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What is Kindness in the Classroom ® ?
Kindness in the Classroom ® is a free Tier 1 evidenced-based social emotional learning curriculum designed to helps schools create a culture of kindness. By including a focus on equity, teacher self-care, and digital citizenship, The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is excited to share an engaging, relatable, and inclusive curriculum.
How much does Kindness in the Classroom ® cost?
THE CURRICULUM IS COMPLETELY FREE OF CHARGE. Many of the materials required for lessons are items that teachers and schools already have on hand. There are some books that are required for a few of the lessons which might need to be purchased, though most lessons link to a video of someone reading the book if funds are not available to purchase the required books.
How long are the lessons and how much preparation is needed?
Teachers’ time is precious. With that in mind, the lessons and projects can be taught for 30-45 minutes once a week. Each lesson gives a time estimate to aid teachers in adapting the lesson into shorter class periods. Most teachers report needing no more than 15 minutes to prepare for the lessons.
What is the Kindness Framework?
Do I need to teach all the lessons? Do they need to be taught in order?
Lessons are sequential within each unit. The units are designed to help students develop their social emotional skills through a process of being inspired, feeling empowered to be kind, acting on that feeling, reflecting on what they have learned, and sharing their experiences. However, you may implement selected lessons based on your students needs.
How does the curriculum fit with district, state and national standards?
All Kindness in the Classroom ® lesson plans have been mapped to the five CASEL Core Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Competencies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health Education Standards (NHES), the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards, when applicable, and the national Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy, Mathematics, History/Social Studies, and Science & Technical Subjects. Utilization and adoption of these national standards and competencies vary by state, however, teachers can align their own state standards with each lesson as well. For each unit, a Standards Map was created to summarize each of the standards met by all lessons within that unit.
Why is it important to teach social and emotional learning (SEL)?
There are so many reasons! Aside from increased academic performance, SEL programs like Kindness in the Classroom ® improve attitudes and behaviors and reduce emotional distress. Research shows that students receiving the curriculum had greater empathy and sympathy for fellow students and teachers, were intrinsically motivated to be kinder and caring and showed decreased aggressive and antisocial behaviors. Interestingly, teachers reported they had significantly fewer conflicts with their students after teaching the curriculum and said they had more time for teaching. all resulting in students having more time for learning.
How can I successfully implement Kindness in the Classroom ® ?
The fact that you’re even considering implementing SEL in your classroom means you’re already on the road to success. To get started, you can complete an initial Implementation Assessment to help plan a roadmap to successfully bring Kindness in the Classroom to your school—with full support of staff, administration and parent / guardians. After that, you can check our Grades K-5 and Grades 6-8 how to get started documents and then review the teacher training materials.
Do I need training in order to implement Kindness in the Classroom ® ?
Training is not required to use the curriculum, but it is encouraged. The lessons are designed for ease of use and minimal preparation. If your school is planning to use the curriculum within a grade level or throughout the school, it is beneficial to use our free training called Cultivating Resilience Through Kindness to get acquainted with our materials.
Does the entire school need to implement Kindness in the Classroom ® ?
While it is advantageous to use Kindness in the Classroom ® school-wide, you may also wish to implement by grade levels first, and then roll out the program to other grades later.
Is Kindness in the Classroom ® an anti-bullying program?
Kindness in the Classroom ® is designed to pro-actively build healthy relationships among students and a culture of kindness within your school. With this effective curriculum, bullying can oftentimes be prevented.
Does Kindness in the Classroom ® align with CASEL?
Yes, the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)—the world’s leading organization for advancing social emotional learning—has recognized Kindness in the Classroom ® as a CASEL SELect program for excellence in supporting SEL in schools and districts nationwide.
Is Kindness in the Classroom ® culturally responsive? (Equity)
The curriculum has been rated “excellent” by the Equity Project based on this report.
Is there a difference between the K-5 and 6-8 curriculum?
Yes! The elementary and middle school programs were designed differently with the needs of those children and schools in mind. Please see our implementation guide for K-5 here and the guide for grades 6-8 here.
What does the research say about the effectiveness of Kindness in the Classroom ® ?
Please refer to our Research & Reports section to review several reports we commissioned on the effectiveness of Kindness in the Classroom®. Spoiler alert: it works!