3 Vanvliet Character Education Paper

Character Education 1

Character Education: Incorporating Character into the Core Subjects

Rebecca VanVliet

Education 410 Section 2 Dr. Goodwin September 3, 2007

Character Education 2 Character Education: Incorporating Character into the Core Subjects Introduction “Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking.” (H. Jackson Brown, Jr.) Or, to paraphrase, “Our character shows who we really are.” Character education is vital to the elementary curriculum. Not only do character principles help students relate ideas and concepts to life, they form the building blocks of a personality and an attitude about the world and about others that will be influential throughout the student’s life. Although character education is important in all levels of education, the following activities are geared toward the third grade. While carrying out their regular third grade learning activities, students will be exposed to lessons on courage, self-esteem, self-control, integrity, reliability, cooperation, respect, and citizenship for the purpose of making the classroom a safe and productive learning environment, as well as equipping the students with the tools they will need in life for both the present and the future. Courage Courage is a very important trait for all students to have. At some point in time, every individual will have to face people and obstacles which will put them down or hold them back, and children need to learn how to face such situations with determination and strength, and not with fear. English/ Language Arts The teacher will have the class read “The Kissing Hand” by Audrey Penn, and discuss the story as a group. Students will share ideas on why they think the little raccoon was afraid, and why his mother’s secret gave him courage. The teacher will then instruct the children to write about a time they were afraid, and what it was that motivated them to be courageous and

Character Education 3 overcome that fear. Students who wish to share may read their paper to the class, and together the class will generate a list of things that they have done or can do to overcome fear in different situations. The teacher will post these “fear buster” ideas on the classroom wall as a reminder to be courageous. Mathematics While students are memorizing the multiplication tables, the teacher will ask for volunteers to stand up and recite what they have memorized. The teacher will explain that it takes courage to do so, because it is often intimidating to stand up in front of one’s peers for fear of making a mistake and being laughed at. The teacher will stress that everyone is learning, and it is ok to make mistakes. Students should respect one another by not teasing, laughing, or mocking. In order to help discourage such behaviors, the teacher will explain that anyone who teases, laughs at, or mocks the student who is reciting will be the next to stand up. Every student who volunteers will be recognized for their act of courage. Social Studies Students will display courage by being proud of their diversity. During a study on diversity in America, the teacher will discuss how “Americans are a people of diverse ethnic origins, customs, and traditions” who need to respect the individual rights and freedoms of one another (VA SOL Civics 3.12). In an activity called The Power Shuffle (Roerden, p.68), the teacher will have the students line up across one side of a masking-tape line on the floor. The teacher will then explain that the words people use can hurt others, and discrimination is one of the main reasons people try to hurt one another. Next the teacher will call out different groups of people, such as ‘people who have been teased for not being able to sing’ or ‘people who have been teased because of their religious background’ (p.69), and any students who fit the

Character Education 4 description will step across the line and turn to face the rest of the class. After each group crosses the line, the teacher will ask the students to observe who is with them and who is not. The students who crossed the line will then return to join the rest of the class, and the teacher will call another group. Following the entire activity, the teacher will explain how it took courage to cross the line each time, and that crossing the line did not make anyone less deserving of respect and caring. The teacher will also tell the students that it takes courage to stand up for who they are, and that they should be proud of their differences. Science While investigating the science of rocks and soil, the teacher will plan a class field trip to a natural cavern that offers guided tours. The teacher will explain that it takes courage to explore and discover things underground, because they will be below the surface of the earth, where it is dark, cold, and inhabited by creatures like bats. As a class, the teacher and students will discuss different ways they can help each other be courageous when they are afraid. Self-Esteem A large part of any child’s education can only be achieved if he believes in himself. If a student does not believe that he can be successful in learning, he will lack the motivation and drive that are necessary to do well. Because self-esteem requires believing that oneself has the potential for success, it is an essential ingredient in every elementary classroom. English/ Language Arts The teacher will read Dr. Seuss’s “My Book About Me” aloud to the class, and call on volunteers to fill in each blank. After the class has gone through the whole book, the teacher will guide the students in generating ideas for their own “Our Book About Us” – focusing on the class as a whole. Students will be encouraged to come up with categories that the whole class

