5.16 Personal affirmations
Level
***
Language focus
Descriptions: personal attributes, skills,
physical appearance
Skills focus
Writing
Thinking focus
Creating
Teaching approach
Promote creativity – accept errors
Interaction
Whole
class work, suitable for large classes
Preparation
On the board, write the sentence
stems from the headings in
Box 108.
Procedure
1 Tell the children that when we are positive and kind to each other, we
help to create healthy relationships in the class. Ask them to think about
things they could say to affirm their classmates.
2 Each child starts with a blank piece of paper with his/her name at the top.
3 They pass their paper to the right and this
person writes one affirmation,
using the sentence stems from the board. They should start with a
positive statement about physical appearance,
making sure to include
descriptive adjectives. Some examples are in Box 108.
4 They then pass the paper to the next person on the right. This time, the
children write a positive personal attribute for the person whose name
appears at the top of the page.
5 The paper
is passed for a third time, and the children write about a skill
of the person whose name appears at the top of the paper.
6 Finally, the paper is returned to the original owner who is able to read the
kind affirmations of his/her classmates.
Follow-up
The children could keep
their personal affirmations, or they could be
displayed in the classroom. Over time, the children
could add other positive
statements about their classmates.
Five-Minute Activities for Young Learners
120