Integration into Current Instruction

• Are you currently sending home a communication log to parents? Try including a section titled “What Went Well” and include a few things for which you or their child are grateful for each day/week.
• Do you have students who are working on sorting? Try collecting images of things the student enjoys and those they don’t. Include a sorting activity related to gratitude — are you “Grateful” for this person/item/place or “Not Grateful.”
• Are your students working on retaining information, conversation skills or reporting on events? Make the focus What Went Well! Create opportunities for students to recall, discuss and report on things that went well each day.

Modifications and Accommodations for Different Learning Levels

• For students with fewer skills, introduce gratitude by having them sort pictures of people, places, experiences and things into two categories: “Grateful” and “Not Grateful”. Download and print our Sorting Cards for use with your students. When sorting, use behavior-specific praise to acknowledge that “YES! You are grateful for the things you love that make you feel happy!”
• Start a picture challenge to help students with less language capture pictures of What Went Well. Use this Picture What Went Well template to capture three pictures each day that represent the student engaged with people, experiences, or things for which they are grateful.
• Create a notebook that the student can carry home and encourage parents/guardians to assist in collecting stories, pictures or comments about “What Went Well” at home each evening, over the weekend and on breaks. Use the notebook or journal to allow the student to share more of their positive experiences with teachers and classmates.