Character Education 5 has in common, such as “We take turns leading the class to lunch” or “In our classroom, we raise our hands before speaking.” The teacher will record the pages on large pieces of construction paper, and allow the class to illustrate their book. The book may then be laminated and kept in the classroom to remind the students of what they do that is good, and what they have in common as a class. Mathematics During addition and subtraction of four-digit numbers, the teacher will administer a “speed test” in which students will have a 20 problems to solve in a minute, or 100 problems to solve in five minutes, depending on the time frame the teacher wishes to devote to the activity. After the allotted time has expired, the teacher will allow the students to grade their own papers to see how many questions they were able to complete correctly. In order to boost confidence and self-esteem, as well as improve speed and accuracy, the teacher will administer the same speed test every day for a week (or the length of the unit) so the students can watch their time and accuracy improve, while learning that it is ok if they don’t get everything right the first time. Social Studies While studying the accomplishments of the early explorers, the students will explore the accomplishments of one another in the classroom. The teacher will distribute a “Daily Good News” template (Begun, p.69) to each student, and have the students write short articles about the good things their classmates have done in the past week. For example, one article might read, “Extra, Extra! Johnny shared his crayons with Sarah on Tuesday! They were both able to draw beautiful pictures because Johnny was so generous!” In order to avoid everyone praising one or two students, each student will draw four or five names of their classmates at random, and include something nice about each one in their “Daily Good News.” The final products will be

Character Education 6 displayed on the classroom wall, so that the students can read what their classmates have remembered positively about themselves and others. Science While studying the chronological sequencing of events, the students will be asked to draw on their own life experiences to create a “Highlights of My Life” (Siccone, pp.45-46) display. In this activity, the teacher will encourage the students to recall their fondest memories, moments that made them feel special, and important events in their lives. Each student will order the events chronologically, and draw a picture representing each memory in the film strip boxes on the Highlights of My Life sheet. Students will be discouraged from including negative events, and encouraged to include things that make them feel good about themselves, such as learning to ride a bike, or getting first place in a contest. The teacher will then ask for volunteers to share some of their uplifting events with the class. Self-Control Although children are encouraged to express what they are feeling, it is wise for them to learn how to do so in moderation. Self-control takes patience and practice, and requires students to suppress their impulses and emotions by being aware of their responsibility for their own behavior. This is especially important in a classroom or other setting where there are many people with different opinions and beliefs who may not agree on all things. Students will be encouraged to act in a reasonable manner toward all people they come in contact with. English/ Language Arts The class will read “Let’s Be Enemies” by Janice May Udry, and discuss how the conflict between the two characters escalated, and how it was resolved. Using the “Conflict Escalator” model (Roerden, p.51), the teacher will explain how conflict gets worse step-by-step once it gets

Character Education 7 started if nobody makes an effort to stop it. The teacher will also explain that if students exercise self-control, by not letting themselves lash out in anger, and instead use “I” phrases to alleviate hard feelings, that they can be the solution to a conflict before it gets out of control. As a reminder, the teacher will draw two escalators on the board, one an “up” escalator, and the other a “down” escalator. Students will be allowed to write different things that cause conflict to escalate on the “up” escalator, and the things they can do to resolve conflict on the “down” escalator. Each student should copy the two escalators into their notebooks as a personal reminder to control their emotions when someone does something wrong. Mathematics During a lesson on addition and subtraction of four digit numbers, the teacher will pass out bags of M&Ms® to the students to use as counters and place value markers. Each student will only be allowed one bag, and the teacher will emphasize that in order to complete the lesson, the students are not to eat the M&Ms® until the very end. At the end of the lesson, all students who still have all of their M&Ms® will get a sticker on a character chart, for displaying selfcontrol. Social Studies While studying the civic contributions of Martin Luther King Jr., students will focus on how he used non-violent tactics to solve problems. Students will do the “Bullying Buster Machine” activity (Roerden, p.60), and explore what responses they can give to someone who is being a bully at school. The focus of the activity will be controlling feelings of anger and sadness, as students try not to be mean and instead work on being polite and firm without causing the problem to escalate. Students will explore what kind of non-violent tactics they can

Character Education 8 use to stop bullying at school, and practice things they can say when they are put in a situation where they or someone else is being bullied. Science After studying simple and compound machines, the students will take a short field trip to the school gymnasium where they will use scooter boards in a demonstration of wheel movement and self-control. The students will have to navigate through a simple square pathway of cones, without hitting any of the cones or any other students. The teacher will explain that self control is essential to success, because if the students do not control their speed, they will not be able to control their boards, and they will likely run into cones while trying to turn corners. The teacher will inform the students that while there may be a temptation to go too fast, repeated offenses will result in being removed from the game, so self-control is important. Integrity Honesty and truthfulness are important parts of every student’s character. They determine the outcome of interpersonal interactions and personal growth. But more than simply telling the truth, integrity implies living in such a way that others will trust one to be honest and sincere in every aspect of life. English/ Language Arts The class will read selections from Carlo Collodi’s “Pinocchio” and discuss what happened when Pinocchio was dishonest. Each student will make a paper puppet and write a short skit about honesty and integrity. The teacher may wish to give an example of the kind of skit the students will be asked to write. The example may be something like “Two friends are walking down the street, when they find a wallet with money in it. They discuss what should be done.” After each student has written a skit, the class will vote on which ones they want to act

