Start with the story. Then go through each chapter, one lesson at a time. Each lesson has three short checks. Each chapter ends with a review. The unit ends with a wrap-up.
Pencil drawing, not a photograph: a metal singing bowl resting on a round cushion with its wooden striker beside it, a small stack of smooth stones and a lotus flower
3Unit
Calm and Kindness
Values and Practice
Buddhists care a lot about a calm mind and a kind heart. They practice meditation. They try to be kind to every living thing.
In this unit you will learn what meditation is and where Buddhists do it. You will hear the story of a swan. You will be able to tell what metta and the five precepts are.
When it happened
Step 1
A family takes off their shoes and enters a temple.
Step 2
A nun rings a small bell, and the room goes quiet.
Step 3
People sit still and pay attention; this is meditation.
Step 4
Buddhists say the mind settles like still water.
Step 5
Young Siddhartha saves a swan with an arrow in its wing.
Step 6
The wise men say a life belongs to the one who saves it.
Step 7
Buddhists wish loving-kindness, metta, for all beings.
Step 8
Many Buddhists make five promises about how to live.
5
Chapter
Breathing and Being Still
Practice
Big questionWhat is meditation, and why do Buddhists practice it?
The story
The Little Bell
A small bell rings, and a whole room goes quiet.
Mia and her grandma visit a Buddhist temple on Sunday. They take off their shoes at the door. Inside, the room smells like flowers. People sit on round cushions.
At the front, a nun in a brown robe holds a small bell. She taps it once. Ding. The sound is soft and long. The whole room goes quiet.
Mia's grandma sits very still. Her hands rest in her lap. Her eyes are almost closed. Mia watches. Nobody talks. She can hear a bird outside.
Later Mia asks, "What were you doing, Grandma?" Grandma smiles. "I was meditating. It helps my mind feel calm and clear."
Talk about itWhat did Mia notice in the quiet room?
Section 1
What Is Meditation?
5.1
Sitting Still and Paying Attention
Main ideaMeditation is a practice of sitting still and paying attention.
Buddhists practice meditation. They often sit still. They pay close attention, often to their breathing.
Buddhists say meditation helps the mind grow calm and clear. Some meditate for a few minutes. Some meditate for a long time.
Words to know
meditation
a practice of sitting still and paying close attention
Check yourself
1. What is meditation?
Why: Meditation is a practice of sitting still and paying close attention.
2. What do Buddhists often pay attention to?
Why: Buddhists often pay attention to their breathing when they meditate.
3. What do Buddhists say meditation helps?
Why: Buddhists say it helps the mind grow calm and clear.
5.2
Learning About, Not Doing
Main ideaIn class we learn about meditation; we tell about it, not do it.
In school we learn about many things people do. We learn how farmers plant. We learn how Buddhists meditate.
Learning about something is not the same as doing it. We describe what Buddhists do. Families can choose what they practice at home.
Words to know
describe
to tell what something is like
Check yourself
1. What do we do in class?
Why: In class we describe the practice; we learn about it.
2. What does describe mean?
Why: To describe is to tell what something is like.
3. Who chooses what a family practices?
Why: Families choose what they practice at home.
Section 2
Who Meditates and Where
5.3
Monks, Nuns and Families
Main ideaBuddhist monks, nuns and families meditate at temples and at home.
Buddhist monks and nuns live a simple life. They wear robes. They often meditate every day, sometimes in the morning and evening.
Many Buddhist families meditate too. Some go to a temple. Some sit at home near a small altar with a Buddha image and flowers.
Words to know
monk
a man who gives his life to religious practice
nun
a woman who gives her life to religious practice
Check yourself
1. Who wears robes and meditates every day?
Why: Buddhist monks and nuns often meditate every day.
2. What is a nun?
Why: A nun is a woman who gives her life to religious practice.
3. Where might a family meditate?
Why: Many families meditate at a temple or near a home altar.
5.4
The Temple Bell
Main ideaTemples often use a bell to begin and end quiet time.
Many Buddhist temples use a bell. A soft ring can mean quiet time is starting. Another ring can mean it is over.
Some temples have big bells that ring deep and slow. Some use small bowls that sing when tapped.
Words to know
temple
a building where people gather to practice their religion
Check yourself
1. What can a soft bell mean at a temple?
Why: Many temples ring a bell to start and end quiet time.
2. What is a temple?
Why: A temple is a building where people gather to practice their religion.
3. About how many Buddhists are in the world?
Why: Common estimates say about 500 million Buddhists live in the world.
Section 3
What Calm Feels Like
5.5
Calm and Clear
Main ideaBuddhists compare a calm mind to still, clear water.
Buddhist teachers sometimes use a picture. Muddy water that is shaken stays cloudy. When it sits still, the mud settles. The water gets clear.
