Teaching Character Education through Literacy

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Teaching Character Education through Literacy

• By Lauren ZivicSlippery Rock University

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Main Thrust

• This presentation will showcase the basics of the
  Heartwood program and engaging strategies to
  teach attributes of good character by
  incorporating literacy into the classroom.

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The Heartwood Literature-based program

• Heartwood is an ethics-based curriculum for Pre-K
  through 8th grade.
• It uses read-aloud books to engage children in
  the learning process while also building their
  character.
• The program is based on research that shows that
  our minds and hearts respond to and remember
  good stories.
• The program includes activities for teachers to
  use with the books and it also recommends
  discussion topics that relate to the books.

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The Heartwood Literature-based program

• The Heartwood program is built and based upon the
  seven universal ethical attributes.
• The books included within this programare linked
  to the ethical attributesand draw the students
  in throughliterature.
• This allows them to make personal connections to
  the text and share similar experiences to
  thecharacters in the story.

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Sample Design of a Heartwood Lesson
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The Seven Universal Ethical Attributes

• The framework of the ethical attributes was
  created by the founders of the Heartwood program.
• At first, a list of 50 character traits was
  created and then reduced to the following list
• courage, loyalty, justice, respect,
• hope, honesty and love.
• There was a noticeable lack of moral education
  in schools.
• This observation led to the creation of this
  list of the seven attributes.

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Courage
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• Courage the state or quality of mind that
  enables one to face difficulty, risk, or danger
  with self-possession, confidence, and resolution
  bravery, valor.
• Courage is what it takes to stand
• up and speak courage is also what
• it takes to sit down and listen.Winston
  Churchill

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Sample Courage Book for the Primary Grades

• Ira Sleeps Over
• In the book Ira sleeps over, Ira is faced with a
  common problem that most children will face at on
  point in their childhood. Afraid his friend
  Reggie will make fun of him if he brings his
  teddy bear withhim, Ira is not sure if he wants
  to sleep over. Ira shows that he has the courage
  to do what he feels is right and takes his
  teddy bear with him. When it is time for bed,
  he realizes he makes the right decision when his
  friend Reggie pulls out his stuffed animal that
  he sleeps with every night.

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Sample Courage Activity for the Primary Grades

• After reading the story together, the teacher
  should discuss what courage means and how Ira
  showed that he had courage in the story. A chart
  could be made to discuss the main events in the
  story and how those events made them feel or if
  they related to the students lives.
• Then, the teacher could ask the students for
  examples of situations from their everyday lives
  when they showed courage.
• For an activity to go along with thisstory, the
  teacher could have the students draw and write
  abouta time when they showed courage. It could
  be put together to make a class book about
  courage.

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Sample Courage Book for the Intermediate grades

• Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky
• This fantasy story vividly describes the
  adventures of Cassie and her younger brother Be
  Be. They meet Harriet Tubman, the conductor, on
  anold broken down train in the sky. On their
  adventure she tells them how she and others
  showed tremendous courage and helped the slaves
  escape to freedom.

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Sample Courage Activity for the Intermediate
grades

• After reading the story, the teacher should focus
  on the highlighted attribute in the story.
• A discussion about Harriet Tubman and slavery
  would also be a good ending to the story.
• The teacher should be sure to ask the students
  to provide examples from their lives of when
  they showed courage and helped out a friend.
• The students could write a friendlyletter to
  Harriet Tubman about what they learned from her
  in this book.

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Loyalty

• Loyalty the state or quality of being faithful
  to a person, group, ideal, or tradition.
• The most I can do for my friend is
• simply to be his friend.Henry David
  Thoreau

http//www.webweaver.nu/clipart/4th-of-july.shtml
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Sample Loyalty Book for the Primary Grades

• Belles Journey
• Belle proves to be a loyal horse to her owner
  Molly when she carries her home during a very
  dangerous blizzard. Although Belle is too old for
  farm work, she is still able to take Molly to
  and from school and to piano lessons.Mollys
  dad had thoughts of replacing Belle with a
  younger pony. Also, her father shows loyalty by
  deciding to keep Belle as their horse.

