Activity 1: (20 minutes) WORDS MATTER

Prior to this activity, print and cut out the Words Matter cards. (Teacher Tip: Feel free to add to or amend the examples based on the needs of your students.) Post the cards around the room for students to find. For an additional challenge, you can make the cards a bit more difficult to find by partially hiding them behind or under classroom objects.

Draw 5 columns on the whiteboard that mimic the chart on the slides. Send students around the room to find the cards. After several minutes of searching, invite students to gather back at their desks. (Teacher Tip: Keep track of the number of cards that you distribute to make sure you find them all during the hunt.)

Invite small groups of students to read the word or phrase on their card and place it on the whiteboard under the word that best describes how they would feel if that word or phrase was said to them.

After every card is found and sorted, read through the examples under each category as a class. If it seems like an example was placed in the wrong category, discuss as a class where it should go. 

Read the information about how words can affect well-being from the slides. Have a discussion:

• Why do you think words matter?
• How can the words we say affect others? (EQ)

Emphasize that our words matter. The things we say have the power to build others up or tear them down. It is important to be intentional (careful) about the words we say.

Activity 2: (20 minutes) PRECIOUS RULES

Explain that one way to show respect is by following the Golden Rule. Review the definition of the term “the Golden Rule” on the slides. Have a discussion:

• How does the Golden Rule help us to treat others with respect? (EQ)

Review the definition of the term “the Platinum Rule” on the slides. Explain that platinum is a metal that is rarer and more valuable than gold. Discuss:

• What is the difference between the Golden Rule and the Platinum Rule?
• What do these rules have to do with the words we use? (EQ)

Invite students to think about a person, place, object, or tradition that is really important to them. Ask students to participate in a think-write-pair-share activity around the following prompt:  

• Imagine you were telling someone about something that is important to you. How would you want them to react as they listen?

Use the following think-write-pair-share protocol:

• Think: Students think about the question quietly for 1–2 minutes.
• Write: Using lined paper or student journals, students write anything that comes to mind related to the prompt for 3–5 minutes.
• Pair: Students discuss their thoughts and writings with a peer for 3–5 minutes.
• Share: Randomly choose 5–6 students to share what their partner said with the class. This should take approximately 3–5 minutes.

Have a discussion:

• Did you notice any common answers from your peers? (EQ) (Answer: Guide students to the conclusion that no matter what students selected, they wanted their idea to be treated with interest or respect.)

Activity 3: (20 minutes) ANDREW’S ANGRY WORDS

Prior to this activity, watch the video and see if it is the best fit for your students.

Explain that sometimes, negative words have an impact that sticks around for a long time, even if you apologize, but nice words have a lot of power too. Sometimes the best words to follow angry words are “I’m sorry, I should not have said what I did.”

Read the book Andrew’s Angry Words by Dorothea Lachner or watch the read-aloud video. As students listen, invite them to pay attention to what Andrew did to make things better. Have a discussion:

• Did Andrew’s angry words hurt anyone? If so, who? (Everyone, including Andrew!)
• What did Andrew do to make things better? (EQ)

Pass out the Nice Words Cupboard handout to each student. Use the slides to review the definitions of nouns, adjectives, and adverbs. As a class, brainstorm ideas of nice words you could put on each shelf in the cupboard so that you have plenty of nice words ready to share whenever you need them. Invite students to record their favorite ideas on the handout.

Activity 4: (20 minutes) SLUR-FREE SCHOOL 

Teacher Tip: Prior to this activity, review the list below titled “At Our School We…”. These are words that students are expected to avoid in all of their communication. This list was added at the request of schools who are using this lesson to meet anti-slur/discrimination policies. Please edit or alter the list of expectations based on the needs at your school. It may be helpful to review your school or district discrimination policies and update the list accordingly.

Explain that there are words we should never use because they hurt other people’s feelings. Rude words make others feel unsafe at school. Kids may even stop learning and playing because they are sad or they do not feel safe.

Sometimes people make fun of others or say mean things when they notice that another person is different from them. This is wrong, always. Some differences include race, gender, color, national origin (country they are from), religion, and disability. A word that describes one of these differences that is used as an insult is called a slur. Rather than making fun of these differences in each other, we welcome everyone at our school!