Character Education 9 out with their puppets as a puppet show for the rest of the class. (If students can not decide on a few skits to perform, names will be drawn from a bowl. A few students will be chosen to put on the puppet shows written by the classmates whose names were drawn.) Mathematics After the lesson, students will be given a take-home test on comparing fractions, which they are to complete without help. Each student will be required to sign his name at the end of the test to say he did not get help. The teacher will emphasize that the students may be tempted to lie, but that doing so does not help them learn, and it doesn’t show integrity. The students are NOT to sign their names if they got help. The teacher may also require a parent signature on the test as extra verification. Social Studies While studying the historical contributions of George Washington, the teacher will highlight different instances in which Washington was honest (the cherry tree). As a class, the students will generate a list of reasons it is important for leaders to have integrity. They will then make a list of reasons it is important for students to have integrity at home and at school, and compare the new list with the first. The teacher will then lead the class in a discussion: is integrity any more important for leaders than for students? For students than for leaders? Or are they equally important, and why? Science While learning about conservation of resources, the students will be asked to keep a log of the resources they use on a daily basis. After recording and recognizing the resources they use every day, the teacher will instruct students to choose one resource that they feel they have been wasting, and cut back on how much they use each day. The students will be required to keep a

Character Education 10 record of the resource and the ways they use and/or stop using it. Because the experiment will be done at home, it rests on the students’ integrity to be honest in how they use their resources. Anyone can write down that they stopped wasting water, but if the purpose of the activity is to actually reduce the amount of wasted water each day, it is up to the students to live responsibly and honestly. Reliability Reliability is having a character that is dependable and trustworthy. Consistency is a large part of reliability, and students need to understand that in order to be trusted, they must continually behave in a manner worthy of trust. English/ Language Arts The class will read Nigel Gray and Philippe Dupasqui’s “A Country Far Away” about two boys in different countries. Students will share ideas on what different countries they would like to visit and why. The teacher will then help the students find pen pals in another country – preferably one that uses English or has an available translator (Siccone, p. 257), and explain that to be good pen pals the students have to want to write the letters. If they do not continue to write, their pen pal will be disappointed because they were unreliable. The students will therefore be responsible to keep up with their pen pals, and share their letters and responses with the class if they would like to. Mathematics The teacher will instruct the class in inverse relationships, and how they form fact families. The teacher will explain to the class that numbers are reliable. If a student adds 3 and 5, the answer will be 8, no matter what. Inversely, if a student subtracts 3 from 8, the answer will always be 5, no matter what. In math, numbers are dependable. Everyone knows the phrase

Character Education 11 “You can count on me!” That phrase itself demonstrates how much people trust numbers to be constant and reliable. After a discussion on the reliability of numbers, the teacher will give each student a card with either a fact sentence (such as 5+__=8) or a number (such as 3). The students’ goal will be to discover which number fits into their sentence (or which sentence their number fits into), and pair up with the student who has that card. Together, these students will list the fact family for their sentence. Once everyone has written down their entire fact family, the teacher will collect and redistribute the cards, and the students will repeat the activity. Students will discuss in what ways people can “count on” them to be reliable. Social Studies After studying the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome, the teacher will take the class outside for an object lesson. The teacher will tell the class that soldiers at this time would fight in a formation called the phalanx, in which every soldier was depended on to guard and protect the man on either side of him. The teacher will divide the class into two teams. Students on one team will use large pieces of cardboard as shields, and students on the other team will use Nerf ® (or similar) foam balls and attempt to hit the other team. After a few minutes the teams will switch roles, and after the activity is complete, the teacher will emphasize how each person had to be reliable, and continually do his job to protect himself and the people around him. Being consistently dependable was a great responsibility of each soldier of Greece and Rome. Science Students will work in pairs or groups to grow plants. The teacher will explain how it takes many factors to successfully grow a plant, and that each student will need to do his part to keep the plant healthy. Within each group or pair, every student will have different responsibilities, whether it is adding fertilizer, watering the plant, or making sure the plant has

