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Unit Plan
Other

The Critical Thinking Consortium: A Teacher's Guide to Each One Special [Pdf]

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
Each One Special by Frieda Wishinsky and Werner Zimmermann is a story about fairness. The lessons in this teacher guide are for Grades 1-3 and lead students through critical thinking exercises about the story where they learn to evaluate...
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Website
Other

The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Can the world become a kinder place? The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation has a multitude of ideas for changing the world one step at a time. Authors list 100 "Ideas for Kindness" that range from "Give the Gift of your Smile" to "Host...
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Website
Other

Character Counts: Homepage

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This site has information about the Character Counts program and workshops. Click on Resources and guides for free sample classroom activities, a parenting guide, a children's booklist and more.
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Website
Other

Foundation for a Better Life: Values: Personal and Family Values

For Students 9th - 10th
A range of media and resources--billboards, televised public service announcements, first-person accounts, quotations--that communicate ideas about the meanings of a wide range of essential values, such as ambition, gratitude, respect,...
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Website
Other

The Giraffe Heroes Project

For Students Pre-K - 1st
The Giraffe Heroes Project honors people "who stick their necks out for the common good." This site tells the stories of these ordinary people who have shown the character to stand up against injustice or misfortune in real, effective...
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Website
Other

Character Education Partnership: Bullying Prevention

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
An extensive collection of resources for educators and parents to help children deal with bullying, and for teaching them about the importance of respecting others.
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Unit Plan
Kids' Wings

The Little Red Schoolhouse: "Cockroach Cooties"

For Students 2nd - 5th
Are you looking for student activities to enhance Laurence Yep's book "Cockroach Cooties"? Teachers and students will find interesting and interactive enrichment websites here!
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Lesson Plan
American Forum for Global Education

American Forum for Global Education: Introducing Myself & Others

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
Lesson plans teachers can use to promote self-understanding, cultural understanding, and the interconnectedness of people and cultures.
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Lesson Plan
University of Illinois

University of Illinois Extension: Character Education "Take a 2nd Look"

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
Excellent classroom activities for building students' character. This strategy's focus is to promote higher-order thinking skills and cooperative learning.
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Article
PBS

Pbs: Quotes on Character

For Students 9th - 10th
If you are teaching character education, you might find this list of quotations from PBS a good source for inspiration for your students. Also great for students searching for famous and inspiring quotes!
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Activity
Live Wire Media

Good Character: Ethical Dilemmas for Classroom Discussion Archive

For Students 9th - 10th
An archive of challenging ethical dilemmas relevant to the experiences of high-school students. Use this solid set of resources as the foundation for lessons that teach about ethical choices and values based on real-life contexts and...
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Article
Live Wire Media

Good Character: The Socratic Approach to Character Education

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A how-to article that illustrates how teachers can educate students about making choices that are consistent with their ethical values. A comprehensive plan for using the venerable Socratic method to reinforce critical-thinking skills by...
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Activity
Live Wire Media

Good Character: Teaching Guides for Middle School

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Although these teaching guides are designed to be used with a video series called "Big Changes, Big Choices," most of the material here can be used without the videos. The topics covered in this series include both life skills and...
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Activity
Live Wire Media

Good Character: Teaching Guides for High School

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The pages in this website were created to accompany two video series, "In Search of Character" and "Not for Sale - Ethics in the Workplace, but most of the material can easily be used without the videos. Character topics include traits...
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Lesson Plan
Writing Fix

Writing Fix: An I Pod Inspired Writing Lesson: Teaching Character Traits

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Inspired by the music "Free to Be. . . You and Me" by Marlo Thomas, this lesson, which will take several days, asks students to compose stories that teach character traits that will be shared with elementary school children. They will...
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Website
Live Wire Media

Good Character: Character Education

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This site is loaded with resources for developing and maintaining a character education program in your school, class or team. It includes information on service learning, ethics in the workplace and leading class discussions as well as...
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Activity
abcteach

Abcteach: Character Education

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
[Free Registration/Login Required] Generate writing prompts, certificates, booklet covers, and more from this wonderful resource when integrating character education themes into a social studies unit.
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Interactive
PBS

Pbs: Endgame: Ethics and Values in America

For Students 9th - 10th
At this interactive site from PBS, viewers enter the lives of fictional characters who are forced to make critical decisions about their roles in a fatal car crash. A variety of media--video, polling, and audio interviews with an expert...
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Website
Other

In Character: A Journal of Everyday Virtues

For Students 9th - 10th
In Character is an online journal that examines a single virtue--compassion, creativity, purpose, modesty, loyalty, or thrift, for example--from different perspectives. Articles are written by noted scholars, journalists, and critics,...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs News Hour: A Penny for Your Thoughts, Movies or Music?

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The ethical implications of downloading entertainment are huge. Explore this issue with students using this lesson plan. Be sure to include your library media specialist in planning.
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Lesson Plan
University of Illinois

University of Illinois Extension: Character Education "I Am Me"

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Excellent resource for empowering students to become better learners. This lesson includes promoting students' understanding of themselves through self-expression, critical thinking skills, and creative writing and thinking skills...
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Lesson Plan
University of Illinois

University of Illinois Extension: Character Education "Black and White"

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Excellent resource for empowering learners to become better learners. This instructional activity includes making students aware of racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity in a positive way. Good resource.
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Lesson Plan
University of Illinois

University of Illinois Extension: Is It What I Think or What I Know? (Fact or Opinion)

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
This short lesson provides a fairly simple way to teach young students the difference between fact and opinion.
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Lesson Plan
University of Illinois

University of Illinois Extension: Character Education "Decisions!"

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Excellent resource for empowering students to become better learners. This lesson includes helping students develop decision-making skills, promote critical thinking skills, and reflect on their beliefs. Good site.