4 - Arnold Finch - Character Education

Character Education Miranda Arnold and Kristi Finch Character is something that everyone has. Unfortunately, a person’s character is not always good. One aim of educators should be to instill good character qualities in their students through modeling as well as implicitly and explicitly incorporating character education into their curriculum. The following outlines ways to incorporate integrity, respect, leadership, perseverance, leadership, responsibility, forgiveness, and patriotism into a public school classroom. Since this discussion is aimed toward students in the fourth grade, Virginia Standards of Learning for the fourth grade are integrated throughout.

Integrity Integrity represents a positive lifestyle for students to adopt, serving as the foundation of an admirable character. It generates truth and honesty as the core for an individual’s values, choices, and actions. Don Galer translates integrity into elementary terms, connecting what we believe and our actions, “Integrity is what we do, what we say, and what we say we do.” Integrity holds great value in the classroom environment due to the numerous individuals, students and teachers, coming together in one central place. The classroom provides a place where multiple relationships and situations arise, lending many opportunities for integrity to be exercised or neglected.

English The teacher will read aloud The Empty Pot (Demi, 1996). The teacher will encourage students to listen carefully and to build their own opinion of the happenings and actions of Ping, the Emperor, and the other children. As the teacher reads, the student will concentrate on specific details to support his or her opinion. There will be time for small group and whole class discussions. This activity fulfills the guidelines of English SOL 4.1c,d: The student will use effective oral communication skills in a variety of settings. Seek ideas and opinions of others. Use evidence to support opinions.

Social Studies The teacher will explain how the concept of economy during the early 1600’s through the American Revolution. Students will come to understand how money and trade were intertwined into that time period. The class will discuss possible scenarios of how integrity may have been shown or may have been neglected in the trading processes. This idea may be applied to present day scenarios as well. The teacher will present a situation, such as money found on the sidewalk or a cashier returning too much change. Allowing a few moments for the students to ponder, the teacher will then ask students to give an appropriate response that demonstrates integrity. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Virginia Studies SOL VS.4d: The student will demonstrate knowledge of life in the Virginia colony by describing how money, barter, and credit were used.

Science The teacher will provide seeds and pots for each student. He or she will present aspects of the scientific method, such as observations, predictions, and conclusions. First as individuals, then in small groups, the students will determine predictions of the plant. Some predictions may include where in the room the plants will grow to the best potential and how tall the plants will grow. This information will be recorded for later review. Students will be instructed how to plant the seeds and to nurture the plants as they grow. Aside from occasional reminders, students will take personal care of their individual plants. Over a few weeks growing period, students will record the growth and observations of their plant. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Science SOL 4.1a,e: The student will plan and conduct investigations in which distinctions are made among observations, conclusions, inferences, and predictions and appropriate metric measures are used to collect, record, and report data.

Math The teacher will provide bean seeds as a manipulative to help the students in their mathematical problems. He or she will incorporate the character principle integrity by teaching the students to not manipulate other students’ materials. The beans may be of various colors, allowing the teacher to use the beans as a means to teach the students probability and statistics. Each student will be given a bag of twenty beans. The teacher asks the students to pull out 7 beans. Using the selected beans, what is the probability of the colors selected in regards to the whole bag? Students will become familiar with probability and statistical terms. Integrity will further be instilled by encouraging students to not give false data from their experiments. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Mathematics SOL 4.19a,b: The student will predict the likelihood of outcomes of a simple event, using the terms certain, likely, unlikely, impossible and determine the probability of a given simple event, using concrete materials.

Respect Respect is a character quality that once learned will benefit students in every aspect of their lives. It is crucial that students are taught from a young age to be respectful of the people around them. Though they may not agree with the people around them, they need to show value to others simply because they are human beings. Millicent Carey McIntosh says, “The most important phase of living with a person: the respect for that person as in individual.” As with any other character trait that educators desire to see in their classroom, respect needs to be modeled by the teacher. “A student never forgets an encouraging private word, when it is given with sincere respect and admiration,” Says William Lyon Phelps. If a teacher demands respect from his/her students, then he/she must be willing to show respect!

