Students explore Christopher Columbus's motives. In this character education lesson, students research Internet and print sources regarding the life and actions of Christopher Columbus in order to write essays that his actions as the...

Partners choose, research, and analyze fictional or historical characters and design character life boxes to represent them. They also compose a rhyme royal, which they understand inductively by deconstructing examples. Based largely on...

Delve into narrative writing that puts choice in the hands of the writers. Kids pick their own characters, emotions, items, and places from a list and tie them together in the exposition. Several questions help guide the writers toward...

Students read about character education in stories online. In this character education instructional activity, students complete activities about making good choices and sign a pledge to be a good person.

Students discuss what respect means. In this character education lesson plan, students read the book Cynthia Ann Parker and discuss the philanthropic acts in the book. Students answer questions about the text on the provided worksheet.

Who were Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton? High schoolers examine the character traits of these historical figures and watch the video, The Duel. Hamilton vs. Burr: An Event that Changed History (available from PBS), to gain...

Students write dialogue. For this character development lesson students use direct or indirect speech to include a confrontation between two characters in their story. Students portray the emotions of the characters in addition to what...

Here's a fresh approach that combines research, business and personal letter writing, and creative story telling. Student groups research different decades in the life of a famous Japanese astronomer. They then craft a decade fact sheet,...

Who is a champion to your class? Elementary and middle schoolers think of a role-model from their lives. Then, in their journals, they write evidence of that person's perseverance. They identify the character trait of perseverance with...

Students identify problems and potential improvements for U.S. public school education. They research and debate the pros and cons of the "No Child Left Behind Act".

U.S. immigration is the focus of a unit on social justice. Over the course of a school year, young historians read a variety of texts to learn about four waves of immigration that have occurred over time in the U.S. An emphasis on...

Fifth graders define character words, look for real-life examples of the traits "in action," and write an acrostic poem based on one of these qualities.

Young scholars participate in a lesson examining the concept of character and how it is the foundation of lasting human relationships. They examine character traits that are considered positive and then define the differences between...

Pupils study Manuel de Zavala and his role in the history of Texas. In this character education instructional activity, students read about Manuel Lorenzo and underline the responsibilities he took on in his life. Pupils then answer...

Seventh graders examine words of Greek origin and discuss character development in fiction. They read a list of Greek word parts and create words on a worksheet. Students then read and discuss an informational handout about character...

Students analyze and define the word perseverance as it applies to Martin Luther King, Jr. In this Martin Luther King, Jr. lesson, students discuss the book 'I Have a Dream: The Story of Martin Luther King.' Students analyze the meaning...

Eighth graders write about a quote given to them to reflect on the concept of integrity. In this integrity lesson plan, 8th graders connect personal experiences to the concept of integrity and write about it.

Students discover service learning and how it can help them build character.  In this community instructional activity, students brainstorm ways they can assist their classmates with problems, and write about it in their journal....

Students discover the meaning of fairness. In this character education lesson, students create their own meanings of fairness and compare them to their classmates' definitions. The students discuss fairness in different situations.

Students act as ambassadors. In this character education lesson, students take on the roles of ambassadors of the character traits listed. Students write essays regarding the character traits they select.

High schoolers complete literature analysis activities for Beowulf. They read lines from the poem and complete character analysis activities. In addition, they write and share a boast modeled on the text and then create heroes and...

Use this multidisciplinary lesson to delve into these subjects: English language arts, math, science, drama, and character education. After reading, discussing, and making interpretations about Go To Sleep, Gecko!: A Balinese...

Examine discrimination. In this character education lesson, learners read two biographies, Vivien Naki and Hamilton Naki then analyze their personal discrimination experiences. They complete a Venn diagram to compare and...

In this exercise, learners identify characters from an "Archie" comic and discuss the relevance of "Archie" to today's youth. They create public service advertisements featuring celebrities to address common concerns among teenagers in...