Building good character in the classroom is essential in today’s society. Many parents are teaching their children how to be good citizens, but educators have to step in for those students who don’t have the parental support. Bringing character education into your classroom will also give the children a sense of community. How do you fit character education into your already packed schedule? I will show you an easy way to build good character in your classroom and provide you with a free printable to share with your students.
WHAT IS CHARACTER EDUCATION?
Character education is teaching children core values to learn how to become a model citizen. Learning good character traits will help children identify and demonstrate positive ways of treating others.
WHAT ARE EXAMPLES OF GOOD CHARACTER TRAITS?
CARING– Feel for others and want to help them
LOYAL– Faithful and devoted to friends and family
TRUSTWORTHY– Others can rely on you to do the right thing
COURAGEOUS– Being brave even when things are scary or difficult
PERSEVERANT– Determined to reach a higher goal
HONEST– Tell and live the truth
RESPONSIBLE– Follow through with commitments
RESPECTFUL– Treat yourself and others with courtesy and kindness
FAIR– Make decisions for the best outcome for everyone
FORGIVING– Stop feeling angry towards someone
POLITE– Have good manners
GENEROUS– Offer time and energy without wanting something in return
KIND– Considerate and helpful to others
OPTIMISTIC– Being positive and helpful
If you would like this in a poster form click HERE or the image above.
HOW CAN YOU BUILD GOOD CHARACTER IN YOUR CLASSROOM?
1. At the beginning of the year, share the above character traits with students.
2. Pick one or two to focus on each month.
3. Read a mentor text and discuss the good character trait.
4. Brainstorm examples together on how to demonstrate that character trait.
5. Identify that character trait in someone. Suzy is caring when she _____________. Kendall is polite when he _______________.
6. Have students tell about a time they demonstrated that character trait. I was responsible when I turned in all of my assignments. I was kind when I helped Louis pick up the crayons he dropped.
7. Give students a card acknowledging that you or someone else saw them display that character trait. Ex:
Having a monthly character trait helped me cover different traits throughout the year. It kept our focus on a variety of ways to better ourselves, think positive, and it also helped with classroom management!
If you would like CHARACTER TRAIT DOOR DECOR OR BULLETIN BOARDS FOR THE YEAR, click the image below. It provides editable title posters, brainstorming posters, cute student templates to write about and display “identifying the character”, other cut-outs for decoration, and cards to hand out.