4 Pippin Spears Character Ed

Character Education at FES 1 Running head: CHARACTER EDUCATION AT FES

A Character Education-Curriculum Paper Kristin Spears and Samantha Pippin Liberty University

Character Education at FES 2 ABSTRACT The intent of this paper is to familiarize, stress the importance of and educate ourselves as well as others on character education incorporated into the curriculum for any given class. Our hypothetical school has chosen eight character principles in which we have given examples for fourth grade curriculum incorporation. The above mentioned eight characteristics include: responsibility, diligence, integrity, courtesy, creativity, courage, loyalty and humility; and the subjects these traits will be incorporated in are: math, science, language arts and Virginia studies.

Character Education at FES 3 At Falwell Elementary, the educators by implementing a character education program into our curriculum. The goal of Character education can best be defined by Martin Luther King Jr. having said, “ The Function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically…Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of the true education” Falwell Elementary defines character education as teaching students certain morals and values to develop their personal identity. Falwell Elementary has specifically set aside eight characteristics: Responsibility, Diligence, Integrity, Courtesy, Creativity, Courage, Loyalty, and Humility. The Fourth Grade classes are no exception, and plan to incorporate all eight-character qualities into the studies of math, science, language arts, and Virginia Studies.

Diligence Diligence defined by WordRefence.com is “persevering determination to perform a task.” Students will learn that they can overcome the obstacles that get in their way by being diligent and never giving up. The book chosen to represent diligence is The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White. The story deals with a swan that makes a horrible squawking sound. The other swans are put off by this noise and the swan must go and find a new home. In the city, he overcomes adversary by learning that he can do something and that is play the trumpet. In math, the teacher will address the math Standard of Learning(SOL) 4.5. “The student will estimate whole-number sums and differences and describe the method of estimation. Students will refine estimates, using terms such as closer to, between, and a little more than.”

Character Education at FES 4 The teacher will use the examples of swans on a lake and teach the students to use various terms such as “closer to, between and a little more than” as stated in the SOL. The students will then be broken into groups and given a scenic lake picture with various swans placed about on it will take turns asking each other where certain objects are in relation to other objects and the students will reply given the terms of “closer to, between and a little more than.” In science, the teacher will provide a unit about the lives of swans and their affects on the ecosystem (SOL 4.5). “The student will investigate and understand how plants and animals in an ecosystem interact with one another and the nonliving environment. Key concepts include a) behavioral and structural adaptations; b) organization of communities; c) flow of energy through food webs; d) habitats and niches; e) life cycles; and influence of human activity on ecosystems.” The unit will include flow charts of the life cycles of swans and the food chain involving swans, and how swans are willing to adapt to their communities as the swan did in the story The Trumpet of the Swan.

The students will learn about the various life cycles of swans by being put into groups and having been given a certain stage of the swans life will research and write a one-page paper about that particular lifecycle and each group will present their findings to the class. The presentation will be made in the order of the swan’s life cycles. In Language Arts, the teacher will show the students the steps to the writing process. The teacher will go over each step and to make sure the students understand each step the teacher will have written a story about a fish who shares the same lake with the

Character Education at FES 5 swans that the class has been reading about. The teacher will give each student a copy of what writing the story looked like for each step. The students will in turn choose another lake animal and begin their own narrative story involving the writing process. The students will take turns reading and correcting each other’s work. The students will make a final draft and will turn in the final draft to be counted as a test grade for their Language Arts grade. This activity includes SOL 4.7 a, b, d, e, and 4.8. “The student will write effective narratives, poems, and explanations. a) Focus on one aspect of a topic. b) Develop a plan for writing.

d) Write several related paragraphs on the same topic. e) Utilize elements of style, including word choice and sentence variation. 4.8

The student will edit writing for correct grammar, capitalization, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure. a) Use subject-verb agreement. b) Include prepositional phrases. c) Eliminate double negatives. d) Use noun-pronoun agreement. e) Use commas in series, dates, and addresses. f) Incorporate adjectives and adverbs. g) Use the articles a, an, and the correctly. h) Use correct spelling for frequently used words, including common

homophones.”

