Keeping RACK Going After the Holidays

I posted the week before the holidays about how our class would be celebrating RACK Week by performing Random Acts of Classroom Kindness in and around our school.

Each day, kids picked a task from our Class RACK Bucket and jotted it down on their RACK Tracker. Sometime throughout the day, they needed to perform that RACK, which included anything from writing a card to the principal to saying hi to someone you haven't talked to in a while, and lots, lots more.

Well, it was a HUGE hit with my students and also with the other kids and adults in our school. It was a wonderful way to help keep the kids focused before the holidays (and, tragically, after Newtown) on the positives of the season and the free ways that we can give gifts to one another to help spread kindness, happiness, and love.

One of you amazing readers did this in your class and even told NBC News about it because they featured this idea in their #26Acts segment HERE! How awesome is that!?

Now that the holidays are over, I wanted to share with you how I am planning on keeping these ideas going all year long.

When we first got back from break, I had kids pull out their RACK Tracker and choose their very favorite RACK they performed that week. We then brainstormed as a class why RACK was important (on a bigger-picture scale) and how it made the doer and the receiver feel. I transferred all of the ideas onto the chart for later reference:

I gave them a reflection sheet and left it very open-ended for them to respond. I am usually BIG on planing your writing piece, but for this reflection, I just wanted to hear kids' thoughts and especially why they chose the RACK they did :)

Here's a super-cute response from a boy in my class:

Adorbs :)

If you're interested in the sheet, you can find it by clicking the image below:

Click the image to download from Google Docs

I am also planning on using our RACK Bucket in the following ways throughout the rest of the year:

• RACK First Fridays: The first Friday of each month for the remainder of the year will be RACK Friday where kids will choose a RACK to perform by the end of the day.
• Repairing the Harm: We use a version of Restorative Justice in resolving conflicts between students and one of the hardest questions for students to answer is, "What can I do to repair the harm?" These RACKs provide some authentic ideas for them to use that will help fill both of their buckets right up.
• Teacher's Choice: When a student hits this on the Clip Chart, I oftentimes need some RACK myself, so I will use these ideas to have them fill my bucket, since chances are it's pretty drained by then ;)

I think I'll be needing to make a new bucket label without a snowflake, since this is turning into a year-round activity!! I'll be sure to let you know on Facebook when that file is available :)

Did you use RACK (or something similar)? How did it go? Are you planning on continuing this fun activity throughout the rest of the year? Share how, I'd love to hear about it :)