When under stress, or outside of our comfort zone, it can be tempting to shy away from responsibility. However, it is critical as the school year progresses that each person take responsibility for their role in ensuring a safe and productive learning environment.
When norms and routines are disrupted, it can be easy to lose sight of our goals and the process we need to follow to achieve those goals. The Goal Map tool is an excellent resource to focus attention on the action steps needed to continue progressing towards our objectives, especially when we are outside of our comfort zone.
Responsibility for Educators: The unique challenges of this school year likely feel overwhelming. How do you transition your entire curriculum to online delivery? How do you track student progress when you don’t see your students each day? How do you create a productive classroom space while still following health guidelines? Use the Goal Map to break down what seem like insurmountable tasks into small, achievable action steps. Devote your time and energy solely to each step until you are ready to move on to the next action step.
Responsibility for Students: Students can use the Goal Map to craft a plan for achieving objectives each day, each week, each month, or even over an entire semester. Whether attending school online or in person, the Goal Map can help students identify what tasks need to be completed, in what order, and track their progress towards completion.
Responsibility for Families: The Goal Map is a great tool for families to use to help their students create a learning plan, especially for students working online. Create a Goal Map each day, outlining the objective for the day, and the action steps needed to reach those objectives. Then, review the Goal Map at the end of the day to track progress and ensure students are taking the necessary steps to be successful each day.
Every school stakeholder – students, parents, educators, and administrators – have a key role in the success of each school year. How well these stakeholders work together and treat each other with respect ultimately determines how successful the year will be.
A Compact for Excellence is a simple tool to help groups of people agree on what they need to do in order to do their best work and treat each other with care and respect. To use a Compact, create a list of expectations (see sample below) that outline what every stakeholder needs to do in order to ensure their best work can be done and everyone is treated well.
Then, ask all stakeholders the following questions:
Is there anything else that needs to be added to this list?
Is there anything that needs to be clarified?
Is there anything that you cannot or will not do?
Do we agree to work with these guidelines?
Respect for Educators: At the beginning of each school year, educators set classroom rules and expectations. This year is no different, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic you may need to update these expectations to address online learning, following health guidelines at school, or even create a Compact with parents and families so all stakeholders have clear guidelines for how everyone can do their best work and treat each other with care and respect.
Respect for Students: Whether working at home, in school, or in a hybrid setting, think about what is needed for you to do your best work and treat others well (teachers, parents, siblings, other students, etc.). Create a Compact for Excellence that outlines what all parties agree to do in order to do your best work and treat each other well, no matter the environment. You can also create a Compact with your group before beginning a new group project.
Respect for Families: Create a Compact for Excellence with your children that outlines how you will work together to ensure that everyone can do their work effectively and treat each other well. Agreements could be: 15-minute active break for every 60 minutes of work, only engage on social media during breaks, negotiate who utilizes work spaces (at home), maintain social distance and wear a mask (if back at school), and so on.
This year, perhaps more than any other, parents, educators, and students are making incredibly challenging decisions. It’s important in these moments to assume best intentions, and trust that everyone is trying to do what they think is right and necessary to ensure a safe and impactful education experience.
In situations where there isn’t a clear and obvious answer, it’s useful to have a tool, like the Integrity-in Action Checklist, to help check our decision-making. Not every decision will pass each test below. Sometimes, the right decision isn’t fair to everyone, for example. However, checking your actions against the Integrity-in-Action Checklist can help ensure that you make good choices and maintain trust.
Trustworthiness for Educators: Even people with the best of intentions can sometimes make the wrong decision, especially when navigating the countless changes created by a global pandemic. As you work to bring students back to the classroom safely, or migrate your lessons to online delivery, use the Integrity-in-Action Checklist to make sure the choices you make are thoughtful and build trust with students, parents, and your colleagues.
Trustworthiness for Students: Students can use the Integrity-in-Action Checklist to help them make choices that could impact the health and safety of others. (“Is it fair to my classmates if I don’t follow guidelines to help stop the spread of COVID-19?”) Likewise, students working remotely can use the checklist to help make good decisions about how they engage with school. (“Do I want others to know that I was watching TV rather than paying attention to this online lesson?”)
Trustworthiness for Parents: The decisions parents make in the best interest of their child also impact the health, safety, and learning experiences of everyone else at school. Use the Integrity-in-Action Checklist to make sure the decisions you make are not only good for your children, but the teachers and other students with whom they interact. In addition, families can use the checklist to help guide the decisions their students make. “I know it’s uncomfortable to wear a mask, but let’s look at the truth test. While the mask is uncomfortable, the truth is I can wear it, get used to it, and keep myself and others safe.”