Character Education at FES 6 In Virginia Studies, the teacher will show the students the various geographic land features of the states as given in VS.2.a.b.c. “The student will demonstrate knowledge of the geography and early inhabitants of Virginia by a) locating Virginia and its bordering states on maps of the United States; b) locating and describing Virginia’s Coastal Plain (Tidewater), Piedmont, Blue Ridge Mountains, Valley and Ridge, and Appalachian Plateau; c) locating and identifying water features important to the early history of Virginia (Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, James River, York River, Potomac River, and Rappahannock River);” The areas will be labeled on a class map that will be available to the students to use through out the year. The teacher will provide good descriptions of life forms and various circumstance that are in those areas that could help sustain swan life. The students will then label individual maps. Using their maps, the students will select a region and tell why they believe a swan could survive there. The students will give good concrete facts about what they believe to be true. The students who selected the same regions will be broken into groups and will share ideas and present their ideas to the class.

Responsibility Responsibility is something that everyone must learn. The students must learn to take responsibility for their actions. As students, they will need to learn that being responsible mean completing one’s homework on time, taking care of the environment around them and being responsible in how they treat each other, so that to treat each other with the respect that each students deserves. The book chosen to represent responsibility

Character Education at FES 7 is Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. Young Opal finds a dog and decides to keep him. She learns that since he is her pet that she must take responsibility for him. This is a big task for her but she will learn many lessons along the way. In math the teacher will show the students how to divide a two-digit quotient by a one-digit divisor. SOL 4.8 will be addressed. The student will estimate and find the quotient of two whole numbers, given a one-digit divisor. Many examples will be given for this lesson. The students will be given a work sheet pretending that they are Opal and they are planning a party for some friends in the neighborhood. The students will be given problems such as; Opal has to prepare 21 sandwiches. Each person will eat 3 sandwiches apiece. How many people will Opal feed? The teacher will have candy such as M&M’s for the students to use also fro them to help grasp division. The students will be divided into groups and will be given a bag of M&M’s and will be asked to separate each color. The students will have to decide how many red M&M’s each student in their group will get, and so forth. In science, the teacher will explain motion and force to the students using the dog WinnDixie as the main example. Simulation problems will be given relating to the dog’s movement and speed. There are forces that contribute to Winn-Dixie’s speed such as him hearing his name called from an opposition direction. The teacher will also explain kinetic energy to the students by showing them by way of video clip that a moving dog creates kinetic energy. The SOL addressed will be 4.2. “The student will investigate and understand characteristics and interaction of moving objects. Key concepts include a) motion is described by an object’s direction and speed; b) forces cause changes in motion; c) friction is a force that opposes motion; and

Character Education at FES 8 d) moving objects have kinetic energy.” The students will create their own kinetic energy by using a ball and themselves. They will demonstrate forces that can get in each objects way. In Language Arts, the teacher will dress up as Opal and give a presentation to the class on why Winn-Dixie would make anyone a great dog including 10 reasons for why this dog is so special. The students will observe the presentation. They will choose a character from the book and create their own 10 reasons list about a certain person, place or object in the book and give a presentation to the class including their 10 reasons list. SOL 4.2 tells that “The student will make and listen to oral presentations and reports. a) Use subject-related information and vocabulary. b) Listen to and record information.

c) Organize information for clarity.” In Virginia Studies, the teacher will provide the students information on Virginia’s role in the Civil War. The information will be provided through the use of a PowerPoint presentation. The teacher will share with the students the various battles that took place in Virginia. The students will read various Civil war stories that have been selected by the teacher. The students will read these stories and will test them for their accuracy. The facts that the students have been given about the war will be the accurate facts that the students will test the tales against. The class will also reread chapter 16 in Because of Winn-Dixie, and test Miss Franny’s Civil War story for accuracy. The SOL will be used; VS.7.b. “The student will demonstrate knowledge of the issues that divided our nation and led to the Civil War by

Character Education at FES 9 b)describing Virginia’s role in the war, including identifying major battles that took place in Virginia.”