English The teacher will introduce the book The Indian in the Cupboard to the class. The class will read the book together and individually for homework over a period of several days, then discuss the ways the characters showed or did not show respect to each other. Students will be encouraged to provide adequate, specific examples from the novel depicting respect. This activity fulfills the guidelines of English SOL 4.1b: The student will use effective oral communication skills in a variety of settings: contribute to group discussions.

Social Studies The teacher will use the book The Indian in the Cupboard to introduce British culture. This can be tied into the 4th grade Social Studies SOLs by focusing on the earliest Virginia History when the British originally settled and brought their culture with them. The students then role play a scene between the settlers and the Native Americans in two different ways: one where the two groups show respect to the other, and the second where the two groups do not respect each other. To demonstrate the importance of both respect and the implementation of the Constitution, Don’t Laugh at Me suggests having the class work together to create a classroom constitution (Yarrow, 2000, p. 77). After this role playing activity, students will gain a better understanding of respect for one another in a community environment. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Virginia Studies SOL 3g: The student will demonstrate knowledge of the first permanent English settlement in America by describing the interactions between the English settlers and the Powhatan people, including the contributions of the Powhatans to the survival of the settlers.

Science The teacher will discuss with the students how even animals show respect to one another as they function within their environment and community. Within groups, the students will research and create a poster on a symbiotic relationship between two different animal species. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Science SOL 4.5: The student will investigate and understand how plants and animals in an ecosystem interact with one another and the nonliving environment.

Math The teacher will continue to emphasize the importance of respect between two different groups of people as it relates to the Native Americans and the early settlers in Virginia. He/she will integrate math into this topic by introducing the different methods of trading that could have occurred between these two groups. The students will practice measuring different unit of measure and determining what would be a fair, respectable trade. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Mathematics SOL 4.10b: The student will identify equivalent measurements between units within the U.S. Customary system (ounces and pounds) and between units within the metric system (grams and kilograms).

Leadership Leaders are vital components to any functional society. It is necessary for people to set up and guide others in the right direction. Though some people’s talents are more geared toward becoming a leader, every single person needs to be willing to be a leader when it comes to something they believe in. Leaders are important people, but the best ones are humble in their position. John C. Maxwell says, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.” It is incredibly important for leaders to practice what they preach and stand up for what is right. Jim Rohn sums up leadership splendidly with these words, “The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.”

English The teacher will read George Washington aloud while the students take note of key events in his life. The students will then take a short quiz on what was read focusing on ways George Washington showed leadership such as leading troops in the Revolutionary War and being the first president of the United States. This activity fulfills the guidelines of English SOL 4.2b: The student will make and listen to oral presentations and reports, listen to and record information.

Social Studies The teacher will discuss the ways different men in Virginian history showed leadership. The students will create a timeline of significant events involving these men especially George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry. Production of the timelines is an opportunity for students to express their creativity and originality. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Virginia Studies SOLs 1f and 5c: The student will develop skills for historical and geographical analysis including the ability to sequence events in Virginia history. The student will demonstrate knowledge of the role of Virginia in the American Revolution by identifying the various roles played by Virginians in the Revolutionary War era, with emphasis on George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry.

Science The teacher will explain to the class that leadership applies not only to morality and civics, but also leading people to discovery. The students will research key figures in the discovery and understanding of electricity including but not limited to Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Edison. Students will have the opportunity to use technology during their research. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Science SOL 4.3f: The student will investigate and understand the characteristics of electricity. Key concepts include historical contributions in understanding electricity.

