Resources for Compassion – Elementary

Below is a sampling of the resource materials that may be used to identify and evaluate the use of the life principle.

It is suggested that evidence of this life principle or the lack of it may be found in many writings, films, videos, etc. It is recommended for learners to be engaged in a continuous search for life principle connections as part of the critical thinking process. 
 
 Tool for Evaluating Components of Types of Media:

• ‘Hand’y Curriculum Connections Page One, Page Two

Songs:

• "Random Act of Kindness"  3:27 min
• "We Are The World"     7:11 min. 
• "Count Me In"  2:19 min.  Lower Elementary
• Earth:  We're In It Together  2:43 min. with lyrics PreK – 5th
• "Everyday People"  -  6:05 min.  Reba McEntire & Co
• "Heroes and Friends" by Randy Travis  3:15 min.
• Kind-Hearted Hand  2:22 min.  All Ages   Kind-Hearted Hand was written by Peter Seltser, a visionary artist who believes in a better world. The song was performed by the children of KIDS for PEACE, a global non-profit that is working to uplift our world through love and action.
• GLEE- LEAN ON ME! with lyrics 4:18 min.
• "Point of Light"  Randy Travis   3:37 min
• "Power in Me"  3:56 min.

Literature:

Pre-K- 2

• The Kindness Quilt  9:26 min. Read Aloud of book by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
  • The Kindness Quilt by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace - site for purchase
  • The Kindness Quilt - by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace, Lesson plan for teaching
  • Lesson plan for K - 2 - Discussion starters, writing prompt, activities
• Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson
  • Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed - 11:57 min.
    Read Aloud of book
• Have You Filled A Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud
  • Have you filled a bucket today? - YouTube 6:27 min. 
• Stand In My Shoes: Kids Learning About Empathy by Bob Sornson
  • Stand In My Shoes - YouTube 4:42 min. Read Aloud of the book
  • Stand in My Shoes - YouTube 6:55 min.
• It's Mine! by Leo Lionni - YouTube 5:01 min. 
  by Lionni—Three selfish frogs learn the value of kindness and compassion from a toad who helps them.
• The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig 5:19 min. Read Aloud of the book
  • The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig and Patrice Barton – purchase site 
• Kindness is Cooler,Mrs. Ruler 9:27 min. Read Aloud of the book

Elementary:

• The Book of Virtues: William J. Bennett - This book has a whole section on Compassion with poems, myths, folktales, short stories The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
  —A young boy on the frontier of Colonial America makes friends with a Native American child and takes care of the homestead while his parents are away.
• The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
  —A British boy learns empathy from an action figure.
• Stellaluna - Storyline Online 11 minutes read online by Pamela Reed Written by Janell Cannon —The little bat, Stellaluna, learns to appreciate differences. Includes downloadable Activity Guide 
• The Best Children's Books for Teaching Compassion - list of books created by teachers

Activities:

• Lesson on kind and unkind words - Cotton vs Sandpaper words
• Acts of Kindness Activities - More than 100 Ideas on kindness - Activities, poems, quotes, songs, etc. 
• 55 Kindness Activities for Kids 
• Lesson plans for Kindness  - Grades K – 5
• Lesson Plan on Empathy for Kindergarten
• Current Event Application:
  Select a recent news story that includes a tragedy and a compassionate response. 
   Discussion: 
   1) How do tragedies often bring out the best in people?
   2) Why do you think this is or isn't so?
   Give examples of both. 
• Inspire my Kids - Example of Act of Compassion by Young Girl - real life example, articles, worksheets 
• Make a Difference - Website with stories of real students making a difference - special section for educators with sections on  how to get started, lesson plans, stories, resources

Videos:

• Color Your World With Kindness - YouTube - 2:13 min. video showing small actions make a big difference.
• What is Compassion? 4:16 min. 
• Inspirational Videos - This website has multiple very short videos modeling the living out of life principles in real life situations. 
• Heartwarming Thai Good Stories  3:05 min. 3rd - 12th
• Talk about Compassion  - 30 sec. PreK – 1

Website Resources:

• Compassion - Lesson plans, vocabulary, stories, parent materials, bulletin board ideas, suggested reading lists, quotes, website resources
• Compassion II - Lesson plans, vocabulary, stories, parent materials, bulletin board ideas, suggested reading lists, quotes, website resources
• Pinterest Pennies of time service and kindness games  - Multiple links to games/ideas for teaching Compassion/Kindness
• Book of Virtues by William J. Bennett Lesson Plans – Activity sheets included.

General Resources:

• Keys to Character by Polk County, Florida School District - includes character development lesson material for teachers and parents for the following Life Principles: Responsibility, Compassions, Citizenship, Patriotism, Cooperation, Tolerance, Respect, Honesty, Self-Control, and Kindness
• Elements of a Fable
• 19 Everyday Expressions That Came from Aesop 
• Aesop's Fable Learning Strategies 
• Lesson Plans for Teaching Aesop's Fables - includes a wide variety of resources for teaching Aesop’s Fables.
• Mythweb - website with a variety of resources for teaching myths.
• Tips for Teachers for Myths Suggestions for activities in the classroom 
• More Teaching Tips for Myths More Suggestions for activities in the classroom 

Parent Resources:

• Teaching Empathy and Compassion to Pre schoolers - Article sharing the importance of teaching empathy and compassion to children along with practical things parents can do.