At our school, students will help others feel safe and welcome by following        these rules: 

1. We are kind to others.
2. We use kind words. 
3. We are fair. 
4. We invite others to play. 
5. We include others.

(Teacher Tip: If you feel it is appropriate for your students, share an explicit list of words or phrases that they should never say. Are there words that students are using that are tearing people down? For this age, you may hear words such as “stupid,” “dumb,” “hate,” etc.)

Although we do not anticipate this list as being necessary and do not recommend displaying the list to your class, you may need to talk to individual or small groups of students about the use of some of the following words:

At Our School We…

• Never use the words “gay,” the R-word, or “autistic” to mean “stupid.” 
• Never tease others who dress differently from a style you like. 
• Never tease others about their body or physical appearance (e.g., size, shape, skin, hair).
• Never use the N-word (ending with an “er” or an “a”) or any other word that would mean something like the N-word. 
• Never tell others to “go back to your own country.”
• Never use the words “beaner” or “cracker” to describe the way people look. 
• Never use ANY type of racial words or slurs. 
• Never tease or make jokes about religions of the world.
• Never use the words “Hail Hitler” or make rude references about people of Jewish descent.
• Never draw the Nazi swastika. 
• Never make jokes about terrorism of any kind. 
• Never tease or make jokes about anyone who has a physical, emotional, or mental impairment.
• Never call others the R-word or autistic. 
• Never tease others about physical impairments (e.g., deaf, blind) or having a handicap of any kind.
• Never laugh at people who think or act differently than you do.

Have a discussion:

• What should you do or say if you see or hear someone being treated unfairly? (EQ) (Possible answers: Ask them to stop, tell a teacher, go to the office, etc.)

Activity 5: (20 minutes) THINK HARDER

Prior to this activity, watch the video and see if it is the best fit for your students. Additionally, read through the T.H.I.N.K. scenarios from the slides and select the ones that best fit the needs of your students. Feel free to add to or amend any of the scenarios.

Watch the video, “Power of Words,” by Kind Words Are Cool, from 0:55–3:05. As students watch, invite them to think about what words others have used to build them up. Have a discussion: 

• How can words be used to tear others down?
• How can words be used to build others up? (EQ)

Remind students that kind words not only lift others up—they also help us feel happier and keep our bodies healthier. When you feel frustrated, it is worth taking a moment to choose words that build others up instead of saying words that you may later regret.

Introduce the T.H.I.N.K. acronym (True, Helpful, Inspirational, Nurturing, Kind). Explain to students that when they feel like saying something that might tear someone down, they can pause until they come up with something uplifting to say instead. Sometimes when you pause to T.H.I.N.K., if no one is getting hurt, you may decide that the best thing to say is nothing at all.

As a class, read through the scenarios on the slides in which students may feel frustrated and want to say something hurtful. Discuss what uplifting words you could say instead after taking a moment to T.H.I.N.K.. Emphasize that in some situations it may be most appropriate to not say anything at all. (Teacher Tip: Begin by modeling a scenario for the class or by sharing a personal experience where you chose to say something uplifting instead of something negative.)

Have a discussion:

• Why should we always “T.H.I.N.K.” before we speak? (EQ)

Activity 6: (30 minutes) WORDS MATTER POSTERS

Prior to this activity, ask your administrators for permission to hang some posters around the school about intentional language.

Invite students to brainstorm areas of the school where students spend a lot of time talking (e.g., cafeteria, hallway, bathroom, playground, bus stop). List these on the whiteboard. Choose a few locations and have a discussion: 

• What words have you heard in these locations that were used to build someone up?
• What words have you heard in these locations that were used to tear someone down?

Sort the class into groups of 3–4. Pass out a poster and art supplies for each group. Have each group create a “words matter” poster for a select area of the school campus. Review the instructions on the slides: 

• Title your poster in large letters: “Words Matter in/on the ___________ (assigned location)” 
• List 4 examples of what appropriate language looks like for that area.
• Phrase the reminders positively.
• Make it colorful and creative!

Explain that these posters will be shared in class and hung up around the school. Read the “words matter poster examples” from the slides to illustrate what intentional language might look like in various areas around the school.

After students have created their posters, have each group present and explain their work, including their group’s thought process.

Hang these posters around the school and ask students to pay attention to how their peers react to them over the next couple weeks. (Teacher Tip: You could have students report back. Discuss if students have noticed a change in the words used in those areas.)