2nd grade classroom: using the flashcard set (once a week)
The group uses one large flashcard to talk about a thank-you situation before anyone writes. This once a week plan is for 2nd grade children in a classroom group.
about 7 and 8- 5 to 10 minutes missions
- once a week
Using the flashcard set for 2nd grade in a classroom group
The group uses one large flashcard to talk about a thank-you situation before anyone writes. In this classroom, 2nd grade children (about 7 and 8) practice with “The blocks back in the bins.” Eli, the classmate, Eli stayed after play and put the blocks back in the right bins. The once a week calendar is the one that fits: This is the once-per-week format from the second half of the manual, written for groups and clubs that do not meet daily. One meeting carries the mission. A single home task goes in the activity book. Do not try to compress five school days into one hour.
The classroom teacher leads. The block has to end on time. Five to ten minutes is the whole lesson, not the introduction to a longer lesson. Children answer in a flashcard on the rug or the board, then quiet writing. The spoken line is “Thank you for cleaning up the blocks with me..” The note line is “Thank you for putting the blocks away..” Alison Gilham’s program supplies the manual, the activity book, and the flashcards; this page is the plan for this group and this kindness.
One once a week meeting in the classroom
This is the once-per-week format from the second half of the manual, written for groups and clubs that do not meet daily. One meeting carries the mission. A single home task goes in the activity book. Do not try to compress five school days into one hour. In the classroom, the classroom teacher has one sitting with 2nd grade children, about 7 and 8. Do not replay a school week. The block has to end on time. Five to ten minutes is the whole lesson, not the introduction to a longer lesson.
Open on “The blocks back in the bins.” Tell the group that Eli, the classmate, Eli stayed after play and put the blocks back in the right bins at the block corner. Put two bins of blocks in sight. Ask all three questions, one at a time: “Which part of cleanup is easy to leave for someone else?” “What thanks sounds fair if you both worked?” “What thanks sounds fair if Eli did your part too?” Children answer in a flashcard on the rug or the board, then quiet writing. Stop answers that are only “they were nice.”
Say the spoken line together: “Thank you for cleaning up the blocks with me.” Then each child says it to a partner. Hold one card. Ask what the person did. Match the card to the page in the activity book only after the children have said the kindness in their own words. The classroom teacher listens for Eli's name and for two bins of blocks.
Writing comes only after the line has been said. Ask them to read the note aloud to a partner before it is finished. The partner’s only job is to point out whether the person and the kindness are both clear. The sentence they aim for is “Thank you for putting the blocks away.” Children who are not ready dictate. The extra pages are for this draft.
Who is in the classroom
A public, private, or charter classroom can run the Monday–Friday missions from the first half of the Operation Thank You Manual. The same children are there each day, which is what the daily format was written for. The teacher keeps the manual. Each child keeps a classroom activity book.
Age tips for 2nd grade (about 7 and 8)
Second graders can handle a fuller thank-you note. They still need the flashcards, because a picture keeps the talk on one kindness instead of a lecture about manners. The same situations appear in the activity book, so the class can discuss and then write with more independence. For this classroom plan, keep the mission inside 5 to 10 minutes. a flashcard on the rug or the board, then quiet writing.
The note for Eli
Ask them to read the note aloud to a partner before it is finished. The partner’s only job is to point out whether the person and the kindness are both clear. For this kindness the sentence is “Thank you for putting the blocks away.” It has to mention the block corner or two bins of blocks, not a general compliment to the classmate.
Words to say about Eli
This is a script the classroom teacher can say with 2nd grade children during using the flashcard set. It uses “The blocks back in the bins,” a practice situation for this plan. It is not a list of the 30 printed flashcards. Those cards stay in the set and match the activity book. Use this script when you need the words in the room.
Copy-ready lines for “The blocks back in the bins”
Spoken line to practice: “Thank you for cleaning up the blocks with me.” Reply children may hear: “The long ones go in this bin.” Note line to write: “Thank you for putting the blocks away.” Spanish line for the same kindness: “Gracias por guardar los bloques.”
Spanish materials in this group
If any child in the classroom speaks Spanish at home, order the Spanish activity book for that child and keep the same situation. The Spanish line for this plan is “Gracias por guardar los bloques.” The English line remains “Thank you for cleaning up the blocks with me.”
Classroom and group notes for the classroom
A public, private, or charter classroom can run the Monday–Friday missions from the first half of the Operation Thank You Manual. The same children are there each day, which is what the daily format was written for. The teacher keeps the manual. Each child keeps a classroom activity book. The block has to end on time. Five to ten minutes is the whole lesson, not the introduction to a longer lesson.
If 2nd grade children stall on Eli
Scatter five paper squares. Cleanup is not done until the thanks names the bins, not just “helping.” A child who keeps thanking the classroom teacher is avoiding Eli. Send them back to the classmate and the moment at the block corner. Whispering “Thank you for cleaning up the blocks with me.” counts.
Books for this classroom 2nd grade group
Spoken practice about Eli can start in the classroom today. The activity-book template matters when 2nd grade children are ready to write “Thank you for putting the blocks away..” If a sponsor is funding this classroom group, parents get a sample letter, and shipping is included on full and partial packages. The leader can ask at no cost.
What Eli's lesson needs
The flashcard set has 30 cards, 8.5 by 11 inches, colorful, with rounded corners. The cards mirror the activity book so the group can look at one situation before writing. Each child needs Why and How To Say “Thank You,” the classroom edition: a saddle-stitched activity book with situations for saying thank you, the How To Write A Thank You Note template, and extra pages to practice. The Operation Thank You Manual is 98 pages. The first half is the Monday–Friday classroom sequence. The second half is the once-per-week sequence for clubs. The manual, the activity book, and the flashcards are available in Spanish. The MISSION Reminders Supplement can be added when some children speak Spanish. Extra activity books are sold in packs of 10. For “The blocks back in the bins,” also set out two bins of blocks. Hold one card. Ask what the person did. Match the card to the page in the activity book only after the children have said the kindness in their own words.
Home work after The blocks back in the bins
Put one set of toys back where they belong and thank the person who usually does that alone. Write that in the activity book so the family sees Eli's kindness, not a blank “say thank you.” Ask them to read the note aloud to a partner before it is finished. The partner’s only job is to point out whether the person and the kindness are both clear.
Questions leaders ask
Let's Grow a Culture of Thank You.
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and say “Thank You” with meaning.