Math The teacher will emphasize that leaders are humble and are not too proud to take the blame for something they have done. He/she will also explain how leaders do not quickly place blame on those around them, which is a common occurrence in today’s world. He/she will then introduce the "Coming Down the Escalator with “I” Messages” from Don’t Laugh at Me (Yarrow, 2000, p.54). The students will practice making “I” statements and role play situations where “I” statements are used or not used. The teacher will highlight the fact that when an "I” statement is used, a negative outcome is less likely to ensue, while an unconstructive situation is certain if blame is placed on others. The class can then continue studying probabilities as they relate to mathematics as well as social situations. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Math SOL 4.19a: The student will predict the likelihood of outcomes of a simple event, using the terms certain, likely, unlikely, and impossible.

Perseverance Perseverance is one quality that seems to be diminishing in today’s society. In the “microwave” culture that exists today, children are habitually exposed to the “I want it now” attitude. When something requires work, effort, and a significant amount of time, suddenly, it is not worth pursuit. However, teachers should instill in their students that good things are worth working for! Sometimes it is good to invest time, energy, and even discomfort into something. Josh Billings puts it quaintly, “Consider the postage stamp: its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there. “ Perseverance is about determining to do something no matter what it costs. It is being willing to strive toward something that is of worth. Newt Gingrich wisely says, “Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.” What an important lesson in today’s classroom!

English The teacher will read Brave Irene aloud to the class. The students will identify sensory words that the author uses to support the story. The class will discuss how Irene’s perseverance helps her to accomplish the goal even when it is very difficult. This activity fulfills the guidelines of English SOL 4.4 b,f: The student will read and demonstrate understanding of fiction; describe how the choice of language setting, and information contributes to the author’s purpose; identify sensory words…

Social Studies The teacher will connect the hardships Irene faced in Brave Irene with the hardships the settlers at Jamestown faced. The students will write an essay in which they in which they relate the experience of the settlers to a situation in their own lives where they had to persevere. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Virginia Studies SOL 1e and 3f: The student will develop skills for historical and geographical analysis including the ability to make connections between past and present. The student will demonstrate knowledge of the first permanent English settlement in America by describing the hardships faced by settlers at Jamestown and the changes that took place to ensure survival.

Science The teacher will emphasize that perseverance means continuing with the task at hand and working toward the goal even when there is opposition. Then he/she will relate this concept to the laws of motion and how opposing forces can affect motion. The student will test different materials and their effects on the motion of a small cart such as tile vs. carpet. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Science SOL 4.2b,c: The student will investigate and understand the characteristics and interaction of moving objects. Key concepts include forces cause changes in motion, and friction is a force that opposes motion.

Math Studying fractions is often a difficult area of mathematics, so perseverance is important! The teacher will provide some sort of incentive for the students to work toward, such as a class party if 85% of the class gets over an 85% on a fractions quiz. The students will then work hard to achieve that goal, and if they reach the objective, they will enjoy the benefits of working hard and persevering. Not only will students be accountable for their own improvements, students will also learn to encourage one another because the goal must be reached as a class. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Mathematics SOL 4.9a: The student will add and subtract with fractions having like and unlike denominators of 12 or less, using concrete materials, pictorial representations, and paper and pencil.

Stewardship Taking care of what one has is an important character trait for students to learn. Depending on the economic status of the students in the classroom, the children within a teachers influence may not have a large amout of wealth at their disposal. Learning to make a little go a long way and being generous with what one has are skills that will benefit young people for their entire lives. John Wesley says, “Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” Another quote that hit right at the heart of stewardship is this anonymous one, “The real measure of your wealth is how much you’d be worth if you lost all your money.”

English The teacher will introduce the topic of stewardship by reading The Berenstain Bears and Trouble with Money aloud to the class. He/she will then lead a discussion about how people need to make wise choices with their finances. The students will write a letter to the characters in the story giving them three pieces of advice about how they should handle money. This activity fulfills the guidelines of English SOL 4.7b,c: The student will write effective narratives, poems, and explanations, develop a plan for writing, and organize writing to convey a central idea.