Courtesy Courtesy is an attribute that every member of Falwell Elementary should show each other. Courtesy can be defined by BrainyMedia.com as “An act of civility or respect; and act of kindness or favor performed with politeness.” In Don’t Laugh at Me, the section “The Caring Being,” this an activity that could help make a teacher’s classroom more capable of being courteous by accepting each other’s behaviors. The students learn to be courteous by “sharing, listening, waiting my turn,” (31). Another good activity for courtesy would be the “Walk in Another’s Shoes” activity (45). Instead of putting down a person because a student has a conflict with them, the student could learn to see the other person’s point of view. This is showing courtesy because the students are taking the time to see the conflict from both sides of the argument and not just demanding their own way be heard. The book chosen to represent courtesy is You Can’t Judge a Book by Its Cover, by Judge Judy Sheindlin. This book takes children through circumstances and let’s them decide the consequences. The children in some situation have to chose between being courteous to adults and to their peers. In math, the teacher will show students how to find equivalent fractions. 4.2 “The student will b) represent equivalent fractions;” This will by done by taking two objects that look alike and separating one object twice as many times as the one before. The teacher will make the fractions easy for the students to understand at first so they will grasp the concepts quickly.

Character Education at FES 10 The students will be broken up into pairs and given a bag of Reese’s Pieces will separate the candies by color. The students will then create equivalent fractions, letting the other student check to make sure that the problem is correct. In science, the teacher will take the students on a field trip to a near by wooded area, along with parents and let the students look at the various plants, rocks, and see if they see any animal life. While in the woods, the teacher will enforce that the students will need to be courteous to their surroundings, because many living things make their home in the woods. The students will come back to the classroom and write a one-page report on one object that they have seen in the woods. SOL 4.8 will be used in the activity; “The student will investigate and understand important Virginia natural resources. Key concepts include a) watershed and water resources; b) animals and plants; c) minerals, rocks, ores, and energy sources; and d) forests, soil, and land.”

In Language Arts, the teacher will read the book, You Can’t Judge a Book by Its Cover to the class. The teacher will pause at some of the scenario’s in the book and let the students discuss what should be done in the cases. The students will learn courtesy by respecting each other’s thoughts, and not talking when another students is sharing their opinions. The students will come up with their own scenarios. A few of their scenario’s will be read to the class and the class will decide what the correct outcomes or outcomes should be. SOL 4.1 will be attained by “The student will use effective oral communication skills in a variety of settings:

Character Education at FES 11 a) Present accurate directions to individuals and small groups. b) Contribute to group discussions. c) Seek ideas and opinions of others. d) Use evidence to support opinions. e) Use grammatically correct language and specific vocabulary to communicate

ideas.” In Virginia studies, the teacher will explain what relationships the settlers had with the American Indians. The class will discuss the interactions between these two groups of people and how these two groups made contributions to each other. SOL VS.3 will be taught the student and “The student will demonstrate knowledge of the first permanent English settlement in America by g.) describing the interactions between the English settlers and the Powhatan people, including the contributions of the Powhatans to the survival of the settlers.” The students will find one resource of Indians helping settlers or settlers helping Indians and write whether the group showed courtesy to the other group in dealing with them. Showing courtesy or not will come from the resource that the student used.

Creativity Creativity will be encouraged in all aspects of the student’s lives. The students will express creativity in arts and other academic studies, but also in handling different situations. The book that will be used to demonstrate creativity is The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis. In this book, four young children are taken to a new world through a secret passageway. This world is full of people that are different from them.

