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Chart paper and markers
7 Ways to Be Happier:
youtu.be/e9UVAafNvm4?si=3lcl072rKYTT7D99
The Science of Gratitude:
youtu.be/JMd1CcGZYwU?si=Jn1WkfdrfM7d4tX7
Robert Emmons: The Power of Gratitude:
youtu.be/jLjVOvZufNM?si=ywGOA8yr7Ham7CYN
Want to be happy? Be grateful:
The purpose of this lesson is to help participants explore habits of happiness and how they can deliberately put into practice these habits to establish a lifestyle of happiness, which includes incorporating gratitude into their perspectives.
Research has shown that the behaviors and habits we engage in do matter—from gratitude to kindness to mindfulness—and that they can lead to an enduring happiness boost. There are specific things that increase one’s own happiness, and they aren’t always what people think. Having money, a good job, perfect body, or true love may be nice, but they don’t bring nearly the happiness people think they will.
The research from The How of Happiness states (in general terms) that genetics count for 50% of our happiness. 40% is from our own thoughts and actions, and 10% are circumstances, so a good percentage is within our control. (Sonja Lyubomirsky)
(Image Source: The Science of Well-Being Coursera course & The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky)
Activity 1: (15 minutes) SELF ASSESSMENT & JOURNAL REFLECTION
Invite participants to assess their current levels of happiness. Use one of the following self-assessments:
Have teachers take 5 minutes to write about what they believe makes people happy. You can have a couple interested people share their thoughts.
Activity 2: (15 minutes) HAPPINESS IMAGES
Start by clicking the link to make your own copy of the vision board powerpoint slides. Then share your copy of the slides with the participating teachers.
Invite participants to pull out their phones or computers. They will find an empty slide, label it with their name, and add 5–7 images to their slide that represent what happiness looks like for them.
Invite each participant to share their slide with others in a large or small group depending on the number of participants.
Activity 3: (10 minutes) BE HAPPIER TQE
Pass out the Happiness TQE handout. Give teachers time to fill out the first column labeled “thoughts.”
Then watch the video, “7 Ways to Be Happier,” by Yale professor of psychology Laurie Santos interviewed by Now This News. As teachers watch, they will fill out the “questions” column. Then directly after the video, they can complete the “epiphanies” column. Have a quick debrief and invite a few people to share some thoughts that they wrote down.
As a group, review the 7 things that help people to be happier, as described in the video. Then brainstorm a short list of things that people mistakenly believe will bring them happiness.
Next, divide into groups of 5-6 people and pass out a chart paper to each group. Invite participants to write down their favorite strategies for happiness as you continue through the lesson.
Have a discussion:
Activity 4: (10 minutes) ARTICLE & PLANNING
Pass out the article, “12 Steps to Happiness” by Greater Good Magazine (digital link). Read, annotate, and create a plan focused on using 1 or 2 of the strategies listed in the article.
Invite participants to add happiness strategies to their group chart paper.
Activity 5: (20 minutes) PARTNER SHARE & GROUP DEBRIEF
Invite teachers to think back to an experience that made them happy. As they explain that experience to a partner, have them state specific reasons about why it brought them happiness. Then they will compare those reasons with the happiness strategies discussed in the lesson so far. Finally, have them discuss the following questions:
Debrief as a whole group, looking for patterns and strengthening your understanding of the strategies.
Invite participants to add happiness strategies to their group chart paper.
Activity 6: (10 minutes) QUOTE & DISCUSSION
Share the following quote by Jimmy Carter: “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” As a class, answer the follow-up questions:
Gratitude is considered to be one of the most overlooked strategies for happiness. Studies have shown that taking time to be grateful is so powerful it can even rewire your brain to have greater, consistent well-being.
Activity 7: (25 minutes) VIDEOS & DISCUSSION
Divide the group up into three groups. Give each group a video to watch.
After watching the clip, have groups review the main points of the video. Then, they can discuss the questions as a group:
Activity 8: (20 minutes) GRATITUDE & HAPPINESS SCHOOL PROGRAM
Invite each group to design a gratitude/happiness program for the school. This might include activities, goals, and overall purpose of the program. If needed, have the participants consider the following prompts:
Activity 9: (25 minutes) EXPRESS GRATITUDE
Share a story from your own life about someone that has mentored you or made a difference for you. Invite participants to think about someone who has done the same in their own life. Tell them you are going to give them 15 minutes to connect with that person. They can write them a note, or step into the hallway to give them a call. Invite participants to be specific about what they are grateful for in thanking their person.
As small groups, have a class discussion:
Activity 10: (10 minutes) REVISIT GROUP CHARTS
Invite groups to review the different strategies they wrote down on their group charts. Invite them to share their strategies with the larger group. Invite each group to add additional strategies that haven’t been mentioned previously.
Review the list of strategies included in this lesson as possibilities if you see they aren’t being addressed on the group charts.
Invite each participant to reflect and choose 2-3 strategies that they are going to incorporate into their lives this upcoming week.
