Overview:
Reflecting on your own character is important to grow and stay accountable. This lesson is designed for students to reflect on the character skill of caring and the ways they display it to others. It also allows students time to discuss how they can continue to show care towards others and how they can make changes to become even more caring.
Character Education Objectives:
Students will
- reflect their own character.
- share their character traits with a partner and discuss similarities.
Materials
Lesson:
Large Group
- Discuss the character trait of caring with students. Ask them what caring looks like and what caring sounds like. Encourage them to think about people who they know that are caring and what they say and do.
- You may want to write those traits down on chart paper.
Small Group/Partners
- Give each student a body outline.
- Encourage students to think about their own character of caring. Give them a few minutes to brainstorm how they are caring. Remind them with some of the examples they thought of in the large group.
- Have each student describe the things that make them caring in the body outline by either writing or drawing. Encourage students to fill their entire body because it’s important not only to self-reflect, but also to compliment yourself and the work you do.
- Students will share their character body outline with a partner or small group.
Discussion Questions
- How do you and your partner/group members show caring the same way?
- How do you and your partner/group show caring in different ways?
- When is it hard to be caring?
- What do you do when
- How can you show caring more often or in a better way?
Journal
Encourage students to journal one thing they will commit to in order to become more caring. Have students be specific with their commitment, not something general like “I will be nicer” or “I will care more.”
Learn more about character education.
Caring (Grades K-5)