Character Education at FES 12 The world itself is a very different place to the children. By reading this book hopefully the fourth grade students will express creativity through their imagination and allow what they imagine to be written down and released through drawing. In math, the teacher will show the students how to create lines that are perpendicular to each other, lines that are parallel to each other and lines that intersect. The student will learn how to create these types of lines. The students will draw a character from the story by using the given lines to create the character. Special emphasis will be given on creating lines in the character’s that intersect, are parallel, and are perpendicular to each other. The SOL addressed is Math 4.16 “The student will identify and draw representations of lines that illustrate intersection, parallelism, and perpendicularity.” In science, the teacher will show the students the plant life process. This life process will be compared to that of Narnia and how the plants there haven’t seen the sun and the other various conditions that he plants have been under. The class will discuss how certain conditions are not good for plant growth and how other conditions are better for plant growth. In SOL 4.4 “The student will investigate and understand basic plant anatomy and life processes. Key concepts include a) the structures of typical plants (leaves, stems, roots, and flowers); b) photosynthesis (sunlight, chlorophyll, water, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and sugar); and c) dormancy.”

The student will draw the plant life cycle and label each cycle, highlighting key terms in certain cycles.

Character Education at FES 13 In Language Arts, the teacher will create a character identification rhyme of one character in the book. The rhyme will include basic facts about the character and also some facts that the students may not have picked up on while reading the book. The students will break up into groups and will write their own character analysis to be presented to the class. The students will have to make their analysis rhyme. SOL 4.7 tells that “The student will write effective narratives, poems, and explanations. a) Focus on one aspect of a topic. b) Develop a plan for writing. c) Organize writing to convey a central idea. d) Write several related paragraphs on the same topic. e) Utilize elements of style, including word choice and sentence variation. f) Write rhymed, unrhymed, and patterned poetry. g) Use available technology.” In Virginia Studies, the teacher will inform the students of how the Indians of Virginia learn to deal with their land, just as the people in the forest of Narnia learned to deal with their land after the witch had put a curse on the land. The students will write a essay on how the Indians interacted with the land by way of either cultivation, housing, hunting, make goods for themselves, and what other topics that the students can come up with. The SOL that the students will understand is VS 2.e. “The student will demonstrate knowledge of the geography and early inhabitants of Virginia by- e) describing how American Indians (First Americans) adapted to the climate and their environment to secure food, clothing, and shelter.” Creativity will be a major role in this exercise.

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Courage is “the ability to confront pain, fear, danger, uncertainty or intimidation” (Wikipedia). Better put by Harriet Beecher Stowe, “All serious daring starts from within,” referencing the necessity of courage within us all. Verna Aardena utilizes courage a bit in her African myth, Why Mosquitoes Buzz In People’s Ears (1975). This story portrays a mosquito’s foolish speech to an iguana. The iguana inadvertently put sticks in his ears so as to not be succumbed to such foolishness like that from the mosquito. The various animals which came across the sight of the iguana with sticks in his ears became very fearful and this fright-domino effect led to the death of an owlet, further causing the sun not to rise because the ‘waker of the sun’-the owlet’s mother-was too busy mourning. In searching for someone to blame, the mosquito stood at the end of the beautifully illustrated line and all eyes were on him. Therefore, mosquitoes buzz in people’s ears because they are courageously still asking if the world is angry with them. Math The teacher will geographically identify where in the world the metric system of measurement is used and where the U.S. customary system of measurement is used- (SOL m 4.11 …estimate the conversion of inches and centimeters, yards and meters, and miles and kilometers, using approximate comparisons…) leading into a lesson on systems of measurement comparison using a simple worksheet. The class will complete the in-class worksheet together-noting that here in the U.S., we use a different unit of measurement than in Africa where the feature story of the week took place. Science The math lesson will roll over into the science lesson in which the teacher will demonstrate how to measure objects using appropriate instruments and then how to record and report the collected data (SOL s 4.1 …appropriate metric measures are used to collect, record and report data…) through an exercise taking place in and around the classroom. The class will actively participate in the measurement of various objects, effectively being evaluated on which instruments they choose for assorted measurements. Language Arts The teacher will read Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears and allow the students to write in their journals why it took courage for the mosquito to buzz in people’s ears and what courage truly means to them, individually. The students will be given the opportunity to read their journal entry aloud, (SOL e 4.7 …focus on one aspect of a topic…) sharing what courage means to them in a personal way. VA Studies The teacher will walk the student through a lesson on courage-illustrating our country’s upstanding figures such as MLK and Laura Haviland {see DLAM p. 71} The students will be expected to complete a word find with courageous-related vocabulary terms and figures for homework (SOL va 4.9 … identifying the social and political events in Virginia linked to desegregation and Massive Resistance and their relationship to national history…).

