Lesson 10 — Caring and Working Together

Capstone: learners bring all eight skills of the unit — encouraging, solving with words, noticing different feelings, caring when someone hurts, welcoming, honoring traditions, cooperating, and helping — together to plan and carry out one caring act for their class community.

D02 P1: Emotional & Social Awareness D02.S1D02.S2D02.S3D02.S4 55 minutes Draft

Objectives

D02.S1.02.01 Give a sincere compliment or word of encouragement to a classmate during an activity.
D02.S1.02.02 Resolve a simple disagreement with a classmate using words instead of grabbing or shouting.
D02.S2.02.01 Describe how two people in the same situation might feel differently.
D02.S2.02.02 Show caring when a classmate is sad, left out, or hurt.
D02.S3.02.01 Explain what makes a group feel welcoming and inclusive to everyone in it.
D02.S3.02.02 Describe a community tradition or celebration and what it means to the group.
D02.S4.02.01 Cooperate with others to finish a task that no one could do alone.
D02.S4.02.02 Explain why helping others helps everyone, including themselves.

Essential question

How do I care for others and work with them to do what I cannot do alone?

carecooperatewelcometraditionencouragecommunity

Materials

Standard materials

A caring-act menu · 1 per group A short menu — welcome a newcomer, tidy a shared space, make a celebration, build something together
Caring-act supplies · varies Paper, markers, cloth, or blocks — whatever the chosen act needs

Low-tech / no-cost

Hands and voices Do the caring act with bodies and words alone; no special supplies needed
Found and reusable items Use whatever is already in the room or outside for the caring act

Enriched / lab & device

Camera or tablet · 1 per group Document the caring act to build a class "how we care and work together" book or poster
Class sharing-circle props · 1 set A turn marker and soft rug for a celebratory closing circle

Works in different contexts

large-group Split into small teams, each doing one caring act, then gather in one big circle to share what each team did
self-directed A learner plans and carries out one caring act at home or in class, using every skill, and records it in a drawing or a few sentences
outdoor-only Carry out the caring act outdoors — welcome a new friend to the yard, clear a shared space, plant something together — then gather to reflect
multi-age Mixed-age teams plan a caring act together, with older learners writing the plan and younger learners leading the doing
level-grouped Form teams so each has a mix of skills, and every learner has a part to name

A collage of eight labeled panels — encourage, solve with words, two feelings, care when hurt, a welcoming group, traditions, together we can, and helping helps everyone — with a central band reading "many small acts build a caring community," gathering the whole unit into one image of caring and working together.

Lesson 10 — Caring and Working Together

Summary

This capstone gathers everything from the unit into one caring act. Learners plan and carry out a small act of care for their class community — welcoming a newcomer, tidying a shared space, making a celebration, or building something together — using encouragement, words, noticing feelings, caring, welcoming, traditions, cooperation, and helping along the way.

Objectives

Give a sincere compliment or word of encouragement to a classmate during an activity. (D02.S1.02.01)
Resolve a simple disagreement with a classmate using words instead of grabbing or shouting. (D02.S1.02.02)
Describe how two people in the same situation might feel differently. (D02.S2.02.01)
Show caring when a classmate is sad, left out, or hurt. (D02.S2.02.02)
Explain what makes a group feel welcoming and inclusive to everyone in it. (D02.S3.02.01)
Describe a community tradition or celebration and what it means to the group. (D02.S3.02.02)
Cooperate with others to finish a task that no one could do alone. (D02.S4.02.01)
Explain why helping others helps everyone, including themselves. (D02.S4.02.02)

Connection

All the skills in this unit fit together like tools in one box: cheer someone on, solve a problem with words, notice that two people can feel differently, care when someone hurts, welcome a newcomer, honor a tradition, do your part together, and remember that helping helps everyone. Today you use the whole box at once to make your class a kinder, more welcoming place — the same way people everywhere build caring communities with many small acts.

Materials

A caring-act menu (welcome a newcomer, tidy a shared space, make a celebration, build something together)
Caring-act supplies (paper, markers, cloth, or blocks — whatever the act needs)

Preparation

Prepare the menu of caring acts learners can choose from.
Set out supplies and a simple plan sheet for each small group.

Facilitator note

This is a performance of the whole unit, not a test. Keep it joyful and low-stakes. Let learners choose their caring act; your job is to notice and name the skills as they appear (“I heard a real cheer,” “I saw you make room,” “I noticed you both felt differently and talked it out”). Celebrate effort, not perfection, and celebrate cooperation, not ranking — there is no winning group. No learner must speak in front of the whole group; sharing can be by drawing, action, or a partner speaking on their behalf. Every culture builds community with small acts of care; name that as you close. Read the procedure aloud; model choosing an act and naming one skill first.

Procedure

Gather (5 min). Sit in a circle. Think: what is one small thing that would make our class kinder or more welcoming today?
Pick a caring act (10 min). With your group, choose one caring act from the menu. Talk it over: what will we do, and how will each of us help? Use encouraging words, take turns speaking, and solve any small disagreement with words.
Do it together (25 min). Carry out your caring act. While you work: cheer your teammates on, notice how they feel, make room for everyone, do your part, and remember that helping helps everyone. If someone feels left out or sad, notice, ask, stay, and include.
Share back (10 min). Gather in a circle. Each group shares what it did — with words, pictures, or by acting it out — and the class listens without interrupting. Name one skill you used today and one part you did.
Close (5 min). Remember: caring and working together is a practice we do every day — with cheers, words, care, welcome, and help. Today you did it all at once.

Differentiation

Support: Offer a two-option menu and a picture-based plan sheet; assign a “helper buddy” to each learner. A non-speaking learner contributes by acting, drawing, or signing.
Extension: Invite groups to plan a second caring act for a community beyond the classroom (a sibling group, a neighbor) and describe how the same skills apply.

Assessment

Performance (observation): Does the learner use encouragement, caring words, and a part in the shared act during the caring act?
Artifact (portfolio): The group’s plan sheet and a drawing of the caring act, kept as the unit’s culminating artifact.

Resources

CASEL SEL Framework (relationship skills and social awareness): https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/