Curated OER
Character Bust: Ceramics Lesson
Whether it is a protagonist, antagonist, hero or heroine, characters are a must in any story. Learners analyze a character from a narrative they are reading, then use that character as inspiration. They create a ceramic bust depicting...
Curated OER
Making Good Choices: A Role Play Activity
Role play is a great way to get kids thinking about a wide variety of topics. Have them explore making good choices. Here, they are presented with several scenarios and then must work in groups to develop a short role-play...
Curated OER
Aunt Isabel Tells a Good One...
Explore language arts by reading two similar stories in order to compare and contrast them in class. Young readers read two Aunt Isabel books, by Kate Duke, and discuss the main characters, plot, and setting. They complete a graphic...
Roald Dahl
The Twits - Mrs Twit
"A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly." The second instructional activity in an 11-part unit that accompanies The Twits by Roald Dahl uses poetry to encourage positive character traits. Mrs. Twit has ugly...
Curated OER
Making Friends
Whether it's the first day of school, or there's a new kid in the class, it's always great to talk about ways we make new friends and be a good friend. Younger learners are presented with several scenarios to discuss and think about....
Curated OER
Lesson 8: Settings that Reinforce Characters
The best way to be a good writer is to read good writing. Learners read and discuss an excerpt from a book that will help them comprehend the relationship between setting and character. They will use what they've gleaned from discussion...
Josephson Institute
Trustworthiness
Build trust—literally—with a lesson that sparks reflection, grand conversation, and creativity. Scholars construct a trust tower out of blocks showcasing a picture that represents a good deed they have done to gain trust from their...
Curated OER
Character Impressions
Whether you are planning a unit on F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, or simply want to improve your pupils' descriptive writing, this instructional activity could be a good addition to your class. Using the Six-Trait Writing...
Leadership Challenge
Mark Your Calendar
Do your actions reflect your values? Scholars examine their day-to-day activities versus their passions during the eighth installment in a series of 12 character-building lessons. After defining their values, participants create...
Curated OER
James and the Giant Peach
This James and the Giant Peach activity provides 15 short answer questions and extension activities. They address characterization, basic reading comprehension, making personal connections to the reading, and more. The...
SOAR
Multicultural Youth Leadership
Teens of the world, unite! Take your class or club on a multicultural journey through the relationship between cultural values and teen leadership skills. Groups work together to learn about one another's cultures while examining the...
Curated OER
How the Cookie Crumbles?
Young scholars participate in a trust building activity. In this trust building lesson, students discuss the definition of the word "trust." Young scholars understand that by sharing time, talents, and treasures we learn to trust each...
Curated OER
Old Lady That Swallowed a Fly
Youngsters listen to the story, "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly." After discussing the story, going over new vocabulary, and repeating the rhymes in the story, they study the parts of a fly. They finish by creating a fly on...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Keep Finding the Positive
Group members take on roles to create a positive classroom community. Learners perform their role—leader, recorder, presenter, timekeeper, encourager, and collector—in preparation for a formal presentation of their positive thinking...
Curated OER
New Beginnings
Start the year off with a few role-play scenarios focused on positive classroom interactions, respect, and expressing feelings. These scenarios are very oddly worded but pose a good way to help learners build empathy and caring when...
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Benjamin and the Way to A Good Life
Young scholars explore American history by reading biographical text in class. In this Benjamin Franklin instructional activity, students research the famous inventor by reading assigned text and answering reading comprehension questions...
Curated OER
Storytelling in the Classroom
What makes story telling special? Young readers demonstrate how to tell a story to others. Kindergarteners, first graders, and second graders read biographies of "Building Blocks" characters and tell a story about a character to their...
August House
Anansi and the Pot of Beans
Anansi is a tricky character, but can he realize he's wrong and write an apology letter? Learners use Anansi and the Pot of Beans to practice writing, art, and figurative language. A series of activities are engaging for both...
Curated OER
Continuity and Change
Students identify those freedoms most important to them and identify characteristics of a "good" rule. They then develop "good" rules for the world and identify how decisions or rules made today might affect the future.
Curated OER
When A Story Met A Sandwich
How is a story like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Use making a sandwich as a metaphor to remind your writers that a good, solid beginning, a rich and rewarding middle, and an ending that brings everything together spices up a...
Curated OER
Character Education: Caring
Students create a bookmark with reminders of simple acts of kindness. In this character education lesson, students participate in a mini-lesson that serves as a great introduction to a service project. Students first brainstorm ways to...
Curated OER
Moving West!
Young scholars explore, explain and experience the importance of good character traits in everyday life by assessing the challenging journeys traveled on the Oregon Trail. They study the daily accounts of perseverance and courage along...
Curated OER
Building Character Adjectives Vocabulary
Students practice conversation skills while also focusing on improving their command of refined character description. They use a worksheet imbedded in this plan that has them select adjectives that describe their best friend.
Character Kids
The Fourth and Fifth Rs - Respect and Responsibility
Set the tone for a successful school year with a list of strategies to instill respect and responsibility. With tips for classroom management and ways to get parents involved, the resource is valuable for new and veteran teachers alike.