Character Education
Informational
Handbook & Guide
Additional Ideas
Wake
County Public School System
• Encourage teachers to begin
each day, or a particular secondary class period, with a five-minute
focus on character. Ideas might come from a newspaper article, a
short passage from a book, a quotation, or a specific school or
societal problem and how it might be alleviated.
• Have a poster contest on
“Responsibility is...” or “Respect is...,” etc.
Display posters.
• Ask students to write about
a specific time when they, or someone they know, were faced with a
tough decision and chose to be “a person of
character.”
• Ask classes to research
quotations from famous people on character in general, as well as the
eight character traits. Display quotations.
• Have a media center
scavenger hunt in which students utilize research skills in order to
find such things as:
- a quotation from Winston
Churchill that defines perseverance
- the U.S. president who
established the Peace Corps
- a book in which a character named
Peg Leg Joe displayed respect and kindness
• Have a “Rap for
Character” or “Poetry for Character” day. Have
students write raps or poems and share with classmates.
• Ask drama classes to develop
short skits or pantomimes on matters of character. Present these to
younger classes, followed by a discussion focusing on the application
of the eight traits in making decisions.
• Use Paideia seminars to
discuss issues of ethics and character.
• Ask students to bring in
current events that show either problems arising from a lack of
character or positive benefits resulting from good
character.
• Make a mural depicting
situations where good character is being displayed.
• Try playing a simple game in
physical education without establishing any rules. When things begin
going awry, stop and discuss why games have rules, why we enjoy
playing with others who follow the rules, etc.
• Brainstorm the qualities
that make a hero or heroine (in literature, history etc.). Extend the
discussion to what character traits we admire in friends, teachers,
etc. and why. Discuss whether many of our modern day
“heroes” measure up to those standards.
• In studying a historical
event, such as the Holocaust or the American Revolution, discuss how
the course of history might have been altered if individuals either
had or had not displayed strong character.
• In physical education, or
after school sports programs, discuss how character is important
(e.g., the importance of self-discipline in training, the
responsibility each person has to teammates, etc.).
• Use short stories,
historical events, quotes, dilemmas in fiction, etc., from curriculum
as a springboard for discussion about character.
• Include character trait
information in newsletters to parents.
• Ask a group (student
council, Beta Club, school newspaper staff) to write some common
school-related situations which require students to make a decision
related to character. Conduct a survey to see what students would do
in these situations. Publish the results in the school newspaper with
comments and analysis of how student decisions match the eight
character traits.
• Ask the student council to
be actively involved in planning character education
activities.
• Encourage the PTA to sponsor
character-related activities.
• Display students’
artwork or writing assignments focusing on character.
• Study a famous person,
highlighting the character traits that made this person
famous.
• Brainstorm a list of
“Eight Ways To Have a Great Day” using the eight character
traits.
• Develop a character
education resource area in the media center.
• Create student committees to
focus on high-priority, school-wide issues or problems, such
as:
- developing positive bus
behavior
- improving cafeteria
atmosphere
- fostering good sportsmanship on
the playground or at athletic events
- creating community service
projects or community involvement projects
- establishing and supporting an
effective school-wide behavior code
• Post sayings that encourage
good character.
• Read and discuss biographies
of accomplished individuals highlighting the character traits that
contributed to their success.
• Begin an exchange network or
bulletin board by which teachers and administrators can share ways to
promote character education.
• Design banners or logos
symbolizing each character trait and display them. Design a t-shirt
promoting good character and school pride.
• Analyze whether rules and
expectations are stated positively and reinforce character traits.
Make “big books” in grades K-2, which are compilations of
the work of small groups of students writing and illustrating what
they can do to encourage everyone to use the eight character traits.
Have older students write their own books on one of the eight
character traits and share with younger students.
• Make connections between
character education and other programs (e.g., conflict resolution,
peer mediation, SOS, School-to-Work, etc.).
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