Geography · Week 18 · Environment, Society, and the Future
Gratitude for Place
Students write thank you notes to a place and to a person in the valley that shaped their sense of belonging this semester.
- Students will
- Students compare a valley place now with how it was in the past, write an explanation of what makes it meaningful, and write thank you notes to a place and a person, reading or showing one to a partner.
- SEL skill
- Write a specific, sincere thank you that strengthens a connection
- What it looks like
- Students practice expressing gratitude clearly and kindly to build connection with people and places.
- Content focus
- Gratitude for Place
- Format
- Partner exchange
Relationship skills
Relationship skills mean building and keeping healthy relationships through communication, listening, cooperation, and working through conflict. More relationship skills activities
What you get
A teacher guide with what to say, step by step, plus student pages and a supports page for students with diverse learning needs, including those with IEPs. Print or Project it, or assign it in Google Forms and Google Docs for Google Classroom. Your first 10 activities are free.
Standards
- NGS.17: National Geography Standard 17
- CA HSS Analysis Skill: CST1 Compare the present with the past, evaluating the consequences of past events and decisions and the activities learned. (Chronological and Spatial Thinking)
- C3 Framework (national): D4.3.9-12 Present arguments and explanations to a range of audiences and venues beyond the classroom.
- Literacy in history: WHST.9-10.2 Write informative and explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events.
More relationship skills activities for Geography
- Drawing Regions Relationship skillsDefining regions by climate, language, and economy in small teams and negotiating together where boundaries belong.
- The Bracero Journey Relationship skillsTracing the routes and agreements of the Bracero Program from 1942 to 1964 and considering how workers kept connections with families across borders.
- Borders and Cooperation Relationship skillsStudying how the United States and Mexico share rivers and a border through treaties such as the 1944 Water Treaty and practicing steps to rebuild trust after a disagreement.
Previous: Planning the Valley's Future
RoseThread Connect activities are drafted with the help of AI and shaped by educators. Students never have to share anything personal. Our five SEL skills are informed by CASEL's SEL Framework; RoseThread Learning is not affiliated with or endorsed by CASEL.