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Loyalty is “faithfulness or a devotion to a person or cause” (Wikipedia). A great example of this character principle is illustrated in the book, Zella, Zack, and Zodiac by Bill Peet (1986), “Once upon a time I was your troublesome problem child. I wouldn’t have lasted one day if it hadn’t been for you. Saving little Zodiac is the least that I can do. And I’ll keep on looking after him as long as I have a beak…” (11). Math The teacher will prepare a math lesson based around the use of geometric patterns (stemming from the weekly featured book’s animals’ spots/stripes, shapes, etc.) and then allow students to create patterns on their own for display. The class will recognize, create, and extend numerical and geometric patterns, using concrete materials, number lines, symbols, tables, and words… (SOL m 4.21) through the activity-set up by the teacher-in which they are given creative license to manufacture their own display for the classroom. Science The teacher will guide the students through a reading of the science chapter on how plants and animals in an ecosystem interact with one another and the nonliving environment… (SOL s 4.5) then relating it to the weekly featured book, asking students for examples of each step of the food chain from the story, etc. thus creating a food web on the smart board using the characters from story. The class will pull from their knowledge of the science lesson as well as their reading comprehension from the week’s story to create a food web for the classroom on the smart board (as a collaborative effort) and then be quizzed at the end of the week on content knowledge on the science lesson. Language Arts The teacher will read, Zella, Zach, and Zodiac emphasizing the rhyming lines and then transition into a lesson on rhymed and unrhymed forms of poetry-setting the class up for the following activity. The students will participate in a rhyming activity-applying their knowledge of rhymed, unrhymed, and patterned poetry (SOL e 4.7)- in which the students create their own first person poem, putting themselves either in Zella or Zach’s position in the weekly featured story, being sure to include three discussed poetic features as well as a picture. VA Studies The teacher will have several types of maps available for the class of America, and in using the textbook, will teach a lesson on landforms, water features, climate, etc. and then allow for the students to compare those of the American continent to that of Africa, as the read about that week. Then the teacher will provide paper and art supplies for the students to break out into an activity time with a partner. In the interpretation of maps to explain relationships among landforms, water features, climatic characteristics, and historical events (SOL vs .1), the students will study a map of America in order to best compare it to a map of Africa-where the weekly featured story took place-then creating a chart with a partner with the differences and similarities.