Buddhists say the mind is like that water. They say meditation helps it settle and grow clear.
Words to know
clear
easy to see through
Check yourself
1. What happens when the jar sits still?
Why: When the jar is still, the sand sinks and the water clears.
2. What do Buddhists compare the mind to?
Why: Buddhist teachers compare the mind to water that can settle.
3. What does clear mean?
Why: Clear means easy to see through.
5.6
Quiet Is for Everyone
Main ideaMany people, Buddhist or not, find quiet time helpful.
Many people who are not Buddhist also like quiet time. Some sit in a park. Some rest in a calm corner.
Everyone finds calm in different ways. Some like to draw. Some like to hug a pet. What helps you feel calm?
Words to know
quiet
with little or no sound
Check yourself
1. Do only Buddhists like quiet time?
Why: Many people, Buddhist or not, find quiet time helpful.
2. Which is one way to feel calm?
Why: People find calm in many ways, like drawing.
3. What does quiet mean?
Why: Quiet means with little or no sound.
Chapter review
Breathing and Being Still
0 / 6
1. What is meditation?
Why: Buddhists describe meditation as sitting still and paying attention.
2. What did the bell do in Mia's temple?
Why: The nun rang the bell and the room went quiet.
3. Who often meditates every day?
Why: Monks and nuns often meditate every day.
4. What do we do with meditation in class?
Why: In class we describe what Buddhists do.
5. What does the jar of muddy water show?
Why: Buddhists compare a calm mind to water that settles.
6. What might be on a home altar?
Why: Many home altars have a Buddha image, flowers, a candle or fruit.
Send it to your teacher
6
Chapter
Kind to Every Living Thing
Values
Big questionWhat do Buddhists teach about being kind to every living thing?
The story
The Swan and the Two Cousins
A swan falls from the sky, and two cousins both run to it.
Buddhists tell this story about young Siddhartha. One day he was in the garden. A white swan fell from the sky. An arrow was stuck in its wing.
Siddhartha ran to the swan. He gently pulled out the arrow. He held the bird close to keep it warm. The swan was scared but alive.
Then his cousin Devadatta ran up. "That is my swan!" he said. "I shot it down." Siddhartha held on. "I saved it," he said. "It should stay with me."
The two boys went to the wise men of the court. The wise men thought hard. They said, "A life belongs to the one who saves it, not the one who hurts it."
Talk about itDo you agree with the wise men? Why?
Section 1
The Swan Story
6.1
Saving the Swan
Main ideaIn the story, young Siddhartha helped a hurt swan.
Buddhists tell that Siddhartha found a swan with an arrow in its wing. He took the arrow out gently. He cared for the bird.
The story shows that even as a boy, Siddhartha was kind. He wanted to help living things, not hurt them.
Words to know
gently
in a soft and careful way
Check yourself
1. What was wrong with the swan?
Why: The story says an arrow was stuck in its wing.
2. What did Siddhartha do?
Why: He gently pulled out the arrow and cared for the bird.
3. What does gently mean?
Why: Gently means in a soft and careful way.
6.2
Who Should Keep It?
Main ideaThe wise men said a life belongs to the one who saves it.
Devadatta said the swan was his because he shot it. Siddhartha said it should stay with him because he saved it.
The wise men decided. The one who saves a life should keep it. The one who hurts it should not.
Words to know
cousin
the child of your aunt or uncle
Check yourself
1. Who shot the swan?
Why: In the story, Devadatta shot the swan.
2. What did the wise men decide?
Why: They said a life belongs to the one who saves it.
3. What is a cousin?
Why: A cousin is the child of your aunt or uncle.
Section 2
Loving-Kindness
6.3
Metta for All Beings
Main ideaBuddhists teach metta, loving-kindness toward all beings.
Buddhists have a word, metta. It means loving-kindness. It is a warm wish that everyone be happy and safe.
An old Buddhist text says to wish well for all beings, big and small, near and far. Buddhists say this wish is like a mother caring for her child.
Words to know
metta
loving-kindness; wishing all beings to be happy and safe
Check yourself
1. What does metta mean?
Why: Metta is a Pali word meaning loving-kindness.
2. Who is metta for?
Why: The Metta Sutta wishes well for all beings, big and small.
3. What picture does the text use?
Why: The Karaniya Metta Sutta compares metta to a mother's care.
6.4
Do Not Hurt Living Things
Main ideaBuddhists try not to hurt living things, big or small.
Many Buddhists try not to hurt living things. Some carry a bug outside instead of squashing it. Many choose not to eat meat.
Buddhists say every living thing wants to be safe, just like us. So they try to be gentle with all of them.
Words to know
living thing
anything that is alive, like people, animals and bugs
Check yourself
1. What might a Buddhist do with a bug in the house?
Why: Many Buddhists try not to hurt living things, even small ones.
