Reference
The acts of goodness
Every act a teacher can record, in its seven areas, with examples for each age band.
Every act a teacher records comes from this list. It is Mohanji's catalog of the acts of goodness: seven areas, twenty-one kinds of act, and examples for each age so a teacher can say, in a second, "yes, that is one." A school can add its own acts under any area (see Your school's own acts); it cannot change the points. Every act is ten points, and nobody chooses an amount.
The public version of this catalog lives at goodnessfactor.com/acts-of-goodness.
The age bands
| Band | Ages | US grades |
|---|---|---|
| Seeds | 4 to 7 | PreK-2 |
| Sprouts | 8 to 11 | Grades 3-5 |
| Saplings | 12 to 14 | Grades 6-8 |
| Trees | 15 to 18 | Grades 9-12 |
Only the teacher who saw an act writes it down. The examples below are written for the child's age: what a six-year-old can do in the Seeds column, what a teenager can do under Trees.
1. Peace (Ahimsa)
A peaceful week
| Seeds (4 to 7) | Sprouts (8 to 11) | Saplings (12 to 14) | Trees (15 to 18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A week without hitting, hurting or unkind words | Same | Same | Same |
Peacemaker
| Seeds (4 to 7) | Sprouts (8 to 11) | Saplings (12 to 14) | Trees (15 to 18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Used words, not hands, when upset | Helped two friends make up | Mediated a conflict using the steps learned | Led a peace circle |
| Walked away from a fight | Stayed calm when provoked | Refused to pass on a rumor and stopped it | Trained younger mediators |
| Fetched a teacher when someone was hurt | Stopped a quarrel before it grew |
Kind words
| Seeds (4 to 7) | Sprouts (8 to 11) | Saplings (12 to 14) | Trees (15 to 18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Said something kind to a classmate | Encouraged someone who failed | Defused unkindness in person or online | Led a respectful-speech effort in the school |
| Did not join in teasing | Spoke up kindly when others mocked | Apologized publicly for a harsh word |
Including others
| Seeds (4 to 7) | Sprouts (8 to 11) | Saplings (12 to 14) | Trees (15 to 18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invited a child who was left out to play | Picked the left-out child for the team | Befriended a newcomer for the semester | Designed an event everyone could join |
| Sat with someone alone | Made sure everyone got a turn | Included a classmate with a disability in an activity |
2. Sharing and Generosity
Food and water
| Seeds (4 to 7) | Sprouts (8 to 11) | Saplings (12 to 14) | Trees (15 to 18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared water with someone who forgot theirs | Brought extra for a friend who often has none | Ran a food-sharing shelf in class | Organized a community meal |
| Shared lunch | Made sure nobody ate alone |
Things
| Seeds (4 to 7) | Sprouts (8 to 11) | Saplings (12 to 14) | Trees (15 to 18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lent a pencil, paper, crayons or an umbrella | Gave a book to someone who needed it | Ran a book or uniform exchange | Organized a donation drive with a real beneficiary |
| Shared sports gear |
Time and knowledge
| Seeds (4 to 7) | Sprouts (8 to 11) | Saplings (12 to 14) | Trees (15 to 18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helped a friend pack a backpack or tie shoes | Helped a classmate with homework | Tutored a younger student each week | Ran a tutoring or skills program |
| Taught a game to a younger child |
3. Kindness and Compassion
Comforting
| Seeds (4 to 7) | Sprouts (8 to 11) | Saplings (12 to 14) | Trees (15 to 18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat with a crying friend | Noticed someone sad and asked | Supported a grieving friend over weeks | Started a peer-support circle |
| Fetched help | Made a card for a sick classmate |
Caring for the vulnerable
| Seeds (4 to 7) | Sprouts (8 to 11) | Saplings (12 to 14) | Trees (15 to 18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helped a younger child | Carried a bag for an injured classmate all week | Visited elders or a children's home | Sustained volunteering with the sick, the elderly or the differently-abled |
| Was gentle with a classmate who was unwell | Helped an elderly person at the gate |
Welcoming
| Seeds (4 to 7) | Sprouts (8 to 11) | Saplings (12 to 14) | Trees (15 to 18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greeted a visitor | Was a buddy for a new student's first week | Helped a transfer student with language and friends | Hosted visitors or exchange students |
| Showed a new child the classroom |
