other people—or even higher
powers, for the religious– gave us gifts, big and small, to
help us achieve or experience the goodness in our lives.
Counting Everyday Gifts
Teacher's Guide
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3.
Why is it good to be grateful?
•
According to leading researchers (not their real faces) on human
emotions, such as gratitude, grateful people have lower levels of
stress, are less materialistic, more optimistic, healthier, and happier.
•
According to a student (not his real face) who participated in gratitude
activities last year, his relationships with others improved. The activity
also made him realize that there are so many things in life that we
can be thankful for.
Let us now try to understand the different elements of gratitude.
•
4.
What are gifts? What are the key characteristics of
gifts that make them special?
•
Gratitude is usually associated with receiving GIFTS. Think about a
memorable gift that you received. [Ask for volunteers. You may ask if
there are some of them who received a dog as a gift. You may share
about special gifts that you received.]
[Answer the questions below using the pet dog as example of a gift. Ask
students who received a pet dog as a gift. You may continue sharing
about the special gift that you received.]
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Teacher's Guide
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a. Gifts are beneficial to us.
•
•
•
•
•
•
b.
Was this gift useful in any way? How?
What did you feel after receiving your special gift?
Did the gift make you smile?
Did the gift make you feel comfortable?
Did the gift make you feel loved?
Did the gift make your life easier or better?
Gifts are borne out of the kindness of others.
For every gift that we received, someone must have thought about us and
had good intentions for giving it to us. Who gave you the most memorable
gift?
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Teacher's Guide
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c.
Gifts are intentional; they are given for altruistic rather
than self-serving motives.
The most important thing about giving and receiving is the INTENTION
behind it. A gift is something intended to make you feel loved, cared for,
address your needs or make your life better. At times these intentions are
expressed explicitly through the notes attached to the gift; sometimes we
have to infer the intention of the giver from the nature of the gift.
Template for your personal sharing: The gift that I received last time had a
special note—“especially for you”. This shows that this gift was really
meant for me. He could have given it to someone else, but he chose me. I
think he gave it to me because ______. For that, I am grateful. [Teacher
shares own experience.]
d.
Gifts are costly.
Every gift, no matter how simple or
how small entailed some cost from
those who gave it to us. It could be
time, money or effort. Many times, the
gift that we received required a
combination of these three. [Continue
sharing about the special gift that you
received, such as how the giver spent
time to give you such a gift.]
Counting Everyday Gifts
Teacher's Guide
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Additional idea:
Do you sometimes underestimate or dismiss the sacrifice of the giver of your
gift? This often happens when we receive simple gifts. There are times when we
think that we deserve more form our loved ones. But come to think of how much
they sacrificed for the gift of providing for your needs.
Never complain about the
things your parents gave
you…
It was
probably all
they had.
Additional idea: What if others are just doing their duties or obligation
that happened to benefit you? Should you be grateful to them?
Scenario 1: A lifeguard saved your life.
As a lifeguard, his duty is to save lives.
However, at the time you were drowning,
he can decide to play and be an ineffective
lifeguard or to be a responsible life guard
and risk his life to save yours. Should you
be grateful to him?
Suggested response: The lifeguard has a choice not to do his duties or
obligations. This act is worth your gratitude because of the fact that he CHOSE
to be an effective or responsible lifeguard and do more than just the minimum
for his duties—doing surveillance of guests at the beach resort. The sacrifice or
extra effort that he exerted to do his duties—such as braving the danger of
being swept away by the water-- makes his act of service something that you
can be grateful for.
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Teacher's Guide
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Scenario 2: You paid a painter to paint
your house. Thepainter painted your wall
despite the scorching heat of the sun,
which is not happening when he does
his work. He did so without complaining
and have been extra meticulous in making
the finishing even and smooth
Some of the people we encounter offer us service or support as part of their duty,
usually in exchange for some payment. They do it not out of love or care but
because of money. Technically that does not entail gratitude. However, if in doing
their duties they have done extraordinary sacrifice, we need to be grateful. For
example, the painter painted your wall despite the extreme heat of the sun, which
is not always happening when he does his work, and he did so without
complaining, and have been extra meticulous in making the finishing even and
smooth—you need to be grateful to him for not backing out.
