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: When someone does not play a game by the rules, we often complain, “It’s not fair!” But did you know that there are others ways besides playing games by the rules that someone can be fair. Here are some of the other ways to be fair: Treat people the way you want to be treated. Take turns. Tell the truth. Think about how what you do affects others. Listen to people with an open mind. Don't blame others for your mistakes. Don't take advantage of other people. Don't play favorites.
   
   Discuss: Is it easy to always be fair? Why or why not? What are some of the things we can do to remind others and ourselves to be fair? In what ways can we show fairness during our King Day event?
   
    
2. Read: No one likes to be sad. Being sad usually means that something didn’t go as planned or as we hoped it would. We can be sad when we lose a soccer game. We can be sad when our ice cream cone melts and falls on the ground. We can be sad when our goldfish dies. We can even be sad when our best friend is sad. There are many things that can happen to make us sad. But one thing that usually makes us happy is when we can help other people feel better when they feel sad. Maybe we put our arm around them and try to cheer them up. Maybe we talk to them and ask how we can help. Maybe we tell them a joke to make them laugh. Maybe we share something with them we know they would like. There are many ways we can help make someone who is sad feel a little better.
   
   Discuss: Do you remember a time when you were sad and someone tried to cheer you up by being a friend? Do you remember a time when you tried to cheer-up someone? In what ways does helping someone who is sad help to make the world a better place? How might our King Day event help cheer up our world?
   
    
3. Read: When asked to write a poem about Martin Luther King, eight year old Dustin wrote the following poem:
     He made us aware of things not right
     He was peaceful and not uptight.
     He worked so that others might be free
     He showed respect for everyone
     He brought people together
     He did what was right and good
     His memory will live forever as it should.
   
   Discuss: In what ways might our plans for King Day help to make things right and good? Do our plans include being respectful of everyone? How might what we do on this day be remembered?
   
    
4. Read: A sunflower, like most plants, loves to face the sun. If you turn a sunflower away from the sun it won’t be long and it turns itself back to face it again. We say that the sunflower is attracted to the sun. Why do plants do this? The act of plants turning toward a light source is known as phototropism. Growing toward the sun is important for the life of a plant. The sun is also very important for our lives.
   
   Discuss: A smile is often compared to the sun. We talk of people having a “sunny smile” or being “full of sunshine”. Like the sun a smile is warm. We talk of people having a “warm smile”. Like the sunflower, people love to see and be warmed by the sun. They also love to be around people who have a “sunny and warm smile”. It just feels good. Given what we know about the importance of the sun, in what ways should our smile be a part of our King Day? In what ways could our smile improve someone’s day? How might it improve our own day?
   
    
5. Read: Carrie took an ice cube from the ice tray in the refrigerator freezer. She dropped it into the glass of lemonade she had just made. As she waited for it to cool down her drink she watched it grow smaller and smaller. “Why does an ice cube melt?” she asked turning to her mother.
   
   “Because it realizes that it doesn’t have to be frozen anymore,” her mother answered. Carrie looked confused so her mother explained. “Do you remember when your friend Grace was new to your class? You said that it was really hard to get to know her at first, right?” Carrie nodded. “Well, a few days later you told me that she was “warming up” to you. I asked you what you thought made that happen. Remember?” Again Carried nodded in agreement. “Well you told me you thought it was because you were really trying to be nice to her so she wouldn’t feel that she had to be afraid of being in a new place anymore. That’s like an ice cube that melts. I think the ice cube finally realizes that it doesn’t have to be afraid anymore because it’s in a new place.”
   
   Discuss: Do you think only those people who are in “new places” are afraid? What are some other things that make people afraid? During our King Day event how are we trying to be nice to other people? What might happen if we are nice to other people?
   
    
6. Read: Traffic Signs are important. They tell drivers how to drive safely down streets and highways. Traffic signs can also be good reminders to us even though we aren’t drivers yet. A STOP sign or a RED traffic light can remind us that we need to stop doing things that are unkind. A YIELD sign can remind us to take turns in our play. A MERGE sign can remind us to join in with others and to let others join in with us. A CAUTION sign or flashing YELLOW light can remind us to be careful and think before we act or speak. A ONE WAY sign can remind us that teamwork is important. A GREEN light can remind us that we need to get moving; to get involved.
   
