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Lesson Plan: Practicing Gratitude via a Gratitude Journal

Teaching Resources for High School Psychology Teachers on Skills

Written by Scott Reed, Virginia Welle, Randy Ernst 

Purpose

Research has consistently supported the benefits of practicing gratitude in enhancing well-being (Emmons & McCullough, 2003; Seligman, Steen, Park, & Peterson, 2005). This lesson is designed to help students understand the psychological science that supports this wellness practice and to provide them with an opportunity to perform the skill.

National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula

  • Pillar: Mental and Physical Health

  • Standard Area: Health

  • Content Standard 2: Psychological science promotes mental and physical health and wellness.

  • Students are able to (learning targets): 2.2 Identify evidence-based strategies that promote health and wellness.

Time Required

Approximately 30 minutes (depending on selected resources).

Materials

  1. Access to (printed or electronic) articles discussing empirical research on gratitude. Appropriate materials will vary depending on student reading level. Examples include: 
    a. APA press release: Growing Up Grateful Gives Teens Multiple Mental Health Benefits (APA, 2012) 
    b. APA press release: A Grateful Heart is a Healthier Heart (APA, 2015) 
    c. Scholarly article: Positive Psychology Progress: Empirical Validation of Interventions (Seligman, Steen, Park, & Peterson, 2005) 
    d. Scholarly article: Counting Blessings Versus Burdens: An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and Subjective Well-being in Daily Lifeopens in new window (Emmons & McCullough, 2003).

  2. Tips: Gratitude Journalopens in new window from the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley

  3. Students should have access to writing materials (paper and pencil or electronic)

  4. Handout: Gratitude Journal Promptopens in new window (PDF, 122KB)

Task

  1. Bell Ringer: Ask students to take a moment to identify something for which they are grateful and write it down. After students have written their ideas, direct students to share what they have written with a neighbor. 

  2. After responses have been shared, introduce students to research regarding the benefits of gratitude expressions. Many popular and scholarly articles are available for this purpose. See examples above.

  3. Before moving on, assess student understanding of gratitude and its benefits. Discussion Questions should include:
     a. How would you define gratitude? 
     b. What benefits have researchers uncovered at this point? 
     c. How might you use this research to improve your own well-being?

  4. Provide students with instruction and modeling regarding creation of a gratitude journal. An example of a Gratitude Journal Prompt is included with this lesson, and you may adapt it as needed for your classroom. Share with students an example entry to illustrate effective practice.

  5. Provide students time to complete a journal entry.

Assessment

  • The Discussion Questions referenced above may be used for in-class, informal assessment or incorporated into paper or electronic forms so student responses can be formally collected.

  • Formative assessment of student gratitude practice could be completed via the “Gratitude Quizopens in new window” found through the Greater Good Science Centeropens in new window. This instrument was developed based on the work of Adler and Fagley (2005) and provides students with a numerical score regarding the effectiveness of their current gratitude practices, as well as suggestions for improvement. You may wish to have students retake the quiz at various points during the term or unit to assess their own progress.

  • Students may be asked to share a self-selected example from their gratitude journal to show evidence of their practice of the skill.

Extension Ideas

  • Data Collection Lab: Prior to lesson, have students complete the “Gratitude Quizopens in new window” found through the Greater Good Science Centeropens in new window and collect their scores anonymously. Following completion of the Gratitude Journal Assignment, have students take the Gratitude Quiz again and compare means.

  • Students can explore various cultural practices in gratitude expression and connect these to cultural differences in subjective well-being.

  • This lesson could be extended by having students analyze and evaluate the research methods used to uncover the benefits of gratitude (e.g., considering the relevance of participant samples, identifying strengths and weaknesses of operational definitions, etc.).

  • Instructors may find it useful to include this lesson during a unit on Emotion. Students may analyze the connections between gratitude and other happiness concepts (e.g., relative deprivation).

References

Adler, M. G., & Fagley, N. S. (2005). “Appreciation: Individual Differences in Finding Value and Meaning as a Unique Predictor of Subjective Well‐Being.” Journal of Personality, 73 (1), 79-114.

American Psychological Association. (2012, August 5). Growing Up Grateful Gives Teens Multiple Mental Health Benefits [Press release]. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2012/08/health-benefits 

American Psychological Association. (2015, April 9). A Grateful Heart is a Healthier Heart [Press release]. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2015/04/grateful-heart 

Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(2), 377-389.

Seligman, M. E., Steen, T. A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60(5), 410-421.

Attachment

Gratitude Journal Promptopens in new window (PDF, 122KB)

This resource was developed by a Working Group on Skills that Promote Well-Being and Flourishing from the APA Summit on High School Psychology Education (July 2017).


Date created: 2018

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