Additional note:
According to Philosopher Seneca, it might be argued that a benefactor who
benefits one in fulfilling her duty deserves gratitude insofar as living up to her
duty required extraordinary sacrifice on her part (McConnell 1993: 16;
Seneca On Benefits: III.19.12–13).
Counting Everyday Gifts
Teacher's Guide
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e.
Gifts are not earned or deserved; they are given freely.
Do you think you earned or deserved the gifts that you received?
A gift is freely given by others; it is not earned. We do not say we deserve a
gift as if it is a requirement, a right, an entitlement or a payment. Although
a gift may come after we have done something good, it is NOT A
PAYMENT OR REWARD for what we did. A payment or reward is given
with an agreement or contract that if you do something, you will get
something. A gift is given without this agreement or contract.
We often think that we deserve the benefits that we receive from others.
If we look at these good things gifts, we will feel grateful to others.
What we receive from others
normally comes in two forms
— one that is earned or one
that is given freely
(no condition/ not obligated). A
gift is freely given. It is given
out of the intention of the giver
to show care, appreciation or
love.
Additional idea: We may also feel surprised when we received gifts as they
may come unexpectedly.
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Teacher's Guide
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Summary:
What are the key characteristics of GIFTS that make us feel grateful of
them?
• GIFTS are benefits from others; they remind us that we are
recipients of other’s benevolence.
•
•
They are beneficial to us; they make our life better, easier and/or
happier.
They are intentional; they are intended to show love, care
and support to the recipient.
•
•
They are costly.
They are not earned or deserved.
When gifts have all the characteristics mentioned, the intensity of gratitude
that may be experienced in receiving such gifts is higher. But gifts may not
have all the characteristics mentioned, but we can still be grateful for them,
only at a lower intensity. For example, a gift may not be beneficial or desirable
to the recipient but it may still be appreciated by the receiver because of the
effort spent by the giver to prepare the gift.
Sometimes we call gifts as blessings, as they contribute to our happiness
and make us feel as if we are recipients of Divine grace or favor. All gifts are
blessings—they make your life happier and better.
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Teacher's Guide
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2. Main Activity: My Most Memorable Gift
Instruct the students to the following:
a. Open the Activity Booklet on page 6.
b. Write about the most memorable gift that you received. Draw a
symbol representing this gift.
o
o
o
o
o
Who or what (i.e., giver) is responsible for this gift? What do
you think was the intention of the giver in giving it to you?
What cost or risk did the giver incur to give you this gift?
Why are you grateful for this gift? How did
this gift benefit you? How did this gift make
your life better?
Did you earn this gift? What makes you less
deserving of this gift?
Did you find this gift surprising (i.e.,
something unexpected) or unsurprising
(i.e., something that you are certain to be
part of your life? In what way?
Group Sharing:
o Form groups of four.
o Take turns to share about the most memorable gift that you
received. Just share items that you feel comfortable sharing.
o For the rest of the group members, talk about your positive
thoughts about what have been shared by your groupmates.
Reflection Time:
Asking the students to reflect about the activity helps them to take
stock of their new knowledge and experience. Instruct the students
to the following on page 7 of the Activity Booklet.
a.
b.
After doing the activity, what did you feel?
What do you think about the activity?
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Teacher's Guide
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COUNTING
GIFTS AT HOME
Objectives
At the end of the activity, the students are expected to
1. Prepare a list of gifts received or experienced at home;
2. Share about the gifts received from home with peers;
3. Explain why they are thankful for the gifts received; and
4. State the benefits of counting gifts.
Materials
• Powerpoint Slides
• Color pencils
• Activity Booklet
1.
Introduction
a. State the objectives of the activity.
b. Recall the definition of gratitude and the different characteristics of gifts
that make them special.
• GIFTS are benefits from others; they remind us that we are
recipients of other’s benevolence.
• They are beneficial to us; they make our life better, easier and/or
happier.
• They are intentional; they are intended to show love, care and
support to
• They are costly.
• They are not earned or deserved.
When gifts have all the characteristics mentioned, the gratitude level that may
be experienced in receiving such gifts is higher. Some gifts may not have all the
attributes mentioned, but can still induce gratefulness, although at a lower
intensity. For example, if you receive anime figures but you don’t like them, you
may still appreciate the fact that your donor has spent money and effort to
prepare the gift.
