These "LEAGUE Learning Links” provide ten quick and easy 5-minute mini-lessons to help promote The LEAGUE’s vision and scheduled events in your classroom. You can choose from among these mini-lessons and use as many of them as you would like and in whatever order best meets your needs and the interest of your students. The purpose of these mini-lessons is to provide a deeper understanding of philanthropy (the giving of ones, time, talents, and treasures for the common good) and to promote those philanthropic acts that have been identified as supporting The LEAGUE events. These mini-lessons will also help ensure a deeper understanding of character traits, civic engagement, and promote student leadership. It is recommended that students be encouraged to play as much of a role as possible and appropriate in presenting these lessons to their classmates.

1. Read: A penny doesn’t seem like much money to us. It is almost worthless. But in Afghanistan and Pakistan, a penny buys a pencil that can be used to learn to write. Many children in these countries, especially girls who live far from cities, can’t go to school. There aren’t teachers or buildings near their homes. But with our help of sharing pennies, these girls can go to school and learn to be peaceful leaders one day.
   Discuss: Some schools collect pennies to bring peace and hope to children across the world. Can you think of anything else you have to give that might be valuable to someone else? Maybe you have something to give that isn’t a thing. What do we give for King Day that isn’t a thing, but sharing it spreads peace? 
2. Read: Saul Skunk sat outside with a book on his lap. He tried to read the squiggles on the page, but they didn’t make sense. He looked at the pictures he knew by heart and wished for the millionth time that he could go to school and learn to read. He could see the school from his back door, but he wasn’t allow to go. The other animals didn’t want him around. They said he smelled bad. They said he was messy and not smart enough to learn. He could hear them laughing and reading aloud. School sounded like so much fun.
   Discuss: It isn’t fair that Saul has to stay home from school. He seems pretty smart, and he would probably work hard. Why do you think the other animals won’t let the skunks go to school? Is that a good enough reason to leave someone out? When have you seen someone left out? What can you do when you see something unfair like that?
3.  Read: Can you remember the story of “The Little Red Hen”? (Allow time for the students to share what they remember of the story, or briefly tell them the story.) Which character in the story wanted to make a better community? Yes, that’s right, the Little Red Hen was the only character who tried to peacefully share and work with others.
   Discuss: How could the story have been different if the other characters answered “yes” instead of “no” to the Little Red Hen’s requests for help? How might our classroom be different if we all agreed to help each other?
4.  Read: Aidan was having fun playing soccer at recess time with a group of other first graders. Someone kicked the soccer ball onto the baseball field where some older children were playing. One of the older children picked up the soccer ball and shouted at the first graders to keep their ball off the baseball field. The older student then kicked the soccer ball over the playground fence, so the first graders weren’t able to play their game. Aidan felt very angry. He felt like hitting the older student who had kicked their ball over the fence, but he didn’t do that. Instead, he closed his eyes and counted to ten very slowly.
   Discuss: All of us have angry feelings at one time or another, and it is not wrong to have these feelings. Sometimes when we get angry, we feel like shouting or hitting or kicking. That isn’t a good choice because it might hurt someone else and it doesn’t help fix what made us angry. Part of growing up is learning how to handle angry feelings. It’s good to have a plan for how to handle angry feelings.
   Why do you think Aidan counted to ten? How do you think the older boy felt when the soccer ball interrupted his baseball game? Which boy handled his anger in the best way, the first grader or the older boy? What are some other ways to handle angry feelings in a way that does not hurt others?
5. Read: Raise your hand if you like to play games (wait for a show of hands). Games are most fun when everyone plays fairly. To learn to play a new game fairly, everyone needs to know the …? (Hesitate to give students time to suggest the word “rules.” If they don’t, tell them the word.) Knowing the rules makes it easy to cooperate with each other when playing a game.
   Discuss: How do you feel when someone does not play by the rules? Why is it important to cooperate with others when playing a game or whenever we work or play together? What are some other ways, besides playing by the rules, that we can cooperate with others?