Social Studies The teacher will discuss how the original inhabitants of Virginia, the First Americans, were good stewards of the land and its resources. Within groups, the students will research a certain aspect of life for the First Americans (Food, clothing, or shelter) and how they used the available resources to make sure their needs were met. They will then write a paragraph about how their findings. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Virginia Studies SOLs 1h and 2e: The student will develop skills for historical and geographical analysis including the ability to evaluate and discuss issues orally and in writing. The student will demonstrate knowledge of the geography and early inhabitants of Virginia by describing how American Indians (First Americans) adapted to the climate and their environment to secure food, clothing, and shelter.

Science The teacher will explain how stewardship does not only apply to money, but also to our environment. He/she will discuss the natural resources that Virginia has and how the inhabitants of the area are responsible to take care of these. The students will participate in a stewardship project in which they will collect products to be recycled (Petrick, 2003). The money earned will be put toward something for the class or for a local charity or community group. The “Take It to the Community: Creating a Community Action Project” activity in Don’t Laugh at Me (Yarrow, 2000, p. 40) is used to provide ideas for incorporating the community into classroom activities. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Science SOL 4.8: The student will investigate and understand important Virginia natural resources.

Math The teacher will create a system for keeping track of the products collected for recycling and the money earned from the project. The students will create charts and graphs of the results and decide which product brought in the most profit. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Mathematics SOL 4.20: The student will collect, organize, and display data in line and bar graphs with scale increments of one or greater than one and use the display to interpret results, draw conclusions, and make predictions.

Forgiveness Growing up, children are continually being demanded to forgive their childhood friend or their brother or sister. Forgiveness is more than a forced action though or a casual, meaningless “I’m sorry”. It is essential that students understand forgiveness must be an intentional action or a choice that dismisses wrong doings by another individual. By granting forgiveness, the student must release bitterness and grudges. Although ideally forgiveness is a two-way street, emphasis needs to show students that forgiveness is not dependant on the other party’s actions or willingness to forgive.

English The teacher will introduce the book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Lewis, 1950). This book will be read as a class during lesson time and portions will also be assigned as homework. Throughout the reading, the students will develop an understanding of how the characters had to practice forgiveness towards one another in order to work as a unified team striving to conquer the next task or challenge. Students will recognize turning points and minor events in the text. As an alternative activity, possibly even as an additional assignment for gifted students, Essentials of Children’s Literature suggests allowing “students to write a different ending to the story read” (Brown, 2005, p. 267). This activity fulfills the guidelines of English SOL 4.4d: The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of fiction. Identify major events and supporting details.

Social Studies The teacher will incorporate the ideal of forgiveness into the social studies subject area by revealing a conflicting perspective on forgiveness. Although not a direct “I forgive you,” students will realize that advancements have been made in the past through compromise and moving forward despite past differences. The class will study the contributions of individuals, groups, and documents that supported the growth of our country from 1900 to present day. Students can relate this idea to the novel by stating how forgiveness allowed the children to succeed in their new kingdom. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Virginia Studies SOL VS.9: The student will demonstrate knowledge of twentieth century Virginia by describing the economic and social transition from a rural, agricultural society to a more urban, industrialized society, including the reasons people came to Virginia from other states and countries, identifying the social and political events in Virginia linked to desegregation and Massive Resistance and their relationship to national history, and identifying the political, social,

and/or economic contributions made by Maggie Walker, Harry F. Byrd, Sr., Arthur R Ashe, Jr., and L. Douglas Wilder.

Science The teacher will use the parallel between forgiveness and bitterness to convey force and friction. He or she will relate forgiveness to force as scientifically, force changes the direction of an object. To show the contrary, bitterness will stand for friction since friction works against motion just as bitterness conflicts with effective progress. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Science SOL 4.2b,c: The student will investigate and understand characteristics and interaction of moving objects. Key concepts include forces cause changes in motion and friction is a force that opposes motion.

