Riverside Township School District

Ms. Craig’s kindergarten lesson was a beautiful example of how thoughtful planning, student engagement, and heart-centered teaching come together to create meaningful learning. From the very start, she skillfully prepared both students’ bodies and minds using interactive listening cues and verbal echo responses, setting a calm, focused tone for the lesson.

Through The Kindness Book by Todd Parr, Ms. Craig guided students in rich discussions about kindness while seamlessly building literacy skills by introducing the roles of author and illustrator and highlighting other books by the same author. Throughout the read-aloud, she paused intentionally to check for understanding, clarify vocabulary, and spotlight positive student behaviors—reinforcing expectations in a warm and encouraging way.

A standout moment of the lesson was the hands-on “kindness sprinkles” activity featuring Edgar the egg. This engaging visual made an abstract concept concrete for young learners and motivated every student to participate. Students eagerly shared creative ways to be kind to others—and even to themselves—while taking turns and respectfully selecting the next participant.

By connecting the science concept of floating with the emotional impact of kindness, Ms. Craig helped students understand how their actions can truly change someone’s day—at school and beyond.