4. Respect and Etiquette
Courtesy and thanks
| Seeds (4 to 7) | Sprouts (8 to 11) | Saplings (12 to 14) | Trees (15 to 18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Said please and thank you | Disagreed respectfully | Wrote appreciation notes to school staff | Hosted an appreciation event for staff |
| Gave and received with both hands | Thanked the custodians and cafeteria staff | ||
| Greeted elders |
Patience and listening
| Seeds (4 to 7) | Sprouts (8 to 11) | Saplings (12 to 14) | Trees (15 to 18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waited for a turn | Let someone go first | Chaired a group discussion fairly | Facilitated a meeting so every voice was heard |
| Listened without interrupting | Heard a classmate's whole story |
Shared spaces
| Seeds (4 to 7) | Sprouts (8 to 11) | Saplings (12 to 14) | Trees (15 to 18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleaned up after lunch | Did classroom cleaning duty well | Led the cleaning rotation | Ran a campus upkeep project |
| Put things back where they belong | Cared for school property |
5. Honesty and Integrity
Truth and owning mistakes
| Seeds (4 to 7) | Sprouts (8 to 11) | Saplings (12 to 14) | Trees (15 to 18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Told the truth about something broken | Admitted a mistake before being asked | Spoke honestly in a hard situation | Led an honor-code effort |
| Returned a found item | Returned extra change | Corrected a false story | |
| Refused to copy |
Fairness and promises
| Seeds (4 to 7) | Sprouts (8 to 11) | Saplings (12 to 14) | Trees (15 to 18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared turns fairly | Played fair and admitted a foul | Refereed fairly | Ran a fair process such as a class election |
| Kept a promise | Divided group work fairly | Stood up for a fair outcome |
6. Care for Nature and Animals
Animals and birds
| Seeds (4 to 7) | Sprouts (8 to 11) | Saplings (12 to 14) | Trees (15 to 18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Put out water for birds | Fed strays responsibly with an adult | Ran a summer water-bowl project for birds | Volunteered at a shelter |
| Was gentle with an animal | Reported an injured animal | Coordinated a rescue |
Plants and trees
| Seeds (4 to 7) | Sprouts (8 to 11) | Saplings (12 to 14) | Trees (15 to 18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watered the class plants | Adopted a tree | Led a school planting drive | Ran a community green project |
| Planted a seed and cared for it | Tended the class garden |
Clean earth and water
| Seeds (4 to 7) | Sprouts (8 to 11) | Saplings (12 to 14) | Trees (15 to 18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Put trash in the trash can | Picked up trash that was not theirs | Cleaned a local spot | Led a plastic-free or water-saving campaign |
| Turned off a running tap | Used a reusable bottle all week | Ran waste segregation in class |
7. Service and Responsibility
Duties
| Seeds (4 to 7) | Sprouts (8 to 11) | Saplings (12 to 14) | Trees (15 to 18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Did a class duty cheerfully | Did classroom jobs reliably | Volunteered at a school event | Held a responsibility role for a semester |
| Helped at home (family act) | Regular chores (family act) |
Community service
| Seeds (4 to 7) | Sprouts (8 to 11) | Saplings (12 to 14) | Trees (15 to 18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helped at a school event | Took part in a community drive | Did regular community service | Sustained service with a local organization |
| Made cards for elders | Helped a neighbor (family act) |
Initiatives and mentoring
| Seeds (4 to 7) | Sprouts (8 to 11) | Saplings (12 to 14) | Trees (15 to 18) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proposed and ran a small class idea with the teacher | Led a small project: an awareness campaign, a garden, a buddy program | Led a project with real beneficiaries | |
| Mentored younger students for a semester |
Badges
A badge marks a child's steady goodness in one area. It is earned, never chosen, and it appears on the child's record and on the certificate.
| Badge | Earned when |
|---|---|
| Leaf | 3 recorded acts in the category |
| Flower | 10 recorded acts in the category |
| Fruit | 25 recorded acts in the category |
What is not on this list
Sitting still, finishing homework, winning a race. Those have their own rewards. This list is for goodness: what a child does for someone or something else, beyond what was expected. When you are unsure, the teacher's guide to the acts has the test.