Pay it forward

Creating a Chain
of Kindness

Pre-reading Questions:

1. Why do you think kindness is important in our daily lives?

2. Have you ever heard of ‘pay it forward’ before? What do you think it means?

In a world that can sometimes feel unkind,
‘pay it forward’ gives a twinkle of hope. It's
a simple idea: if someone does something
kind for you, instead of repaying that person,
you do something kind for someone else. This
creates a chain of kindness that can touch
many lives.
Let's follow a trail of kindness in the friendly
town of Willowville.
1 In the centre of Willowville, there is
the Kind Café, which is known for its
delicious pastries. One day, Lena, a cheerful
young girl, walked in and ordered a warm
chocolate chip cookie.
2 When Lena reached the counter to
pay, she saw a box labelled ‘Donate
a Cookie, Share a Smile’. She paid for her
cookie and donated a second cookie.
3 The following day, William, a
homeless man in Willowville, walked
into the café, his face showing worry. He
received the warm cookie donated by Lena
and felt a moment of warmth and kindness.
4 After enjoying the cookie, William
visited the town's cosy library. He
noticed Alice, a shy bookworm, struggling
to reach a high bookshelf. William, thinking
about the kindness of the donated cookie,
offered his help.
5 Alice was thankful for William's help
and asked him to read with her. Their
friendship began!

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 Pay it forward: Creating a Chain of Kindness

6 One sunny afternoon, William and Alice 8 As time passed, the garden became more
visited the charming Magic Garden, a beautiful, and so did the friendship
hidden gem of the town. There, they met between William, Alice, and Ella. The chain
Ella, the garden's caretaker, who welcomed of kindness spread to many more people
them warmly. in Willowville, with each
person trying to make
7 Ella appreciated William and Alice's the town an even
company and invited them to help care
better place.
for the garden. Together, they watered the
beautiful flowers and shared stories.

Disclaimer: This resource has been made for the purpose of teaching English language learners. We know that students can be learning English in many different places, in many different ways and at age,
so we try to keep these resources as general as possible.
There are many acronyms associated with English language teaching. These include (but are not limited to) ELT, TEFL, EFL, ELL, EAL and ESOL. While the term ESL may not fully represent the linguistic
backgrounds of all students, it is the most widely recognised term for English language teaching globally. Therefore, we use the term ‘ESL’ in the names of our resources to make them easy to find but they are
suitable for any student learning to speak English.

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 Pay it forward: Creating a Chain of Kindness

Questions
Activity 1: Definitions

Which definition best describes the bold words in the text? Choose the correct option A, B
or C.

1. Cheerful
A. Feeling happy.

B. A sad feeling.

C. Being very tired.

2. Donate(d)
A. To receive something for free.

B. To use something.

C. To give something for free, usually to help others.

3. Worry
A. The feeling of being troubled about something.

B. A face that shows happiness.

C. Being kind to other people.

4. Bookworm

A. A type of insect that lives in a book.

B. A worm that eats books.

C. A person who enjoys reading.

5. Caretaker

A. A garden tool.

B. Someone who looks after and takes care of something or someone.

C. A charming garden gem.

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 Pay it forward: Creating a Chain of Kindness

Activity 2: Matching

Match each person with the act of kindness they performed.

Word bank Lena William Alice Ella

Act of kindness Person

Helped someone in the library

Cared for the Magic Garden

Donated a warm chocolate chip cookie

Invited someone to read together

Activity 3: Reading questions

1. Where did Lena go get a chocolate chip cookie?

2. Who received the warm cookie that Lena donated and how did they feel before they
received it?

3. Why did William help Alice in the library?

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 Pay it forward: Creating a Chain of Kindness

4. Where did William and Alice go after the library?

5. What did Ella, Alice and William do in the Magic Garden?

6. What was the result of the ‘chain of kindness’ in Willowville?

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 Pay it forward: Creating a Chain of Kindness

Answers
Activity 1

1. A

2. C

3. A

4. C

5. B

Activity 2

Helped someone in the library William

Cared for the Magic Garden Ella

Donated a warm chocolate chip cookie Lena

Invited someone to read together Alice

Activity 3

1. At Kind Cafe.

2. William—he was worried.

3. Because Alice was struggling to reach a high bookshelf.

4. They went to the Magic Garden.

5. They watered the bright flowers and shared stories.

6. It made the town an even better place.

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