Counting Everyday Gifts
Teacher's Guide
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2.
Presentation of primers
a. Every day we receive a number of gifts from different domains or
spheres of our lives, such us in our world with friends, with
schoolmates, and community members. Many of the blessings/gifts
that we receive in our lives are experienced at home.
b. [Show the picture below and pose the question:] What are the things
that you may be grateful for at home? You might have received or
experienced a number of gifts from family members. You may not be
aware that they are gifts. You just have to open your eyes and look
around you.
WHAT DO I HAVE TO
BE THANKFUL
FOR?
3.
Benefits of counting gifts and blessings
Counting and reflecting about the gifts or blessings that we have has a number of
benefits. According to leading researchers (not their real faces, we did not get a
permit to show their faces) who are focusing on human emotions, such as
gratitude, counting blessings and gifts can help you feel better about yourself and
life conditions and improve your relationships.
According to a student (not his real face) who participated in this activity last year:
Counting gifts and blessings made him realize that there are so many things in
life that we can be thankful for.
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Teacher's Guide
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4. Presentation of Examples
[You may present the example provided in the slides. Focus on the key
characteristics of gifts. Help the students reflect how they are less worthy or less
deserving of the gift they received. It is better if you provide your own example.
This provides a personal touch to the activity.]
Sometimes, the mere presence of people in our lives is a blessing or gift in itself.
The source and intentionality involved in this gift is difficult to trace unless we
are Christians (with the source of this gift being God). Putting the religious
aspect aside, we can say that these people are gifts because of the benefit that
their presence offer to us--that they make us happier and make our lives better
and that they are given freely to us. The baby may have not intended to a make
you feel better but you felt happy—this is a positive benefit that stems from his
innocence and happiness.
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5. Main Activity
Instruct the students to do the following.
a. Please turn to page 9-10 of the Activity Booklet.
b. Imagine what happened from the time you woke up until the time you
slept each day during the past 5 days. What did you do? What made
your life easier, better or more enjoyable at home?
c. Write down two gifts that you received from or experienced
with family members during the past five days. You may also
add a drawing showing the gift that you received.
d. Answer the following questions in relation to each blessing:
o Who is the family member who gave you this gift (i.e.,
giver)? What do you think was his or her intention in giving
the gift to you?
o What cost as incurred by this family member to give you this
gift? Think about the extra effort or sacrifice, if any, of this
family member
o Why you are grateful for each gift? How did this gift benefit
you? How did this gift make your life better?
o Did you earn this gift? What makes you less deserving of
this gift?
o Did you find this gift surprising (i.e., something unexpected)
or unsurprising (i.e., something that you are certain to be
part of your life? In what way?
6. Pair Sharing
Instruct the students to do the following.
a. The person sitting next to you will be your partner.
b. Take turns to share about the two gifts you experienced at home
for which you are most grateful. Just share items that you feel
comfortable sharing.
c. After hearing what your partner shared, you may talk about some
positive reactions or realizations.
7. Reflection Time
Instruct the students to write about their thoughts about the activity on page 11 of
the Activity Booklet. Ask for volunteers to share about their ideas.
a. What did you feel after doing the activity?
b. What do you think about the activity?
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Teacher's Guide
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COUNTING GIFTS
AT SCHOOL
Objectives
At the end of the activity, the students are expected to
1. Prepare a list of gifts received or experienced at school;
2. Share about the gifts received from school with peers; and
3. Explain why they are thankful for the gifts received
Materials
• Powerpoint Slides
• Color pencils
• Activity Booklet
1.
Introduction
c. State the objectives of the activity.
d. Recall the different characteristics of gifts that make them special.
2.
Presentation of primers
Besides the many gifts that we received from family members, friends,
and community members, many of the blessings/gifts that we receive in
our lives are experienced at school.
[Show the picture below or the one in the slide and pose the question:] What
are the things that you may be grateful for at school? You might have received
or experienced a number of gifts at school but you may not be aware that they
are gifts. You just have to look around your school.
BUT WHAT DO I HAVE TO BE GRATEFUL FOR AT
SCHOOL?
