Gratitude is my Superpower

Name: Gratitude is my Superpower
Author: Alicia Ortego

A story that explores gratitude and opens a conversation with your child.

★★★★★ Loved by families

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♥ This book teaches: Gratitude. noticing and appreciating what is already good.

Before, During & After Reading

Guiding Questions for Parents.

Definition: Someone who is grateful is thankful for people, nature, and things. Stewardship means taking good care of what we’ve been given. In short: Thankful for every blessing, big or small. Summary: Betsy is worried about her pet turtle Mr. T. because he has a heavy shell that prevents him from running and jumping with her. Her mom reassures her that Mr. T, is behaving normally, as a turtle is expected to act - turtles are different from people and that’s okay. This becomes a teachable moment as Betsy’s mom finds a stone, gives it to Betsy, and explains how to use it to remember to be grateful, especially when things aren’t going her way. As Betsy uses the stone to find ways to accept circumstances, giving thanks instead of giving into disappointment, she eventually learns that she doesn’t even need a stone to remember this lesson. She decides to collect stones and teach the same lesson to others as they encounter challenges. One day, they’ll learn that they don't need the stone either, because gratitude lives inside of us. The author invites readers to carry a gratitude stone for five days, and begin writing a gratitude journal. Lesson Objectives:

Teachers guide children to bring a stone to class to decorate. Students create gratitudes journals and carry their stones for 5 days, writing each day in their journal about their experiences.
Students are assigned to give a stone to someone else, explain its purpose, and interview them about their experiences.

Guiding Questions:

Can you describe the pet turtle, Mr. T, and why Betsy was worried about him?
What did Betsy’s mom explain about Mr. T?
“Everything that’s happening is how it’s meant to be” - what does this mean, and what are some examples of this in the story?
Did Betsy think the gratitude stone was magical? What happened to help Betsy realize she could be grateful even when she didn’t have the stone?
How does Betsy help the sad boy at school?
What does Betsy carry with her now and why?
How would you answer the question: what are you thankful for?
What would the author like her readers to do?
Do you have a journal you could use to keep track of your gratitudes? How often will you write in it?
What would it be like if everyone remembered to be grateful all the time, everywhere?

🌿 Virtue Connection: Gratitude means noticing and appreciating what is already good.

Hands-On Practice

Activities for This Story.

Activity: Teachers provide stones for students or ask children to bring a couple of smooth stones to class to decorate. Students create daily gratitude journals and keep one personal gratitude stone in their desks to eventually take home. Students are assigned to give a stone to a family member, explaining its purpose. They are encouraged to follow up and ask the family member about their gratitudes. Materials Needed: Clean, smooth stones (fist-size or smaller) enough for 2 stones per student; ziplock bags in which to put the stones (optional); paint and small brushes or markers that can be used on a rock surface; a word wall with some vocabulary that fit this assignment Directions: Explain: “Today we will decorate gratitude stones. You will decorate one for you, and one to give to someone else. When finished, the stones will dry and be kept here today at school in your desks. Tomorrow you can take one stone home to give to someone in your family after explaining why you’re giving it. The stone is to remind the receiver to remember to look for things for which to be grateful, like in the story we read. The other stone will be kept in your desk to remind you to take notice of things and people for which to be grateful here at school. For the next two weeks, we will spend a few minutes each day sharing our gratitudes and appreciations, sometimes in a class discussion and sometimes in pairs.” Provide a word wall (that can be added to) of expressions of gratitude, based on students’ and teacher’s ideas, and dedicate class time for the next two weeks to share gratitudes. Encourage students to be as specific as possible. For example, if a student shares: “I appreciate ____ because she’s nice to me,” encourage that student to explain more, by saying, “Tell us one thing she did that was nice.” An extension activity: “Appreciation Tag” - Students pick a number out of a hat. Numbers written are according to how many students are in the class. Your number decides who you will be appreciating at the end of the day: #1 will appreciate #2, #2 will appreciate #3, and so on. The final number will appreciate #1. Students have a whole day to think of an appreciation and they will share it at the end of the day. The teacher writes a prompt on the board and one by one students share according to the prompt. Prompt: I appreciate ______because ________. Wrap it up: Explain that the purpose of this activity is to learn more about sharing gratitudes and appreciations. We want to be more aware of all the good things that happen in our lives and in our world, because the more we feel grateful, the happier we will be. We want to get better at appreciating others, and we want to be appreciated more, don’t we? When we remember to tell others what we appreciate about them, they are happy and so are we.

About the Story.

This guide is part of the Values & Virtues library, a free collection of 400+ book guides and activities organized around 12 core virtues for children from pre-K to 6th grade. Each guide includes Guiding Questions designed to open a real conversation with your child in 10 minutes or less.

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Gratitude · Family Discussion Guide

Gratitude is my Superpower

by Alicia Ortego

Guiding Questions

Teachers guide children to bring a stone to class to decorate. Students create gratitudes journals and carry their stones for 5 days, writing each day in their journal about their experiences.
Students are assigned to give a stone to someone else, explain its purpose, and interview them about their experiences.

Guiding Questions:

Can you describe the pet turtle, Mr. T, and why Betsy was worried about him?
What did Betsy’s mom explain about Mr. T?
“Everything that’s happening is how it’s meant to be” - what does this mean, and what are some examples of this in the story?
Did Betsy think the gratitude stone was magical? What happened to help Betsy realize she could be grateful even when she didn’t have the stone?
How does Betsy help the sad boy at school?
What does Betsy carry with her now and why?
How would you answer the question: what are you thankful for?
What would the author like her readers to do?
Do you have a journal you could use to keep track of your gratitudes? How often will you write in it?
What would it be like if everyone remembered to be grateful all the time, everywhere?

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Gratitude is my Superpower

Guiding Questions for Parents.

Activities for This Story.

About the Story.

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Guiding Questions