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Integrity is “the basing of one's actions on an internally consistent framework of principles.” (Wikipedia) Integrity is the culmination of making choices for oneself that line up consistently with what an individual holds to as their beliefs-what’s right and wrong; or put more cliché, “what someone’s like in the dark,” (author unknown) Lois Lowry portrayed Jonas struggling with his personal development of integrity in his book, The Giver, "If he had stayed in the community, he would not be. It was as simple as that. Once he had yearned for choice. Then, when he has had a choice, he had made the wrong one: the choice to leave. And now he was starving." (Ch. 22, 1993 Newbery Medal Winner. Math The teacher will hand out in-class worksheets and instruct the students on a lesson in which they discover the differences between 2-D and 3-D geometric figures. A discussion of Jonas’ dream visions will transition the class into a math lesson (SOL m 4.17 …analyze and compare the properties of two-dimensional geometric figures and three-dimensional geometric figures…) in which they investigate the differences between 2-D and 3-D figures. Science The teacher will illustrate how motion, force, friction and kinetic energy all work together with regards to our world with examples (balls of various sizes, heavy versus light-weight boxes, toys with wheels). A discussion of the throwing of the red apple in the story will transition the class into a science lesson (SOL s 4.2 …investigate and understand characteristics and interaction of moving objects…) in which they explore 1. direction and speed of various objects, 2. changes in motion due to force, 3. opposition of motion by friction and 4. kinetic energy’s presence in moving things by participating in a hands-on activity with the teacher. Language Arts The teacher will read The Giver chapter aloud and open the class up for comprehension questions after circle time. The class will answer verbal comprehension questions, especially focusing on (SOL e 4.4 …identify sensory words) sensory words within the read passage. VA Studies The teacher will teach a lesson on America’s early inhabitants, the Native Americans, and divulge into a class compare/contrast of the differences and similarities between those discussed and Jonas’ community in the book, The Giver. The students will learn about America’s first inhabitants (SOL vs 2.2 …describing how American Indians adapted to the climate and their environment to secure food, clothing, and shelter) and participate in a smart-board activity comparing/contrasting to those of Jonas’ community’s inhabitants Humility - Humility is the act of “not [being] proud or haughty : not arrogant or assertive,” (Merriam-Webster). Humility is a character trait important in young, smart, successful individuals so as to lead and grow in the best way possible. Catherine Paterson’s 1992 Newbery Medal winning book, The King’s Equal, tells the tale of a prince charged with the duty of finding a wife equal to himself in beauty, intelligence and wealth. After scouring the countryside for such a woman, one was chosen: Rosamund. This is where the story adds a great twist, however; as Rosamund confronts the prince

Character Education at FES 17 with a proposition that in his arrogance, he cannot refuse. The story closes with the prince learning life’s lessons on humility in his retreated state, in the woods of his kingdom. Math The teacher will use a felt board to illustrate the math lesson on more than, less than, and equal to using the characters from the weekly featured book, The King’s Equal. The students will take a quiz applying their skills in the content-area of more than, less than, and equal to (SOL m 4.4 …compare the value of two decimals, using symbols (<,>, or =)…). Science The teacher will set up a model ‘forest’ such as the one described in the weekly featured book-to include out-of-place items and ask the students to identify them by participating in a game of ‘which item does not belong.’ The class will apply their scientific content-knowledge by participating in the game (SOL s investigate and understand important Virginia natural resources…). Language Arts The teacher will have the students popcorn read their literature book’s excerpt of The King’s Equal and then discuss what it means to be humble. The class will popcorn read the weekly featured book and each circle, look up in the glossary and define an unknown word from the text for homework (SOL e 4.3 …use word-reference materials, including the glossary, dictionary, and thesaurus). VA Studies The teacher will instruct a lesson on the difference in the new world’s governmental system of democracy in comparison to the Motherland’s system of monarchyrelating the lesson to the featured book. The students will construct a compare/contrast chart with a partner using democracy versus monarchy (SOL vs .3 …identifying the importance of the Virginia Assembly as the first representative legislative body in English America…).

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References

BrainyMedia.com: courtesy. (visited 9/01/07) DiCamillo, K (2000). Because of winn dixie. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Candlewick press. Operation Respect, Inc. (2000). Don't laugh at me teachers guide (p 1-96). New York: Don't laugh at me. Lewis, C.S. (1950). The lion, the witch and the wardrobe. New York, NY: HarperTrophy. Merriam-Webster (www.m-w.com/) Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, MerriamWebster, Incorporated, 2005. Paterson, Catherine (1992). The king's equal. New York, NY: HarperCollins. Peet, B (1986). Zella, zack and zodiac. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin. Sheindlin, J (2001). You can't judge a book by it's cover. New York, NY: Cliff Street Books. Aardena, V (1975). Why mosquitoes buzz in people's ears. New York, NY: Dial books. White, E.B. (1970).The Trumpet of the Swan. New York, NY: Harper Collins. Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page) Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. WordReference.com: diligence. (visited 9/01/07)