2. Which is a living thing?
Why: A bug is alive. Rocks and chairs are not.
3. Why do Buddhists try not to hurt animals?
Why: Buddhists say all living things want to be safe.
Section 3
Five Promises
6.5
Promises Buddhists Make
Main ideaMany Buddhists make five promises about how to live.
Many Buddhists make five promises. They are called the five precepts. They try their best to keep them.
Told simply, they are: do not hurt living things, do not take what is not given, be faithful in families, tell the truth, and keep your mind clear.
Words to know
precept
a promise or rule about how to live
promise
saying you will do something and meaning it
Check yourself
1. How many precepts do many Buddhists take?
Why: Many Buddhists take five precepts.
2. Which is one of the five promises?
Why: Telling the truth is one of the five precepts.
3. What is a precept?
Why: A precept is a promise or rule about how to live.
6.6
Sharing and Saying Sorry
Main ideaSharing and saying sorry are kind acts in any classroom.
Buddhists teach giving and kindness. In class, kindness can look like sharing crayons. It can look like taking turns.
Sometimes we make a mistake. Saying sorry helps fix it. Then we can try again. Everyone is learning.
Words to know
sorry
a word we say to show we wish we had not hurt someone
Check yourself
1. Which is a kind act in class?
Why: Sharing is a kind act, like the giving Buddhists teach.
2. What can you do after a mistake?
Why: Saying sorry helps fix a mistake, and then you can try again.
3. What does taking turns show?
Why: Taking turns is a kind way to share.
Chapter review
Kind to Every Living Thing
0 / 6
1. Who saved the swan?
Why: In the story, young Siddhartha saved the swan.
2. What did the wise men say?
Why: They said the one who saves a life should keep it.
3. What is metta?
Why: Metta means loving-kindness for all beings.
4. What is the first of the five precepts?
Why: The first precept is not to hurt living things.
5. Who was Devadatta?
Why: Devadatta was Siddhartha's cousin in the story.
6. Why do many Buddhists carry bugs outside?
Why: Many Buddhists try not to harm any living thing.
Send it to your teacher
★
Unit wrap-up
Calm and Kindness
Twelve words, twelve meanings
0 / 8
Tap a word, then tap its meaning. A right pair locks in green.
Words
Meanings
Unit test
Fifteen questions across the unit
0 / 10
1. What is meditation?
Why: Buddhists describe meditation as sitting still and paying attention.
2. What do Buddhists say meditation helps?
Why: Buddhists say it helps the mind grow calm and clear.
3. What do we do with meditation in school?
Why: In class we describe the practice; families choose what they do.
4. What might start quiet time at a temple?
Why: Many temples use a bell to start and end quiet time.
5. In the jar picture, what happens when the water is still?
Why: The sand settles and the water clears.
6. Who saved the swan?
Why: In the story Siddhartha gently cared for the swan.
7. What does metta mean?
Why: Metta means loving-kindness toward all beings.
8. How many precepts do many Buddhists take?
Why: Many Buddhists take the five precepts.
9. Which is one of the five precepts?
Why: Not taking what is not given is the second precept.
10. Which shows kindness to a living thing?
Why: Buddhists try not to hurt living things, even small bugs.
Send it to your teacher
Spiral review
Five questions from earlier units
0 / 5
1. (Unit 2) In many Jatakas, the Buddha-to-be is...
Why: In many tales he is a monkey, a deer, a hare or another animal.
2. (Unit 1) Who was Channa?
Why: Channa drove the prince's cart in the story.
3. (Unit 2) What is a Jataka?
Why: Buddhists tell Jatakas about the Buddha's earlier lives.
4. (Unit 1) What question did the prince ask?
Why: The sights made him wonder why people suffer.
5. (Unit 2) What did the human king learn?
Why: The Monkey King taught him what a good leader does.
Send it to your teacher
Write it
Tell about one way Buddhists practice calm or kindness. Use the swan story, metta, or the five precepts. Tell what Buddhists say it helps.
Start with "Buddhists..."
Name the story or the word you use.
Tell what it helps.
Use one unit word, like metta or precept.
0 wordsSaved on this device as you type.
Practice rooms
Rooms already on the site that belong to this unit — cards, quizzes, a lab.
Every lesson keeps its own three checks; a lesson is ticked when all three are right. Chapter reviews, the unit test and its spiral review (five questions from earlier units in this band) score on the page. When the site is connected to your sheet, or the link carries ?dest=, each one also has a Send box: the first-try score, the standards, the supports used, the attempt number and the minutes go to your sheet as an IEP data point.
Print this page for a paper copy of the readings, the sources, the words and the questions; the answers print as dashed boxes under each question.
Fact-check notes for this course live in the handoff: quotes marked (paraphrased) were set that way on purpose.
