Courage
Willow Brook's April Character Trait of the Month
Monthly Character Traits
As a school family this month, we are delving into the value of Courage by examining how it looks, sounds, and feels. We want to help our children be courageous and learn to conquer things that frighten or scare them. Children need reassurance that fear is one of our feelings and to remind them that it’s okay to be scared and to feel afraid.
The definition they are learning this month for Courage is:
To choose what is good, right, and kind even when it is hard or scary!
What is Courage Video: Conversation Starters
- Do you have to wear a cape to show Courage?
- Is Courage the same as being brave?
- Do you think having Courage is important? Why or why not? What are some things that scare people, that might keep them from feeling courageous? What scares you?
True Colors from Trolls K-2
1. Talk to your students about how it takes courage to be yourself with someone new.
2. What is the hardest part about making a new friend?
3. How does it take courage to make new friends?
Courage Song
K-2 Writing Activities!
Picture-Perfect Courage (15-20 minutes)
Invite students to draw a picture of someone that they think is brave or courageous. Circle up and share with a partner (or the whole group) who they drew a picture of and how their person shows Courage. Bonus points if they draw that person doing something Courageous!
Write On! (10-15 minutes)
Ask students to write a note (or draw a picture) to thank someone they consider courageous or brave. It could be a firefighter, a soldier, a doctor, a teacher, a family member, or a friend. Have them share their note with a partner and talk about why they chose the person they did!
Using this Quote to start conversation with your students or your children:
Triumph: victory, success
Conquer: overcome, take control
1. Nelson Mandela was the first Black President elected in South Africa. He was a revolutionary who fought back against racism. Even though many people criticized and hurt him over the years, he showed Courage by forgiving people so there could be more peace between the different races in his country.
2. What are things you are afraid of? What would conquering that fear look like?
3. What could you accomplish if you took control of your fear? What is one thing you will do to overcome your fear today?
Using this Quote to start conversation with your students or your children:
Risk: situation that could lead to danger, harm or loss
1. Paulo Coelho was a Brazilian writer who wrote books and the words to songs. His family insisted that writing was not a wise job, and tried very hard to keep him from his dreams. At first he listened to them to study law, but then practiced Courage by following his own interests, traveling the world, becoming a famous writer, and even starting his own charity that supports children and the elderly.
2. What are risks that are very dangerous? How about risks that are scary but not physically dangerous? Risks that make you nervous but aren’t actually dangerous can be positive risks!
3. What are some positive risks that could actually help you learn something or try something new? What is one positive risk that you will take today?
George Springer's Courage 3rd and 4th
- Talk about George’s Courage. Who encouraged George Springer to face what frightened him (his speech impediment)?
- Ask any or all of these questions with your class:
- Who is someone that you think is really courageous and why?
- When have you done something courageous? How did it turn out?
- What did you learn the last time you were really courageous?
- Have you ever shown Courage but hoped or planned for a different outcome?
- How does Courage look, sound, feel?
Egg Drop (20+ minutes) 3rd and 4th
Developing and testing a new idea takes Courage! Give students a variety of materials to develop a vehicle that will best protect an egg from a high fall. You can divide class into 3-4 smaller groups, as an option. Materials might include: cotton balls, tape, egg cartons, paper, plastic bags, rubber bands, string, and/or newspaper. Give students 10 minutes to collaborate with their team to create a protective vehicle for their egg. After 10 minutes, students will practice Courage by taking a positive risk and dropping their egg from the highest height that makes sense for your class. If it’s safe, then this could be out the window, down a flight of stairs, or even just from the teacher standing on a chair or bench. Afterward, talk about how students practiced Courage. How did they practice Courage when sharing ideas or collaborating with their team? What was the risk? What was the reward? How do we show Courage, but still make sure we are protecting ourselves from risk?
Courage Reading List Grades K-2
Be Brave Little One by Marianne Richmond
Explore a myriad of ways in which children can be brave, including “Be brave to be scared.” Wait, how is that possible?
Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
Wemberly is off to school, but is she too worried to stay there and have a good day?
Don’t Worry Bear by Greg Foley
What will happen to Bear when he finds an empty cocoon only to realize that his friend the caterpillar has disappeared?
Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt
Germaphobe Scaredy Squirrel never ventures out of his nest; it’s just too dangerous. Will he survive when he’s forced to leave?
Some Things Are Scary by Florence Perry Hyde
A list of things (like, “Thinking you’re not going to be picked for either side”) that can be scary to children.
Courage by Bernard Waber
“There are many kinds of courage.” So starts this book of ways to show courage.
The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson
“When the world feels like a place that you’re standing all the way outside of.” What happens on the day you bravely begin to share who you are?
What Do You Do With A Chance? By Kobi Yamada
Because of the fear of the unknown, a child turns down a chance encounter with a chance; will the chance ever come back? If so, will the child find the courage to take a chance?
Jabari Jumps By Gaia Cornwall
As Jabari gets ready to jump off the diving board for the first time, he becomes fearful. Will he be able to show courage and overcome his fears?
Goldy Luck and the Three Bears By Natasha Yim
Enjoy this Chinese American retelling of the classic “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” with a surprise ending!