6.  Read: Jacob and his mom went shopping. They needed some groceries. Next to the entrance door into the store was a table. On it were beautiful shiny red apples. Jacob wanted one. He asked his mom if he could have one. His mom asked him how he knew if the apples were good to eat.
   Jacob replied, “Gee mom look at how shiny and red they are. They must be good to eat!” Mother reminded Jacob of the watermelon they had bought last week at the store. It too looked really good on the outside. It was shiny and green. But when they opened it up they saw that it wasn’t ripe yet.
   “Oh yeah”, Jacob recalled. “You said that it’s what’s on the inside that actually makes something delicious not the color of its skin.”
   Discuss: Do you ever remember a time when you ate something that looked really good but didn’t taste good? Do you ever remember a time when you ate something that looked just ok but tasted really, really good? Were you surprised? What do you think Jacob’s mom meant when she reminded Jacob that it’s what’s on the inside that actually makes something delicious not the color of its skin. How might this be true for people as well? During our King Day event why is it important not to judge people based only on the color of their skin?
7.  Read: The first grade teacher handed his students the results of their spelling test. Carla had studied hard to do well on the test. When she got her spelling paper she saw that she got a 100%--an A grade. She couldn’t wait to show her family. She knew that they would be proud of her. She had worked hard. It paid off just as grandpa said it would. Carla was proud of herself. She had a good feeling.
   Discuss: During our King Day event what will we be doing to help make the world a better place? What are some things we will need to do to help make the event successful? How do you think we will feel about ourselves if it is successful? How do you think others will feel about us if our event is successful? Why is it important to always do our very best?
8.  Read: An eraser is something that can be found on the end of most pencils. It can also be found on chalk or whiteboard trays. Did you know that long ago white bread was used as an eraser? White bread was used to erase pencil and chalk. Most pencil erasers are now made of rubber. Most chalk or whiteboard erasers are now made of felt. The reason for an eraser is to do its job. What is the job of an eraser? If you said its job is to rub out mistakes you are right. They are also used to clean areas. It gives everyone a chance to write new and different things. Erasers can make things look new and clean again.
   Discuss: During our King Day event we are trying to make things better. What mistakes do we need to erase so the world can be a better and nicer place to live for everyone? How might our King Day event give us a clean fresh start to do things differently? What could we write on our clean chalk or whiteboard to remind us to be kind to others?
9. Read: There was a rule in Ashton’s school about throwing snowballs. It was not allowed. That meant you were not supposed to throw snowballs. It seemed like someone forgot about that rule almost every day when it snowed. Children who “forgot” the rule had to go to Ms. Hart the principal. Usually their consequence was that they were not allowed to play out of doors at recess time for a day or two. One day Ashton, who never ever did anything wrong, forgot the rule. Everyone wondered if he would have to go see Ms. Hart. He did. And he had to stay indoors at recess time for two days. Ms. Hart told Ashton, “You know the rule, Ashton. I am sorry that you broke the rule. You know the consequence. You know here at our school everyone who breaks the rules has the same consequence. It’s only fair.”
   Discuss: Why do you think Ashton, who never did anything wrong, was punished like everyone else? Do you think it was fair that Ashton had to suffer the consequences like everyone else? Why or why not? During our King Day event we want to be fair. We also want to be kind. How can we be both fair and kind?
10.  Read: This happened in another school not far away. It was a special day. The kindergarten teacher had arranged to have the zoo keeper come to school with some of the smaller animals. The zoo keeper brought a raccoon, a snake, a hawk, and a baby monkey. As the zoo keeper talked about the animals she would hold them up for everyone to see. But she would only let the boys and girls who were wearing red that day carefully pet them. Those who got to pet the animals didn’t mind this rule. But everyone else thought it was not fair.
    Discuss: Do you think this rule was fair? Why or why not? Would it have been fairer if only the girls got to pet the animals? Would it have been fairer if only the children with brown hair got to pet the animals? During our King Day event how are we trying to be fair to everyone? Why is it important to be fair to everyone?