   Discuss: Our King Day event is a day to show kindness and friendship. Signs we see along the highway can be good reminders about kindness and friendship. What might the sign KEEP RIGHT remind us to do? Can you think of any other signs you see along the streets and highways that could be reminders for us as well? Why is it important to be reminded?
   
    
7. Read: Ernie, the eagle lived high atop the trees. He could look out over everything in the Wakefield Forest. He was big and strong. He could soar miles in the air. He knew everybody in the forest and where they lived. If they got lost he would help them find their way home. He knew all about the trees. He would show his forest friends where to pick the best fruit. He knew all about forest fires. When they started he would quickly tell the forest ranger. He knew where the best fishing was. He would show the bears and fishermen where to go so they could catch many fish. He knew all about the weather and how it affected the forest. Everyone considered him the smartest living creature in the forest. One day he was approached by young eagle just learning to be an eagle. He came to Ernie to ask him a question. “What’s the greatest thing in the world?” he asked. Ernie looked out over the forest and said to the young eagle, “Do you really want to know?”
   
   “Yes! Yes!” came the eager reply.
   
   “OK, the greatest thing in the world is to do somebody else a favor,” Ernie said.
   
   Discuss: Do you think the young eagle expected this answer from Ernie? Why or why not? Why do you think Ernie would say that the greatest thing in the world is to do somebody else a favor? Has anyone ever done a favor for you? In what ways will we be doing great things during our King Day? How do you think that will make us feel?
   
    
8. Read: A little boy wanted to run away from home. He was not happy with the way things were going. As he took a bag of potato chips and a six-pack of root beer he informed his mother that he was leaving and started on his journey. He hadn’t gone far when he sat down to rest on a park bench. An old man was sitting there looking very sad. He had recently lost his son in a war far away. Now he just stared at the pigeons. The little boy was hungry so he opened up his suitcase and took out the potato chips and a can root beer. He noticed that the man beside him looked hungry, too. He motioned for the man to help himself to the potato chips. He also handed him a can of root beer. The old man nodded his acceptance and smiled at the boy. They sat there for a long time. They did not speak to each other. They just smiled at each other and munched on potato chips and sipped their drinks. As it started to grow dark, the old man got up to leave. The little boy reached out to him and gave him a hug. It was then the little boy remembered how nice a hug was .He decided to go back home. When he opened the front door to his home his mother immediately saw happiness written all over his face. She hugged him. She told him that she loved him and was so glad that he was back home. She then told him to go wash up for dinner. Meanwhile, the old man returned to his home. Immediately his wife noticed his cheery smile. “It looks like you had a good day.” she remarked.
   
   “I did!" he said. “I found a new friend.”
   
   Discuss: Sometimes we forget how important our smiles and hugs are. Sometimes we miss the smiles and hugs of others. How is our King Day event hoping to bring a cheery smile and a good day to people? Why is having and being a friend so important?
   
    
9. Read: Each day the students in Mr. Blake’s third grade class had special assignments. Today it was Angela’s turn to take the ball out at recess time. It was also her turn to organize the game. Lupita and Jerrod were worried. Yesterday they did not let Angela play in their game. They wondered if they would be allowed to play today. When the recess bell rang everybody ran to the playground. But not Lupita and Jerrod. They stayed back. As Angela passed them carrying the ball, she said, “Hey come on you slow pokes, I’ll race you to the playground.”
   
   Discuss: How do you think Lupita and Jerrod felt when Angela invited them to play four-square? Why do you think Angela would choose to include Lupita and Jerrod in the game? How might our King Day event show kindness and fairness? Why might it be important to show kindness and fairness to people even if they are not always kind and fair to us?
   
    
10. Read: One day Jamie’s teacher gave her third grade class a homework assignment. The assignment was to interview an adult family member. The question they were to ask in the interview was, “What is one of the things that makes you feel happy?” Jamie decided he would ask his grandmother the question. He expected his grandmother to say something like driving her new car or getting a new dress; winning the Bridge game or getting a hug from her grandchildren.  Something like that, but instead grandmother said, “One of the things that makes me most happy is helping  make other people feel happy.”
    
    Discuss: How do think most kids our age would answer the question, “What is one of the things that make you most happy?” Why do you think grandma felt so happy helping to make others feel happy? In what ways might we our King Day event help others feel happy? In what ways might our King Day event help us to feel happy?