Math The teacher will assign an activity that involves geometry and art. Each student will draw a picture representing a scene of forgiveness between the characters from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Lewis). This will not be a regular drawing though. The student will be required to include geometrical concepts into their drawing, which may consist of points, lines, angles, and so forth. The teacher will give examples on the board. One example may be a house that is made with right angles. Students will present their drawing to the class making reference to their use of geometry in their picture. These pictures will then be displayed throughout the classroom. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Mathematics SOL 4.15a: The student will identify and draw representations of points, lines, line segments, rays, and angles, using a straightedge or ruler.

Responsibility Abigail Van Buren portrayed an understanding of children and responsibility, “If you want children to keep their feet on the ground, put some responsibility on their shoulders.” Responsibility is a learned trait where students grow and develop qualities that enable a self-lead, productive life. It is vital for a teacher to give the students responsibility in the classroom as it gives them something to take pride in and be accountable for, even if sometimes that means taking the blame for a mistake or error.

English The teacher will read Shiloh aloud to the class throughout a period of time (Naylor, 2000). After the completion of the book, the student will be given a topic or prompt to write a short essay on. The prompt will encourage students to explain their journey through a given responsibility. This activity will benefit the students in their writing processes, as well as guiding them to apply responsibility in their own life. Instead of being given a prompt suggesting responsibility, the student may also choose to write their essay on a pet, plant, or other object they are held responsible of at home. This activity fulfills the guidelines of English SOL 4.7d: The student will write effective narratives, poems, and explanations. Write several related paragraphs on the same topic.

Social Studies The teacher will encourage students to contemplate the cause and effect of Marty’s decision to take responsibility for the dog, Shiloh. The student will clarify what the positive and negative consequences were of Marty’s decision. The class will realize that responsibility may not always be easy, but it is always worth the effort. Identifying cause and effect relationships can be reinforced by simply discussing scenarios, where the students will need to make a decision whether or not to take responsibility for their actions. In More Good Ideas to Help Young People Develop Good Character, a chart is given to help students visualize the cause and effect relationship (Nish, 2004). After reading a scenario, the teacher will seek student feedback. He or she will list the suggested choices given by the students. As a class, they will brainstorm what the possible outcomes of those choices will be. They will then balance the options and make a conclusion based upon the best, possible outcome demonstrating responsibility. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Virginia Studies SOL VS.1b: The student will develop skills for historical and geographical analysis

including the ability to determine cause and effect relationships.

Science The teacher will introduce a plant growing activity that enables the students to take responsibility for their own plant just as Marty took responsibility for the care and growth of Shiloh. Throughout the lesson, the student will gain knowledge in plant structures and growing processes. Students can later evaluate their plant growth and conclude what actions could have been improved to increase growth. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Science SOL Science 4.4: The student will investigate and understand basic plant anatomy and life processes. Key concepts include the structures of typical plants (leaves, stems, roots, and flowers), processes and structures involved with reproduction (pollination, stamen, pistil, sepal, embryo, spore, and seed), photosynthesis (sunlight, chlorophyll, water, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and sugar), and dormancy.

Math The teacher will demonstrate the use of measuring devices to the class using metric and U.S. customary units. As the students’ plants grow, they will be responsible for recording data. The data will consist of the measurements as the plants grow in different units such as inches, feet, and other such units. The student will practice measurement estimation before using the actual measuring devices, as well as converting the measurements between metric and U.S. standards. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Mathematics SOL 4.11a,b: The student will estimate and measure length, using actual measuring devices, and describe the results in both metric and U.S. Customary units, including part of an inch (1/2, ¼, and 1/8), inches, feet, yards, millimeters, centimeters, and meters and identify equivalent measurements between units within the U.S. Customary system (inches and feet; feet and yards; inches and yards) and between units within the metric system (millimeters and centimeters; centimeters and meters; and millimeters and meters).