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Sample Loyalty Activity for the Primary Grades

• After reading the story, the teacher should
  discuss the featured ethical attribute.
• For a journal entry, the students could draw and
  write about how Belle was loyal to Molly.
• In small groups, the students couldchoose a type
  of horse and put together a small presentation
  to share with the class.
• To tie in the severe weather featured in the
  story, the studentscould read about different
  types of severe weather.

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Sample Loyalty Book for the Intermediate Grades

• The Lotus Seed
• This story is set around a background of
  historical events. It portrays refugees who have
  to learn how to adapt to a different way of life
  when they are in a newcountry. While adapting to
  new ways of lifethey are faced with the problem
  of staying loyal to their culture and country
  and remembering where they came from.

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Sample Loyalty Activity for the Intermediate
Grades

• After reading the story, the teacher should focus
  on the highlighted attribute in the story.
• For a journal entry, the students could write a
  paragraph about someone that they are loyal to.
• In the story, the lotus flowers were linked as a
  symbol of Vietnam. In small groups, the students
  couldtalk about the symbols of our country and
  what they represent.

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Justice

• Justice moral rightness, equity, fairness fair
  handling due reward or treatment
• Justice is truth in action.Joseph Joubert
• Treat all people alike. Give them
• all the same law. Give them all an
• equal chance to live and grow.Chief
  Joseph

http//library.austincc.edu/w3/CRJ/stats.htm
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Sample Justice Book for the Primary Grades

• King of the Playground
• Each day Kevin goes to the playground and is
  bullied by Sammy. Sammy tells him, You cant
  play here! Im king of the playground. Each day,
  Kevin goes home and tells his father what Sammy
  says he will do to him if he tries to playon the
  playground. Kevins dad reassures him that Sammy
  will not be able to do thosethings to him. After
  days of being bullied, Kevin finally stands up
  for himself. Justice finally prevails when Kevin
  gives Sammy a taste of his own medicine. In the
  process of Kevinstanding up to Sammy, they start
  to become friends.

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Sample Justice Activity for the Primary Grades

• After reading the story, the teacher should focus
  on the highlighted attribute in the story.
• For a journal entry, the students could draw and
  write about a time when they felt bullied and
  how they stood up for themselves.
• The teacher could invite the school counselor in
  to talk to the class about how to deal with
  bullies.
• As a whole group the class can brainstorm ways
  that Kevin couldhave solved his problem.

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Sample Justice Book for the Intermediate Grades

• The Summer my Father was Ten
• This realistic fiction story features a father
  who recalls a day from his childhood when he
  loses his baseball cap in his neighbor Mr.
  Bellavistas garden when he is playing baseball
  with his friends. Planting a garden with his
  daughter helps him relive these memories. While
  the boys are retrieving the baseball cap, a
  tomato fight is started. In the process, the
  garden is ruined and Mr. Bellavista is very
  upset. The boy feels horrible and from that day
  on he helps Mr. Bellavista with his garden.

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Sample Justice Activity for the Intermediate
Grades

• After reading the story, the teacher should focus
  on the highlighted attribute in the story.
• For a journal entry, the students could write
  about a time when they did something wrong and
  tried to do the right thing to fix it.
• The teacher could have the students role play
  different situations where achild does something
  wrong and mustmake the situation right.

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Respect

• Respect esteem for, and sense of worth of a
  person, group, culture, belief, etc. honor
  willingness to show consideration or
  appreciation.
• Do unto others as you would have them
• do unto you.
• The Golden Rule
• Love for others and respect for their
• rights and dignity, no matter who
• or what they are ultimately these
• are all we need.
• Dalai Lama

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Sample Respect Book for the Primary Grades

• Masai and I
• One day in school, Linda, a young African
  American girl learns about the Masai people. She
  begins to wonder about what it would be like to
  live like them.Throughout the book, she compares
  her lifeto what it may be like if she lived in
  the Masai village. She realizes, no matter
  where you are or where you live, you show love
  and respect to your family.

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Sample Respect Activity for the Primary Grades

• After reading the story, the teacher should focus
  on the highlighted attribute in the story.
• For a journal entry, the students could draw and
  write about a person they would like to meet or a
  special place they would like to visit.
• The teacher could also try to arrangeto have a
  visitor from another country come and talk about
  their culture and traditions. If thatis not
  possible, parents could come in to discuss
  their heritage.

