Gratitude journals are great to use with middle school students because they allow students to acknowledge the people, places, and things that matter most in their lives.
Students are often asked at this time of year to recall all for which they are thankful. It may involve one lesson or a week's worth of lessons and/or a culminating activity on the last day before the Thanksgiving holiday. Instead of making Thanksgiving break the stopping point for thankfulness, why not make it the starting point? Students can start a gratitude journal over Thanksgiving break and maintain it until winter break. This way, middle school students can truly see the many people, places, and things for which they should give thanks.
The idea of a gratitude journal is simple. Basically, people write down on a daily basis things in their lives for which they are grateful. Of course, they are used in a variety of ways by countless people to serve any number of purposes. Likewise, if teachers in middle school choose to use gratitude journals with their students, they, too, can tweak the journals to meet the needs of their classes. Some teams might want to have students make their own gratitude journals during advisory periods and add to them each day during that given time. Other teachers might want to assign the creation and completion of a gratitude journal in language arts class. Still others might add to a class journal daily, either individually or as a group. Whatever method best serves your purpose is the best method to use.
While holidays are often taboo topics in school, appreciating what one has in his/her life is not; it truly is a universal idea. And since service learning, good character, and values education seem to be predominant purposes in advisory programs, encouraging students to reflect on all that they have and be thankful seems to meet the objectives. Whether it’s two things a day, two minutes a day, or two times a day, allowing students to appreciate the world around them—and their places in it—is a powerful and empowering piece of the day. And for that, we should all be grateful.