Knowledge
Trust
Respect
Patience
Kindness
Joy
Inspiration
Counting Everyday Gifts
Teacher's Guide
Hope
Care
Forgiveness
Hope
23
3. Presentation of Examples
[You may present the example provided in the slides. Focus on the key
characteristics of gifts. It is better if you provide your own example. This
provides a personal touch to the activity.]
Counting Everyday Gifts
Teacher's Guide
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4. Main Activity
Instruct the students to do the following.
a. Please turn to pages 13-14 of the Activity Booklet.
b. Imagine what happened from the time you woke up until the time you
slept each day during the last 5 days. What did you do? What made
your life easier, better or more enjoyable at school?
c. Write down two gifts that you received at school during the past
five days. Draw a symbol representing the gift that you received.
d. Answer the following questions in relation to each blessing:
o Who is the school member that gave you or is responsible
for this gift (i.e., giver)? What do you think was the intention
of the giver in giving it to you?
o What cost was incurred by this school member to offer you
this gift? Think about this school member’s time, effort
and/or sacrifice to come up with this gift.
o Why are you grateful for this gift? How did this gift benefit
you? How did this gift make your life better?
o Did you earn this gift? What makes you less deserving of
this gift?
o Did you find this gift surprising (i.e., something unexpected)
or unsurprising (i.e., something that you are certain to be
part of your life? In what way?
5. Pair Sharing
Instruct the students to do the following.
a. The person sitting next to you will be your partner.
b. Take turns to share about two gifts at school for which you are most
grateful.
c. After hearing what your partner shared, you may give some positive
reactions or realizations.
6. Reflection Time
Instruct the students to write their answers on the following questions on page 15
of the Activity Booklet. Ask for volunteers to share.
a. What did you feel after doing the activity?
b. What do you think about the activity?
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COUNTING GIFTS FROM
FRIENDS
Objectives
At the end of the activity, the students are expected to
1. prepare a list of gifts received from friends
2. share about the gifts to peers;
3. explain why they are thankful for the gifts received; and
4. state the benefits of counting gifts.
Materials
• Powerpoint Slides
• Color pencils
• Activity Booklet
1.
Introduction
a. State the objectives of the activity.
b. Recall the different characteristics of gifts that make them special.
2.
Presentation of primers
We have already talked about the gifts that we received at home and at
school. Many of the blessings/gifts that we receive come from our friends
or are experienced with friends.
[Show the picture below and invite the students to reflect about what
they are grateful for:] What are the things that you may be grateful for at
home? You might have received a number of gifts from friends.
BUT WHAT
DO I HAVE
TO BE
GREATFUL
FOR?
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3. Presentation of Examples
You may present the example provided in the slides. Focus on the key
characteristics of gifts. It is better if you provide your own example.
This provides a personal touch to the activity.
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4. Main Activity
Instruct the students to do the following.
a. Please turn to pages 17-18 of the Activity Booklet.
b. Imagine what happened from the time you woke up until the time you
slept each day during the last 5 days. What did you do? What made
your life easier, better or more enjoyable at home?
c. Write down two gifts that you received from or experienced with
friends during the past five days. You may also add a drawing
showing the gift that you received.
d. Answer the following questions in relation to each blessing:
o What is the name of your friend who gave you this gift? What
do you think was his or her intention in giving this gift you?
o What cost was incurred by your friend to offer you this gift?
Thinkaboutyour friend’seffort,timespent,and/orsacrifice to give
you this gift.
o Why you are grateful for this gift? How did this gift benefit
you? How did this gift make your life better?
o Did you earn this gift? What makes you less deserving of this
gift?
o Did you find this gift surprising (i.e., something unexpected)
or unsurprising (i.e., something that you are certain to be part
of your life? In what way?
5. Group Sharing
Instruct the students to do the following.
a. Form groups of three.
b. Take turns sharing about the gift from friends that you are most
grateful for during the past five days.
c. The rest of the group members may share your reactions to what has
been shared by your groupmate.
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LAST WEEK, THE
GIFTS I RECEIVED
FROM FRIENDS
WERE...
6.
THE GIFTS I
RECEIVED
Reflection Time
Instruct the students to answer the following questions on page 19 of
the Activity Booklet. Ask for volunteers to share.
a. What did you feel after doing the activity?
b. What do you think about the activity?