Courage Reading List 3-4
Unspoken by Henry Cole
How will the farm girl show Courage when she sees a runaway slave hiding in her barn?
Gifts from the Enemy by Trudy Ludwig
It takes incredible Courage to show compassion and kindness to a prison camp refugee during the Holocaust.
The Girl With A Mind For Math by Julia Finley Mosca
Young Raye has her sights set on becoming an engineer. When obstacles get in the way, will she have the Courage to persevere?
Ron’s Big Mission by Rose J. Blue
Nine-year-old Ron wants a library card to check out books on flight but it’ll take real Courage to ask for one during his time in the segregated South.
New Shoes by Susan Lynn Myer
It’s time for a new pair of shoes, but Ella Mae has to wait at the store until all the other customers have been served. Does she have enough Courage to counter this injustice?
Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
Esperanza thought she’d always live a privileged life on her family’s ranch in Mexico. She’d always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home filled with servants, and Mama, Papa, and Abuelita to care for her. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California and settle in a Mexican farm labor camp. Esperanza isn’t ready for the hard work, financial struggles brought on by the Great Depression, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When Mama gets sick and a strike for better working conditions threatens to uproot their new life, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances because Mama’s life, and her own, depend on it.
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world.
The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
Although he faces responsibility bravely, thirteen-year-old Matt is more than a little apprehensive when his father leaves him alone to guard their new cabin in the wilderness. When a renegade stranger steals his gun, Matt realizes he has no way to shoot game or to protect himself. When Matt meets Attean, a boy in the Beaver clan, he begins to better understand their way of life and their growing problem in adapting to the changing frontier.
Mouse of My Heart by Margaret Wise Brown
Collection of fifty-six poems and stories by the author of “Goodnight Moon” and “The Runaway Bunny” and includes entries arranged under such themes as Courage, Love and Friendship, Bedtime, For a Rainy Day, and Nonsense.
The Tale of Despereaux By Kate DiCamillo
A brave mouse, a covetous rat, and hopeful servant girl, and a princess come together in this bravery-packed take!
Courage on the Playground
The playground is a beautiful place, and recess is an excellent time to step out of our comfort zones and practice the virtue of courage.
This month, encourage students to try something different and new on the playground. Maybe it’s asking someone to teach you how to play a team sport, like basketball or kick ball; maybe it’s more of an individual event like learning the rules and jumping into the Four Square game or running through a challenge or obstacle course.
Maybe the challenge is asking someone new to walk laps around the track with you or make up a new dance or game. Perhaps it’s finding a new friend, perhaps someone who is sitting alone on the Buddy Bench or next to the teacher, and asking them to play.
Ask students: “How will stepping out in courage change the way you spend your recess time?”
Have students share out one thing they would be willing to try this week to put courage into action.
Buddy Benches: Test of your Courage Awaits!!
Where are they located?
· There will be one buddy bench on each of our 3 playgrounds
Why do we have Buddy Benches?
· To promote kindness, decrease loneliness, give kids a chance to make new friends, promote leadership and make our school a more welcoming and safe place to learn.
How do they work?
· If you are sitting on the bench: You are feeling lonely or left out and are looking for a friend. When someone asks you to play, join them!
· If you are NOT sitting on the bench but see someone who is: Ask your classmate on the buddy bench to play, and make a new friend today!
Reasons to sit on the Buddy Bench:
· You are new to our school
· You want make new friends
· Your friends aren’t at school that day
· Your friend is playing with someone else
· You want to play something different than what your friends is playing
Courage Activity: Trust Walk; 3rd or 4th or at home WITH FAMILY
It can take courage to show trust! Lead students to an open area with only minor obstacles such as hills, sticks, trees, etc.. You can add optional obstacles such as balloons, boxes, or hula hoops.
Start in a nearby location. Ask participants to arrange themselves into pairs. Instruct one partner to be the guide (navigator) and the other to be blindfolded. Once the blindfolded partner is ready, slowly spin the person around a few times so that they are unsure which direction they are headed.
Guide the participants to the field with obstacles. From this point on, the guide should not touch the partner at all, but rely solely on verbal cues (e.g. “In approximately five steps ahead, there will be a tree branch. Go ahead and step over it slowly.”)
Remember that the guide is solely responsible for his or her partner’s safety. He or she tries their best to steer their partner away from obstacles. Valuable lessons can be learned about teamwork and unity. For example, the guide will learn about the challenge and responsibility of caring for another individual’s well being, while the blindfolded partner learns to trust and rely on another person.
Debrief questions:
- Did you have any difficulty trusting your partner while blindfolded? Why or why not?
- Why does it take courage to trust others? What good does this serve?
- Afterwards, how did it feel when you and your teammate successfully trusted each other to accomplish something challenging? What other situations might you apply this courage and trust to?
Willow Brook Elementary School
Mr. Jason Nussbaum, Assistant Principal
Mrs. Jo Bruce, Family Resource Director
Mr. Dan Schwartz, School Counselor
Email: dschwartz@ortn.edu
Website: https://www.ortn.edu/willowbrook/
Phone: (865) 425 3201