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Sample Respect Book for the Intermediate Grades

• Thank You, Mr. Falker
• In this true story set in the 1950s Tricia is
  very eager to learn how to read. Her only problem
  is that it is not coming easy to her. She deals
  with years of teasingfrom her classmates. She
  manages to slipthrough the cracks year after
  year untilone year a new teacher, Mr. Falker,
  comes into her life. He discovers her secret
  that she can not read and has dyslexia. Mr.
  Falker puts in extra timewith her after school
  and finally infifth grade Tricia learns to read.

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Sample Respect Activity for the Intermediate
Grades

• After reading the story, the teacher should focus
  on the highlighted attribute in the story.
• For a journal activity, the students could write
  a thank-you note to a special teacher.
• In small groups, the students could research
  strategies to deal with teasing. They could put
  together a poster to present to the class. Along
  with the poster, the students coulddo a role
  playing activity to relateto the strategies
  presented.

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Hope
Source http//childrenschapel.org/biblestories/jon
athan.html

• Hope belief, desire, trust the enemy of
  despair
• For children, hope is as important as
  breathing.Sarah Ruddick
• We must accept finite disappointment, but we
  must never lose infinite hope.Dr. Martin
  Luther King, Jr
• Hope is the thing with feathersThat perches in
  the soulAnd sings the tune without the words
  And never stops at all.Emily Dickinson

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Sample Hope Book for the Primary Grades

• A Chair for my Mother
• This story is about Rosa, who lives in an
  apartment with her mother and grandmother. After
  a devastating fire, they are left with nothing.
  The community and their relatives pitch by
  giving them money to help replace the items that
  were lost.Rosa and her family work together to
  save money to buy a nice chair for their new
  apartment.

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Sample Hope Activity for the Primary Grades

• After reading the story, the teacher should focus
  on the highlighted attribute in the story.
• A journal entry could be written about what the
  students would do for their families or others
  if they saved a jar full of money.
• The students could also save money by
  brainstorming fundraising ideas to donate money
  to a local charity.

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Sample Hope Book for the Intermediate Grades

• Peppe the Lamplighter
• With a sick father and a mother who passed away,
  Peppe must help provide for his father and eight
  sisters. Living in Little Italy in the early
  1900s, he is offered a lamplighter job. Peppe
  proudly accepts the job, but his father
  disapproves of this job. When Peppe lights the
  lamps he imagines that each flame is a flame of
  hope.Peppes father continues to disapprove of
  hisjob causing him to quit. One night his
  youngest sister does not come home because she
  is afraid of the dark. This event causes Peppes
  father to realize that his job is very
  important.

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Sample Hope Activity for the Intermediate Grades

• After reading the story, the teacher should focus
  on the highlighted attribute in the story.
• For a journal activity, the students could write
  about time when their parents or
  grandparentswere crowded.
• As a whole group, the students could compile a
  list of hopes that Peppe had for the members of
  hisfamily.

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Honesty

• Honesty the quality of being honorable in
  principles, intentions, and actions freedom from
  deceit, falseness, or fraud
• Honesty is the first chapter in the book of
  wisdom.Thomas Jefferson
• Honesty is the best policy.Benjamin Franklin
• A truth that's told with bad intentBeats all
  the lies you can invent.William Blake

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Sample Honesty Book for the Primary Grades

• Sam, Bangs and Moonshine
• A fishermans daughter, Sam has bad habit of
  lying and telling tall tales. Her tall tales
  ranged from telling people her mother was a
  mermaid to claiming she had a lion and baby
  kangaroo as a pet. In reality, her pet lion was
  a cat named Bangs. Sams friend Thomas believed
  everything she told him and desperately wanted
  to see her pet lion and baby kangaroo. Sam led
  him on wild goose chases to find these made up
  things. One day, it went too far when Thomas
  went to Blue Rock and almost got washed away by
  the high tide. Her father had rescue him, but
  was not able to rescue Bangs who went along with
  Thomas. Sams father tries to explain the
  difference between real andmoonshine (made up).
  In the mean time,Bangs returns home to his owner.

