Planning/Preparation: Evidence Item #1
Item Name:
Science of Happiness Activity
Description of Item:
Activity teaching the theme of Gratitude from the novel, The Five People You Meet in Heaven
Context & Date Used:
10th Grade English II, February 2020
Reflection:
This activity was developed after watching a YouTube video on the Science of Happiness i.e. showing gratitude equates to true happiness. In the novel, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Eddie's 3rd person is a lady who needs him to forgive his father whom of which he hadn't talked to in decades. As soon as he forgave his father, he was then permitted to move on to the next person in his journey. This activity asks each student to conduct the experiment in which they wrote a few lines identifying the one person in their lives who meant the most to them. Unbeknownst to them, they were then required to call that person and read what they wrote verbatim. The results are 100% natural and powerful - which really sends the theme of forgiveness and gratitude home and makes the novel come alive.