Table of Contents
Foreword xi
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction vxi
How to Use This Book xix
Chapter 1 Why Happiness? Why Now? 1
What Do You Really Want for Your Students? 3
Looking and Listening for Happiness 5
Some Burning Questions 6
If Not Now, When? 7
Happiness in Your Own Heart 8
What We Know About Happiness and Learning 10
Self-Literacy as a Fundamental Goal of Literacy Learning 14
Happiness and Becoming a Reader and Writer 21
Design for It! 23
Part 1 Happiness Pillars
Chapter 2 Connection 28
Classroom Story: Reading with Owen 29
Research Says: Our Biggest Potential 30
Read-Aloud as the Daily Spark 33
Empathy Building Through Literature 35
Stories with Characters We Care About 37
Stories with Characters We Don't Immediately Root For 37
Stories About People from Other Places 38
Stories That Represent Diverse Society 39
Perspective-Taking or "People Sense" 40
Deepening Conversation 43
From Partnerships to Clubs 46
Daily Gratitude and Affirmation 48
May the Force of Others Be with You 50
Design for Connection 50
Chapter 3 Choice 53
Classroom Story: A Classroom Library for Self-Driven Children 54
Research Says: Why Choice Drives Agency 55
Book Choice 58
Book Talks 58
Book Clubs and Book Tasting 59
Classroom Library Curation 60
Reader Response Choice 62
Writing Choice 63
Word Choice 65
Genre/Topic Choice 66
Illustration Choice 68
5 Ws and 1 H as a Guideline to Let Go 70
Design for Choice 71
Chapter 4 Challenge 72
Classroom Story: Choice Words 73
Research Says: Attention and Motivation Go Hand in Hand 75
Learning Is an Adventure 78
Start with Strengths 80
Try Something New 82
Create a Culture of "Go First" 84
Design for Challenge 85
Chapter 5 Play 87
Classroom Story: Play Is All Around Us 88
Research Says: Learning from Lego About Flow 90
Play Leads to Practice, Mastery, and Recognition 92
Playing with Ideas 94
Playing with Materials 96
Letting Students Grow 98
Design for Play 99
Chapter 6 Story 101
Classroom Story: Storytellers Inside Us 102
Research Says: Hardwired for Stories 103
The Secrets of Great Stories 105
Stories Are Everywhere 107
What's the Story Here? Image Reading 108
Developing a Storyteller's Voice with Wordless Picture Books 109
Life Stories That invite Hopeful Possibilities 111
Story Sharing as a Happiness Routine 113
A Note on Personal and Fictional Narratives 114
Design for Story 116
Chapter 7 Discovery 117
Classroom Story: Exploring Books 118
Research Says: Seeing the World with Wonder and Awe 120
Self-Discovery: What Feels Good? What Feels Hard? 121
Choose, Act, Reflect 122
What's Worth Asking? 124
Characters Model Questioning 127
The Natural World 128
The Gift of Time 130
Design for Discovery 134
Chapter 8 Movement 135
Classroom Story: Becoming the Characters 136
Research Says: Leveraging the Body-Mind Connection 138
Daily Whole-Class Routines 142
Small-Group Movement to Strengthen Comprehension 143
Core Muscles Help Core Skills 144
Leadership Jobs That Invite Kids to Move 145
Design for Movement 146
Chapter 9 Becoming A Designer 147
Getting Started 148
Small Things Often 148
Making Connections 149
Maximizing the First Five Minutes 150
Making Time for the Last Five Minutes 150
How to Keep Going 151
Giving Students a Say 152
Kidwatching 153
Prioritizing Your Own Happiness Routines 154
Ask Yourself: "What Will Students Really Remember?" 155
Part 2 Invitations 157
1 The Best Part of Me (Literature Spotlight: The Best Part of Me: Children Talk About Their Bodies in Words and Pictures by Wendy Ewald) 161
2 What Do I Notice and Wonder (About Me?) (Literature Spotlight: What Do You Do with an Idea?; What Do You Do with a Problem?, and What Do You Do with a Chance? by Kobi Yamada) 165
1 What Makes Me Feel Strong? (Literature Spotlight: After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again by Dan Santat) 168
4 Power Poses (Literature Spotlight: The Word Collector by Peter Reynolds) 171
5 Closely Reading Characters to Closely Read Me and You (Literature Spotlight: Why Am I Me? by Paige Britt) 173
6 I Am, I Can, I Did (Literature Spotlight: Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers) 175
7 Hmm … Yes, And; Yes, But; No, Because (Literature Spotlight: Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell) 177
8 Three Good Things (Literature Spotlight: Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett) 179
9 Asking Questions Gets Us to Better Questions (Literature Spotlight: The Antlered Ship by Dashka Slater) 181
10 Listening with Love (Literature Spotlight: The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld) 184
Part 3 Appendices 187
A Conversation Prompts to Get to Know Students and What Makes Them Happy 188
B Lesson-Planning Tool to Design for Happiness 192
C Lesson-Planning Template to Design for Happiness 193
D Story Frames to Launch a Year of Happiness 194
E Five-Minute Journaling Prompt Ideas 201
F Designing Physical Spaces to Foster Happiness 202
Space for Movement 202
Space for Connection 203
Space for Growing Independence 203
G Media Recommendations 205
References 207
Children's Literature 207
Professional Works 213
Index 220