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Sample Honesty Activity for the Primary Grades

• After reading the story, the teacher should focus
  on the highlighted attribute in the story.
• The students could sit in a circle and play the
  gameReal or Moonshine. Each child will take a
  turn telling two things about themselves, one
  real and onemoonshine. The other students
  mustguess which one is real.
• The students could make a list of feeling words
  to describe how Sam was feeling when her friend
  and Bangs were lost.

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Sample Honesty Book for the Intermediate Grades

• The Empty Pot
• When Ping finds out that the child who grows the
  most beautiful flowers with the seeds he provides
  will be the emperors successor, he is very
  excited. Along with the emperor, Ping loves
  flowers and whenever he plants anything it
  bursts into bloom. On the day when the children
  must present their pots to the emperor, Pings
  is the only empty pot. Unbeknownst to the
  children, the emperor handed out cooked seeds
  which are impossible to grow. Out of all of the
  children, Ping was the only honest one and
  therefore was chosen as the successor.

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Sample Honesty Activity for the Intermediate
Grades

• After reading the story, the teacher should focus
  on the highlighted attribute in the story.
• For a journal entry, the students could either
  write about a time when they were honest or
  describe an honest person.
• The teacher could invite the principal in to
  discuss how honestyhelps the school. They
  couldbrainstorm posters and slogans to hang up
  in the school.

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Love

• Love an intense, affectionate concern for
  another person self-sacrificing regard which
  seeks the well-being of others
• Love is to the moral nature what the sun is to
  the earth.Balzac
• Real love begins where nothing is expected in
  return.Antoine de Saint-Exupery
• Love is loves reward.John Dryden

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Sample Love Book for the Primary Grades

• Mama, Do You Love Me?
• In a story set in the Arctic, a mother must
  reassure her daughter of her unconditional love.
  She compares her love to different things from
  nature. For example, she tells her daughter, I
  love you more than the raven loves his treasure,
  more than thedog loves his tail, more than the
  whale loves his spout. The daughter
  asksquestions such as Mama, do you love me?,
  How much?, How long? and What if I threw
  water at our lamp?

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Sample Love Activity for the Primary Grades

• After reading the story, the teacher should focus
  on the highlighted attribute in the story.
• For a journal activity, the students could draw
  and write about a person that they love.
• After looking at the patterns from the clothing
  in the book, the students could design and draw
  their own clothing for someone they love.

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Sample Love Book for the Intermediate Grades

• Going Home
• During their Christmas vacation, Carlos, his
  sister and parents travel to Mexico to visit
  relatives. Mexico does not seem like home to them
  even though they wereborn there. They left
  Mexico behind toexperience new opportunities.
  After spending time in Mexico Carlos and his
  sisters eventually start to realize the meaning
  of love, the magic of Mexico and why their
  parents have such a love for it. They also
  realize that home can be anywhere as long as it
  stays in the hearts of the people you love.

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Sample Love Activity for the Intermediate Grades

• After reading the story, the teacher should focus
  on the highlighted attribute in the story.
• For a journal entry, the students could write a
  few paragraphs about the how the family in
  thestory shows love.
• The students could look through newspapers to
  find articles that showexamples of love. After
  reading them,they could compare them to the
  story.

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Conclusion

• To conclude, the Heartwood literature-based
  program is an excellent and engaging way to
  infuse character education into the classroom.
• The use of literacy is the key to this program
  and allows the children to relate to the
  characters in the story.
• By relating themselves to thecharacters in the
  story, the studentsare able to make personal
  connections to the attributes in thestories.

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The End

• Thank you for viewing my presentation. Feel free
  to contact me if you have any comments or
  questions!
• Lauren ZivicSlippery Rock University
• laurenzivic_at_hotmail.com

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Bibliography

• "The Heartwood Approach." Heartwood . 2004.
  Heartwood Institute. 24 Nov 2008
  .
• "Courage, Loyalty, Justice, Respect, Hope,
  Honesty, Love." Heartwood . 2004. Heartwood
  Institute. 2 Dec 2008 org/index.asp.
• "Heartwood-Bridge Builders Library." Heartwood .
  2004. Heartwood Institute. 2 Dec 2008
  .
• "The Seven Attributes." Heartwood . 2004.
  Heartwood Institute. 2 Dec 2008
  .