Patriotism Patriotism is another principle trait that reflects a person’s character. It models an attitude that is appreciative of the nation in which one is born. Living in America, the students should understand, respect, and portray pride in the liberties that the United States of America entails. These are liberties and rights that some countries are not guaranteed and should therefore be held in high esteem, just as many of our fore fathers had. Patriotism also stems in the recognition of the hard work and sacrifices of those that came before this generation. Appreciation of this nation can be displayed in various ways, which will be discovered throughout the subject integration.

English The teacher will introduce patriotism through the non-fiction, picture book about Patrick Henry, titled, Where Was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May? (Fritz, 1997). This short book will be read by the students in small groups. Students will discuss in their small groups the progressions of Henry’s life and how he displayed patriotism. The group will brainstorm what it means to be patriotic and conclude by creating a formal, written definition. To help establish their definition, groups may use other sources such as dictionaries and thesaurus. Students may not reproduce any of the definitions found, but may reestablish the ideas in their own, creative manners. This activity fulfills the guidelines of English SOL 4.3c,d: The student will read fiction and nonfiction with fluency and accuracy. Use knowledge of words origins; synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms; and multiple meanings of words. Use wordreference materials, including the glossary, dictionary, and thesaurus.

Social Studies The teacher will emphasize the role of Patrick Henry in the American Revolution. The central idea to be passed on is how Patrick Henry’s patriotism led him to his “Give me liberty or give me death” speech, which he is popularly known for. Although this statement sounds extreme, Henry was demonstrating the immeasurable need for America’s liberty and the firm stand he was willing to take to achieve this liberty. This short book, Where was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May?, on the historical life of Patrick Henry will help create an understanding of the effects he had on America’s liberty (Fritz). Students will draw conclusions on how Patrick Henry has influenced the way Americans live today. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Virginia Studies SOL VS.1e: The

student will develop skills for historical and geographical analysis including the ability to make connections between past and present. It also fulfills the guidelines of Virginia Studies SOL VS.5b: The student will demonstrate knowledge of the role of Virginia in the American Revolution by identifying the various roles played by Virginians in the Revolutionary War era, with emphasis on George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry.

Science The teacher will integrate patriotism into the science concentration by relating the student’s pride for Virginia to the concern for Virginia’s natural resources. The teacher will touch base on Virginia’s resources including water, plants and animals, and other such factors. The connection between patriotism and natural resources will be made by explaining that people who are prideful of their nation will exercise their pride by taking care of their environment and being diligent with the natural resources. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Science SOL Science 4.8: The student will investigate and understand important Virginia natural resources. Key concepts include watershed and water resources, animals and plants, minerals, rocks, ores, and energy sources, and forests, soil, and land.

Math The teacher will teach a lesson concerning fractions with denominators less than twelve. The “partitioning figures” activity from Learning Mathematics in Elementary and Middle Schools will integrate both the concept of fractions, as well as the character principle of patriotism (Cathcart, 2006). Students will trace a decent size heart on durable paper and then cut the star out. After a lesson on fractions, students will be instructed to cut the star into equal portions according to the fraction dictated by the teacher. The star will portray patriotism as it represents the stars on the American flag. This activity can be done numerous ways with various shapes and fractions. This activity fulfills the guidelines of Mathematics SOL 4.2: The student will identify, model, and compare rational numbers (fractions and mixed numbers), using concrete objects and pictures, represent equivalent fractions, and relate fractions to decimals, using concrete objects.

Conclusion The eight character traits consisting of integrity, respect, leadership, perseverance, leadership, responsibility, forgiveness, and patriotism were found to be most prominent in classroom education. By integrating these principles into a fourth grade curriculum, students are placed in an environment where they will most definitely observe and ideally practice these traits. It is vital that the educator demonstrates these eight character traits as an example to the students. In time, students will foster an appreciation of this character education as they each build their own positive characters. This list of character traits is not finite; the list continues. From the implementation of these specific eight principles, students will eventually expand their character by instilling other traits that stem from the ones mentioned above.

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