We asked the educators and students from Belmont Cragin in Chicago, IL to share their feedback about their ThinkGive experience. Here is what they had to say.
Educator: Lisa Rodriguez
Grade: 5th grade
Started partnering with ThinkGive: 2017
Was ThinkGive a good use of your teaching time? I loved the creative lessons for each topic. It was definitely a great supplement to my SEL/morning meeting time. It was also action based so students had the opportunity to work on realizing their SEL goals via actions and kindness acts. I also liked the formative assessments that were used to support students with all the objectives and their own thoughts and connections.
How did ThinkGive have an impact on your students? ThinkGive definitely helps get students thinking and having access to these topics in student friendly ways via google slides, interactive videos, and kindness acts.
Did ThinkGive have a positive effect on your class climate? I had great conversations with the students and there were some students who had an easier time being able to follow through with the actions. This was able to let me see who was learning and making connections with the lessons and SEL goals.
What’s a highlight from your experience with ThinkGive? I enjoyed having prepared lessons that allowed me to discuss SEL topics with my students. They enjoyed participating on the website and having actions to complete each week. For students that were comfortable I could see them being kinder and trying their best to think about their own feelings as well as others. There were some good classroom conversations and gifts throughout the 10-week process.
Why would you recommend ThinkGive? I think it’s a great program that allows for teachers to get lessons and ideas for SEL lessons. It’s also very short so it’s not a year long curriculum that needs to be implemented.
We surveyed the students who participated in ThinkGive, and the results were outstanding. After participating in ThinkGive:
82% agreed they feel more included in their class
83% agreed they will try to be kinder to themselves
89% agreed ThinkGive helped them connect with their classmates; 89% with their friends; 83% with their family
And the students had some wonderful things to say about the program:
“Thinkgive made me think about why we should be kind.”
“I learned that you should always be nice and the kindness will come back to you.”
“I learn to be more kind and nice.”