Character Education 12 adequate light. The teacher will stress that each student is to only do his or her assigned task and not the task of any other student unless the other student happens to be absent. The teacher will also tell the class that after the first few days, the students will not be reminded about caring for their plants, but it will be their responsibility to keep up with what they need to do. After the experiment, the teacher will explain how every student was relied upon to do his or her task. In order for the project to succeed, everyone had to remember to do their job. Cooperation Cooperation is an essential part of life. Without being able to work with other people, students will be lost when they reach adulthood. Cooperation is more than just getting along, it is focusing on what is best for everyone in a group setting, and working together toward a common goal. English/ Language Arts The students will read Mildred Taylor’s “Let the Circle Be Unbroken” and discuss how uncooperative people are “broken” places in a “circle” of productivity. As an example, have the class form a circle around the room, holding hands. The teacher must be certain to move all of the desks or tables out of the way, either to the center of the room or to the walls, so that the students have room to move without bumping anything. The teacher will then have the students close their eyes, and slowly start walking around in a circle, still holding hands. In order to demonstrate how someone who is not cooperating will hinder what is being done, the teacher will ask one student to drop his or her neighbors’ hands and move to the center of the circle, while the other students’ eyes remain closed (and the students continue slowly walking around the room). After a few moments, the circle of students will start to hesitate and move off course, as the student whose hand was dropped has to find his way without any guidance. When this

Character Education 13 happens, the teacher will ask the students to stop walking and open their eyes, so they can see what the circle looks like. The student who was left with no guidance will be asked to share what it was like trying to follow the circle without a hand to lead him. The teacher will explain that everyone is needed for success, and there is no one person more important than any other, because like the circle, everyone is guiding someone else. After the students return to their seats, they will be asked to write a few sentences on something they can do to “lead” someone else (explain a tricky math problem, show a new student where the cafeteria is, be an example by raising a hand before speaking, etc.). Mathematics The teacher will conduct a geometry lesson on shapes, planes, and angles, and include an activity in which students must work together to complete a puzzle. Using the “Everyone Belongs Puzzle Pieces” (Siccone, pp.101-104), the students will be gathered into groups of five, where each student will be given an envelope with two to four geometric shapes, or “puzzle pieces,” inside. The pieces are scrambled, but together they form five squares. The students must put the squares together, without talking, pointing, grabbing or gesturing for the pieces they need. Each student is only allowed to give away pieces to another student. By doing so, the students will learn that they must be aware of the needs – as well as the contributions – of others, and also be willing to give up what they have in order to achieve the greater goal of the group. Social Studies After studying the discoveries of the early explorers, the teacher will give each student a large puzzle piece (made of cardstock) with either a name, date, location, or discovery on it, and the students will have to work together to put the entire puzzle together. The completed puzzle will form a map of the Americas, and will list the explorers and their accomplishments. The

Character Education 14 students will have to work together (as well as know which names, dates, and discoveries go together) in order to complete the puzzle within a time frame set by the teacher. When the puzzle is complete or the time is up, the teacher will explain how cooperation is the key to group progress and group success. Science Students will work in groups to discover the volumes of different common classroom and household items to the nearest milliliter or liter, using beakers of water and displacement techniques. The groups will be left to themselves to decide how to divide up the work (gathering materials, taking measurements, recording data, graphing results, etc.) in order to finish the project in the quickest and most efficient manner possible. Before the experiment begins, the teacher will explain that if the students cooperate and get along, the work gets done much faster than if they fight and argue over who does what. Without a clear division of labor, there will generally be something left undone, and that will harm the students’ work. After the experiment is finished, the different groups will compare results (for accuracy) and discuss how working together helped them finish the task. Respect Respect is made up of awareness, acceptance, and appreciation of other people, authority, and nature. Students should honor the rights of those around them, as well as honoring the people themselves. English/ Language Arts The teacher will guide students in understanding that there are different kinds of respect. Respect is being kind, using gentle words instead of forceful ones, accepting and loving people who are different, and being polite to people with authority. Students will read Aesop’s Fable

Character Education 15 “The Wind and The Sun” (Allman, pp. 12, 15) and compare Aesop’s ideas to Martin Luther King Jr.’s thoughts on respect in the quote, “We must live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” The students will determine how respect is displayed in each situation, and tell whether or not they are the same kind of respect. Students will also be allowed to volunteer ideas on how to incorporate each kind of respect in the classroom. Mathematics Students will show respect for the differences their classmates display in their opinions and feelings, while comparing the numbers of people with different ideas. During a lesson on comparing values using “greater than,” “less than,” and “equal to” the teacher will have students play the “Same Game” (Siccone, pp.60-62). As part of this game, the students will be required to find others in the classroom who have the same answers to the categories on their Same Game sheets. For example, the students may be required to find someone with the same favorite food, the same birth month, or the same kind of pet. After the students have filled in their papers, the teacher will choose a category from the game, and have the students form groups based on their answer to that category. The students will record the number of people in each group, and provide a written comparison using both words (greater than, less than, equal to) and symbols (>, <, =). The teacher will choose another category, and the students will regroup and again provide a comparison. During this exercise, the teacher will emphasize that all answers deserve respect, and even if there is only one person in any group, he or she is not in any way inferior to the students in groups of larger numbers. Social Studies While studying the early West African empire of Mali, the teacher will guide students in studying kings and the way they govern. Students will learn that in order for such a government