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COUNTING GIFTS
FROM THE
COMMUNITY
Objectives
At the end of the activity, the students are expected to
1. Prepare a list of gifts received from or experienced
with members of the community
2. Share about the gifts received from the community with peers;
3. Explain why they are thankful for the gifts received
Materials
• Powerpoint Slides
• Color pencils
• Activity Booklet
1.
Introduction
a. State the objectives of the activity.
b. Recall the different characteristics of gifts that make them special.
2.
Presentation of primers
We have already talked about the gifts that we received at home and at
school, and from friends. Many of the blessings/gifts that we receive come
from community members.
Show the picture below and invite students to reflect: "What are the things
that you may be grateful for at your community? Sometimes, you may not
be aware that they are gifts. You just have to open your eyes and look
around you."
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3. Presentation of Examples
You may present the example provided in the slides. Focus on the key
characteristics of gifts. It is better if you provide your own example. This
provides a personal touch to the activity.
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4. Main Activity
Instruct the students to do the following.
a. Please turn to pages 21-22 of the Activity Booklet.
b. Imagine what happened from the time you woke up until the time you
slept each day during the last 5 days. What did you do? What made
your life easier, better or more enjoyable at home?
c. Write down two gifts that you received from or experienced with
community members during the past five days. You may also add a
drawing showing the gift that you received.
d. Answer the following questions in relation to each blessing:
o Who is the community member or group that gave you or is
responsible for this gift? What do you think was the intention
of this community member or group in giving the gift to you?
o What cost was incurred by the community member or group
to give you this gift? Think about the time, effort and/or
sacrifice that this community member or group spent to offer
you this gift.
o Why you are grateful for this gift? How did this gift benefit
you? How did it make your life better?
o Did you earn this gift? What makes you less deserving of
this gift?
o Did you find this gift surprising (i.e., something unexpected)
or unsurprising (i.e., something that you are certain to be
part of your life? In what way?
5. Group Sharing
Instruct the students to do the following.
a. Form groups of four.
b. Take turns to share about the gift from the community that you are
most grateful for during the past five days.
c. For the rest of the group members, you may share your positive
reactions to what has been shared by your groupmate.
6. Reflection Time
Instruct the students to answer the following questions on page 23 of the Activity
Booklet. Ask for volunteers to share.
a. What did you feel after doing the activity?
b. What do you think about the activity?
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COUNTING GIFTS:
GRATITUDE VISIBLE
Objectives
By the end of the activity, you will be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
write about and reflect on gifts from different domains of life
express gratitude to friends and other significant others
create an art form from completed gratitude notes
provide feedback on the gratitude activities
Materials
• Powerpoint Slides
• Color pencils
• Activity Booklet
• Gratitude heart notes
1. Introduction
• State the objectives of the activity.
• Ask the students about what they have learned about gratitude and
the different characteristics of gifts that make them special.
• Remind the students of thanksgiving focusing on different domains
ofstudents’lives.
2. Writing on gratitude heart notes
Say the following:“To conclude our activity, please complete the four heart
notes, with each note focusing on one person from one domain of your life.
Please note that this is an open gratitude note that canbereadbyothers.Use
thefollowingmessageformat.”
•
•
•
•
As a member of _____family, I am grateful for….because…
As student of _____ , I am grateful for…. because…
As member of ______group, I am grateful for… because….
As member of ______community, I am grateful for… because….
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3. Gratitude Art
Instruct the students form groups of 5 or 6. Ask them to put together all their
heart notes to form figure that represent the ideas expressed by the group
members.
4. Group Presentation
One member of each group will present their Gratitude Art for 2 to 3 minutes. The
presenter will explain the key ideas of their group.
5. Reflection
Ask the student to write their answers on the following questions (Activity Booklet,
page 26).
• What did you feel after doing all of the Counting Gifts and Blessing
activities?
• What are your key take-away from the activities?
• What activity did you like most? Why?
• Is there any activity that you didn't like? If yes, why?
• Please write down suggestions, if any, to improve the activities?
6. Final Points
Remind the students of the benefits of being grateful, making counting gifts and
blessings a habit. Suggest having a gratitude journal on which they can write the
gifts received once a week.
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Teacher's Guide
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Counting Everyday Gifts - Teacher’s Guide