This lesson plan can work for a full class or small groups of 8-10 students.

Read the “Land of Happy” poem by Shel Silverstein (text of the poem is available on the Resources tab). Depending on the students’ ages/literacy, you can read it aloud as a group popcorn style with one person reading a line and then choosing someone to read the next line.

Ask the group: What kinds of ideas/thoughts/questions come up for you while reading this poem?

Add their ideas/thoughts/questions to the board. Have the students vote for which they would like to discuss or group/categorize the ideas/thoughts/questions and have them select a group to discuss.

Depending on the age group, the definitions of happiness will vary according to the worlds the group inhabits: race, gender, income, family structure, living situation, class, education level, etc. 

The goal of the discussion is to realize that happiness is one of those ideas that we think we know the meaning of, but when put to the question we realize it may be more complicated, and it means different things to different people.  The ideas that arise from the group will lead to a discussion that includes the above topics or some different direction. 

Allowing thoughts to flow in the community of inquiry, building on one another’s ideas, and listening to and respecting the contributions to the discussion, participants may realize a deeper understanding of what happiness means to them, its value, and why.