I recently learned about Literacy Shed during a tech conference. It’s a free website that holds a collection of themed videos that can lead to powerful discussions and writing in your classroom.

It can be found here https://www.literacyshed.com/home.html. Pick your video, create your discussion questions, and go!

I did one for “For the Birds” that can be found under the “Anti-Bullying” Shed. It can also be found on Youtube because it’s a Pixar short film. We watched the film twice. Once to watch it, and once to really pay attention in order to answer the discussion questions. My students worked in groups to complete these questions.

Here is the video on Literacy Shed.

Here is the editable discussion sheet to go with it.

We also have a Kindness Catcher in my classroom where students put compliments to other students, and we share them with each other. Students love compliments, and they love even more getting them from each other and giving them to each other. If you need more positivity in your classroom, this is an easy way to add it! I use a dollar store bin and label it “Kindness Catcher” with a shipping label. You can create the papers for compliments. When you do, just make sure students have to put their names and the other students’ names on the papers for accountability. Mine just have a smiley face and a to: and from: with a large space for writing. For kindergarten, you can pre-make compliments that students can give to other students.