Character Education 16 to survive, the king must have the respect of the people he rules. The teacher will explain that for a king to gain and keep the respect of the people, he must do things that are worthy of respect. On a sheet of paper, the students will then complete the thought “If I were a King (or Queen), I would _____.” The teacher will guide the students in generating ideas that would be respected by the people they would rule, and when they are finished, the teacher will ask the students to share their answers with the class. The teacher (or a volunteer) will write the completed thoughts on a large chart board under the heading “We respect a ruler who _____.” Science Students will collect, organize, and classify multiple objects, (such as leaves and rocks) using a format similar to the “We Are All Different, We Are All The Same” activity (Hanson, p.130). Students will then identify similarities and differences in their objects, and describe what properties all the objects have in common, and how their differences make them unique. The teacher will then bring the discussion toward the true “We Are All Different, We Are All The Same” activity, and discuss how all people have certain things in common no matter their heritage, and their differences only serve to make them unique and special. Citizenship Along with focusing on character in the classroom, children should also be encouraged to discover how character affects the world outside of the classroom. Students will be led to understand that they are citizens of a larger community, of which they are to be a part. English/ Language Arts The class will read “The Queen Bee” by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, and discuss how various characters within the story were “good citizens” (Allman, p.40). The teacher will allow students to read through other fairy tales of their choice, and make a chart of the five best fairy

Character Education 17 tale “good citizens” they can find. Each chart should have three columns: 1)the name of the character, 2)the fairy tale the character is found in, and 3)what made that character a good citizen. One example might be: The Woodcutter – Little Red Riding Hood – Because he saved Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother from the wolf. The teacher will then ask for volunteers to share what “good citizens” they found. After the discussion, the students will write a few sentences about how they can be a good citizen at home and at school. Mathematics While counting money, students will investigate the men whose faces are on the different coins and bills. The teacher will divide the class into groups where they will use a computer to discover a little about one of the faces. The groups will then share with the class how the person they researched was important, and conclude with telling the class how many coins and/or bills with their person’s picture they would need in order to have as close to five dollars as possible. Social Studies Students will choose a historical American who was either discussed in class or related to a time period that was discussed in class, and research the life of the person they chose. The students will then compile an “Artifact Kit” out of a paper bag (Allman, p.40), with things that remind them of the good deeds of their historical figure. Artifacts may represent anything from the person’s life and accomplishments, and students will have a show-and-tell time during which they explain why they chose the artifacts that they put in their bag. Artifacts may be abstract, as long as the student can give a good reason for choosing them. Science Using the “Picture More Perfect” activity (Hanson, p.147), the teacher will show the class pictures of global or national events, such as hurricanes, floods, famines, etc. The class will

Character Education 18 discuss the causes, effects, and natural properties of each. Once students have an understanding of each situation, they will tell how they can be a good citizen in each situation. If possible, the teacher should arrange for one of the suggestions to be carried out (making care packages for people in devastated areas, etc.), and get the class involved in the work itself. Conclusion While teaching students the regular curriculum, it takes only a little creativity and effort to instruct and equip them with the character values that will help them to not only be good students but also productive members of society. Students and teachers alike can learn from these and other activities that promote healthy values both in and out of the classroom, and the lessons learned will be the ones that will follow each student throughout his life. Character is the defining aspect of every person, reaching and touching every area of life, and therefore it is one of the most important things a child can learn.

Character Education 19 References Allman, Barbara. (1999). Developing Character When It Counts: A Program for Teaching Character in the Classroom grades 2-3. CA: Frank Schaffer Publications. Begun, Ruth W. ed. (1995). Social Skills Lessons and Activities for grades 1-3. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Hanson, Wes ed. (2000). Good Ideas to Help Young People Develop Good Character. Vol. 2. CA: Josephson Institute. Roerden, Laura P. (2000). Don’t Laugh At Me: Teachers Guide: Grades 2-5. New York: Peter Yarrow Productions and Educators for Social Responsibility. Siccone, Frank and Lilia López. (2000). Educating the Heart: Lessons to Build Respect and Responsibility. Mass: Allyn and Bacon.