Wish for the World

In first and second grade, we have been talking about how important it is to think about others. We might make a wish on our birthday for a new puppy or all the money in the world. Instead of making wishes for ourselves, we focused on how we could make selfless wishes for others. We made a list of all the things people need to be happy; food, water, clean air, shoes, toys, school, etc. Each student began by writing their own wish for the world. They illustrated their wish and we created a background for the wishes in a way that allowed all of the wishes to connect.

The most enjoyable part of this lesson occurred when the students connected their wishes at the front of the room. Most classes, without prompting from me, would read the wishes and talk about what it meant for them all to be connected. I found the students facilitating their own discussion about the meaningful work they had created together.