Missouri Department of Elementary
Acting Out Respect and Compromise
Puppets showcase the importance of being a good friend. Following a discussion about positive character traits, scholars create a paper-bag puppet and role-play scenarios with a peer.
Curated OER
Analyzing Character Traits
Learners read "Frog and Toad are Friends" and investigate physical, emotional, and mental character traits. They brainstorm a list of character traits that make a good friend. The list is placed into a visual ranking system that is...
Curated OER
Learning to Analyze Characters
Students discover writing strategies authors use to enhance characters. In this character writing activity, students are read the Knuffle Bunny books by Mo Willems and analyze the story, characters and settings as they listen. Students...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Goods and Services
First graders demonstrate the difference between goods and services.
Curated OER
Animation Pre-Production
Does your class love reading cartoons? Use their talents and interests to examine the process of writing a story they wish to tell through a cartoon. They develop the beginning, middle, and end of a story based on their original...
Novelinks
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers: Literary Mandala
Explore the concept of yin and yang with this resource. On the first page, learners study a picture of George Bush. Then, have learners choose a character from The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. After brainstorming adjectives and choosing...
Curated OER
Mystery Lessons
Learn about mysteries with your readers. They will investigate plot, basic elements of mystery, famous characters, and become familiar with genre vocabulary. Bring in props and mystery books to begin and then have learners create story...
Missouri Department of Elementary
How Do I Act Like a Friend?
Familiar puppets set the stage for a thoughtful discussion about friendship. To show what they know, scholars role-play scenarios. Peers offer a thumbs up when they view positive character traits exhibit good friend behavior.
Overcoming Obstacles
Integrity
A lesson plan showcases the character trait of integrity. Scholars define the term, discuss how having integrity means being trustworthy, that one can choose to have integrity, and the significance of looking at situations from other...
Novelinks
The Good Earth: Multigenre Writing Strategy
In response to reading Pearl Buck's The Good Earth, individuals are asked to complete a multi-genre writing assignment, crafting eight different pieces including a research paper.
Curated OER
Character Education: Caring- Oprah Winfrey
Students explore celebrity philanthropy. In this character development lesson, students read an article and discuss Oprah Winfrey's involvement in several charitable organizations.
Curated OER
Character Education- Respect
Young scholars discuss what respect means. In this character education lesson, students read the book Cynthia Ann Parker and discuss the philanthropic acts in the book. Young scholars answer questions about the text on the provided...
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...
NPR
This Isn't Right: A History of Women in Industry
Women were in the workplace long before Rosie the Riveter pushed up her sleeve. Learn about the working options available to women during the Industrial Revolution, the Progressive Era, and the Great Depression with a lesson that prompts...
Curated OER
Greed is Good?
From Mr. Merdle to Mr. Madoff? A viewing of the PBS adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “Little Dorrit” launches an examination of greedy characters in literature and a study of greed, unfairness, and economic hardship today. The richly...
Curated OER
Lesson Learned: Creating a Life Reports Project
Tap into the wisdom and knowledge of older members of the community with this New York Times plan. To warm up, learners write about and discuss advice they have been given. After reading "The Life Report," an op-ed column that asks older...
Curated OER
Good Citizen Interviews
Students interview adults they think are good citizens. In this good citizens lesson plan, students interview adults they look up to and then discuss their interviews with their class.
Novelinks
The Devil’s Arithmetic: Semantic Feature Analysis
Organize the characters in Jane Yolen's The Devil's Arithmetic according to their shared character traits. After listing character traits as a class, kids note which characters exhibit particular characteristics with a discussion and...
Curated OER
Shizuko’s Daughter: Discussion Web
Is Yuki a selfish character? Analyze her motivation and behavior during a unit on Shizuko's Daughter by Kyoko Mori. Readers fill out two sides of a graphic organizer with reasons why or why not she is selfish, and then come up with a...
Curated OER
Character Education: Integrity
Middle schoolers understand the definition of integrity and explain quotes about it. For this integrity lesson, students apply quotes about integrity to a personal experience and write about it.
Curated OER
How the Cookie Crumbles?
Students participate in a trust building activity. In this trust building lesson, students discuss the definition of the word "trust." Students understand that by sharing time, talents, and treasures we learn to trust each other....
Curated OER
Service Learning
Young scholars view video clips to define service learning. In this civics lesson, students read quotes, take a survey, and define altruism. Young scholars view video clips and evaluate the motivation and impact of those who perform...
Curated OER
My Life 24-7 Video
Students utilize the short film genre to illustrate ethical themes and identify good character. In this ethics and technology lesson, students discuss their favorite viral videos and select an ethically themed topic to create their own...
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...