Gratitude
What do we have GRATITUDE for? How does the word GRATITUDE make your body move? Watch the video and explore the teaching guide to learn more!
OOPA’S World of Words
Featuring the Ideals of John F. Kennedy
Kennedy Center Education and NaliniKIDS have teamed up to bring arts and movement together in a whole new way. This dynamic series is designed to support K-2 teachers and students—making learning more engaging, creative, and fun!
This civics collection features John F. Kennedy’s ideals—GRATITUDE, FREEDOM, COURAGE, JUSTICE, and SERVICE—through WORD movement and expanded arts-integration activities.
Watch the series trailer on YouTube!
Intended Impact
- Introduce foundational civics concepts to young audiences through language and stories they can understand and connect to movement
- Connect young people to the ideals of John F. Kennedy
- Engage students in interactive physical movement
- Lay the groundwork for active and engaged citizenship
- Leverage the words of JFK to inspire a new generation
- Foster a positive school community and strengthen relationships and well-being
Justice
How can we achieve JUSTICE? How does the word JUSTICE make your body move? Watch the video and explore the teaching guide to learn more!
Service
What acts of SERVICE can we do to contribute to our community? How does the word SERVICE make your body move? Watch the video and explore the teaching guide to learn more!
About The Kennedy Center and NaliniKIDS Partnership
Learn how The Kennedy Center and NaliniKIDS partnership brought JFK’s ideals to life in the OOPA’S World of Words video series and teaching guides.
Cited and Related Resources
Article Mindfulness Needs an Upgrade—It's Time to "Move" Our Feelings
PreK-2 teachers will make mindfulness thrive in the classroom when they integrate WORD Movement and practice conscious media selection.
Article The Modern Student Needs Movement
A guide for teachers on using movement to enhance focus, support classroom transitions, make deeper content connections, and ultimately transform the future of learning.
Activity Music and Movement
Teaching artist Dr. Erica Glenn demonstrates how to move the body to different kinds of music in order to explore different emotions, energies, and states of mind.
Lesson A Butterfly’s Life Cycle Dance
In this K-2 lesson, students will choreograph an original dance that communicates the life cycle stages of the monarch butterfly. They will read Eric Carle’s book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and explore the monarch butterfly migration process.
Credits
Project production: Eric Friedman, Sam Goldberg, Jamie Hurwitz, Rupa Mehta, and JoDee Scissors
Video production: NaliniKIDS
Illustrator: Laura Lee Gulledge
Teaching guide content writer: Bonny Dieterich
Teaching guide and website production: Eric Friedman and JoDee Scissors
Special thanks: Bonny, Sam, Teo, Dr. Lai, and Audrey
Kennedy Center Education provides resources and experiences that inspire, excite, and empower students and young artists, plus the tools and connections to help educators incorporate the arts into classrooms and learning spaces of all types.
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Generous support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by the U.S. Department of Education.
Gifts and grants to educational programs at the Kennedy Center are provided by The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Bank of America; Capital One; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Carnegie Corporation of New York; The Ednah Root Foundation; Genesis Inspiration Foundation; Harman Family Foundation; William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust; the Kimsey Endowment; The Kiplinger Foundation; Laird Norton Family Foundation; Lois and Richard England Family Foundation; Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; The Markow Totevy Foundation; Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; The Morningstar Foundation; Myra and Leura Younker Endowment Fund; The Irene Pollin Audience Development and Community Engagement Initiatives;
Prince Charitable Trusts; Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr. Jan A. J. Stolwijk; Rosemary Kennedy Education Fund; The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates; The Victory Foundation; The Volgenau Foundation; Jackie Washington; GRoW @ Annenberg and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten and Family; and generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas. Additional support is provided by the National Committee for the Performing Arts..
The content of these programs may have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education but does not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the federal government.