Orange County Department of Education
Black Cowboy, Wild Horses
Fifth graders read the selection Black Cowboy, Wild Horses and identify characteristics of self-discipline shown by story's main character, Bob Lemmons. Students then identify some of their own traits of self-discipline and reflect upon...
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...
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Spookley the Square Pumpkin
Students complete activities with the story Spookley the Square Pumpkin. In this holiday instructional activity, students listen to the story and create their own Spookley pumpkin with Popsicle sticks and paints. They use their character...
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Summer Planning
Students benefit from teachers planning. In this teacher development lesson, teachers use the CC! program during the summer to help with classroom management, student assessment and evaluations.  Summer Planning Worksheet included. Â
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Picture (More) Perfect
Students help their community. In this character counts lesson, students discuss problems facing the world and their community. They come up with solutions to some of these problems.Â
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Respectful Interview
Students interview elderly people in a senior citizen community center. In this character counts lesson plan, students interview the elderly about how society can be more respectful. Â They videotape and watch the interviews together.Â
Orange County Department of Education
The Hero: Writing and Responding
Pupils identify heroic character traits that they admire and that inspire trust and result in service to others. They identify the heroic traits of a character of their choosing and defend their reasoning using evidence from the text and...
Orange County Department of Education
Integrity and a Boy Called Slow
Fifth graders identify the character trait of integrity in the main character, Slow, in "A Boy Called Slow." They participate in a discussion to determine what steps the main character took to earn his new name. Students write an essay...
Orange County Department of Education
Integrity and "Thank You, M'am"
Ninth graders explore the definition of integrity through a class discussion. They provide positive/negative examples from the story and their own experiences. Students determine character traits by analyzing the dialogue in a short...
Orange County Department of Education
The True Story of Abbie Burgess
First graders read a story about Abbie Burgess. They identify at least three specific actions exhibiting traits of courage and responsibility. Students explore ways children and adults become heroes by helping others out in a time of...
Orange County Department of Education
Trapped by the Ice
Third graders read the story "Trapped by the Ice" which is about the Antarctic adventures of Sir Ernest Shackleton. They identify, write and share examples of respect and responsibility demonstrated by the stories' characters. Students...
Orange County Department of Education
Nights of the Pufflings
Third graders read the story to identify the problem and solution that occurs in Night of the Pufflings. They identify problems within the story that are solved through the characters' responsible actions. Students describe in their...
Orange County Department of Education
Pepita Talks Twice
Third graders read Pepita Talks Twice and define the character traits of respect and responsibility. They write their examples of the characters traits on a character trait doll. Students recognize the character traits of respect and...
Orange County Department of Education
Dear Mr. Henshaw
Fifth graders read Dear Mr. Henshaw and identify the character trait of self-respect as exhibited by Leigh throughout the story. They evaluate the author's use of letters to tell the story and discuss how the story would be different if...
Orange County Department of Education
The Lost and Found
Third graders explain the definition of integrity and respect and provide examples from the story The Lost and Found's characters and their own lives that illustrate both. They describe in their journals why and how they think Wendell...
Orange County Department of Education
Katie's Trunk
Fifth graders read the story of "Katie's Trunk". They identify the traits of integrity and fairness in the characters John Warren and Katie. Students explore how people can experience the same event but interpret it differently. They...
Curated OER
Character Education - Self Respect, Respect for Others
Students respond the story of Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes and discuss the ways in which she showed respect for herself and for others.
Curated OER
Personality Poems
Learners create a bio-poem for themselves or characters in stories they have read. They explore common character traits.