Students recognize the central role honesty plays in generating trust and they demonstrate their honesty in their communications in three ways:
Truthfulness. Students are truthful; everything they say is true to the best of their knowledge (i.e., they do not lie);
Sincerity. Students are sincere. This means they always convey the truth as best they can by avoiding all forms of accidental or intentional deception, distortion or trickery (e.g., it is dishonest to tell only part of the truth in an effort to create a false impression or deliberately omit important facts with the intent to create a false impression); and
Candor. Students know that certain relationships (e.g., parent-child, teacher-student, best friends) create a very high expectation of trust. In these relationships, honesty requires them to be candid and forthright by volunteering information to assure that they are conveying the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. (e.g., a student who accidentally spills soda on a school computer must voluntarily tell the teacher without being asked; a student who breaks her mother’s favorite vase must tell her mother voluntarily).
Character Education Objectives:
Students will reflect on how trust is built and broken in a friendship.
Content Goal
Students will define trustworthy behaviors and demonstrate the impact of broken trust.
Language Goal:
Students will write about things they can do to build their own trustworthy behaviors.
Purpose:
Trust in a relationship is not built overnight. It takes a series of trustworthy actions and behaviors to build it up. Unfortunately, one untrustworthy action can break trust instantly. This lesson is designed to demonstrate how our actions impact trust in a friendship and allow students to explore the concepts of truthfulness, sincerity and candor.
Lesson:
Discussion (5 min) Have a large or small group discussion about what does being trustworthy mean? Talk about what it looks like and what is does not look like. Ask students to share examples of trustworthiness they have seen.
Activity (10 min) Build a trust tower.
Give each child a few blocks. You can use Jenga blocks, building blocks or anything you have in the classroom. You want the students to be able to successfully build the tower, so be sure to plan with the right number of blocks. The best plan is to build the tower with layers of three blocks each, alternating direction on each layer. See the game Jenga for an example.
Ask the students one by one to come up and build a tower of trust. Each block represents something they can do to build trust. Ask students to say out loud what they can do to build trust as they place the block. Give all students an opportunity to add one or multiple blocks until you have your tower.
Explain to students that you have built this wonderful tower of trust. It’s much like a friendship and it takes work to build by consistently being trustworthy. Sometimes we choose actions that are not trustworthy and that will start to break down that tower.
Have prepared statements of untrustworthy actions from your discussion ready. Read a statement and ask one student pull one block for each statement. The student can choose any block. Continue until the tower falls.
Discussion (10 min) Talk with students about how trust in friendships is built just like they built the tower. One by one your actions show the other person you are trustworthy. When you choose a behavior or action that is untrustworthy it starts to break down that tower. The first untrustworthy action may not knock the tower down, but it may. Could it be the second time? The third? You never know when that tower will fall and that trust will break.
Ask the students to discuss the following questions:
Is it easier to build trust or to break it down?
How do you rebuild trust with a friend once it has been broken?
Are there any times it is ok to be dishonest?
Journal (5 min) What can I do to be more trustworthy?
Family Connection:
Ask families to replicate the activity you did in class, but think about how they build trust in their family.
Draw a line down a piece of paper. On one side write/draw examples of how they show trustworthiness in the family. On the other side write/draw examples of what untrustworthy behaviors could be in the family.
You are going to build a trust tower. You will need blocks. Fifteen blocks are great, as you can lay them in 5 layers with 3 blocks in each layer while alternating directions. The game Jenga is a great reference point for this.
Ask each family member to place one block at a time. As they place the block, ask them to share something they can do personally to help build trust in the family. Repeating answers is ok because it is all about what that individual can do. Continue until you have a tower of trustworthy behavior.
Now, look at your list you made. Read your untrustworthy behaviors one at a time. As you read them, have someone pull any block from the tower. As you start to pull blocks, talk about how sometimes you choose behaviors that are untrustworthy. One time probably will not knock down the tower, but it might. Could it be two behaviors? Three? You never know when that tower of trust that you worked so hard to build in your family may fall.
Have a discussion with your family around the following questions:
How do we rebuild trust in our family once it has been broken?
Is it easier to build trust or destroy trust? Why?
Students will engage in conversation with another student to talk about their own experience with random acts of kindness
Content Goal:
Students will be able to understand their moral duty to care for one another.
Language Goal:
Students will journal about the personal benefits of performing random acts of kindness.
Purpose:
Random acts of kindness are some of the simplest ways to say you care. Not only do these acts benefit those who need it, but it has a huge benefit for those performing those acts. When you care for others, your own happiness levels increase! Filling the bucket of someone else also helps to fill your own. This lesson is designed for students to engage in random acts of kindness throughout the day and allows classrooms to celebrate those acts in a fun and exciting way!
Ask families to create a list of possible random acts of kindness they could do as family. Plan to do one act every month. This website could help families think of some good ideas: https://www.care.com/c/stories/3757/101-random-acts-of-kindness-ideas-to-practice/
Students will discuss how to develop and maintain positive relationships in their lives.
Content Objective:
Students will define, establish, and maintain healthy relationships.
Language Objective:
Students will employ strategies to promote positive relationship building and connections.
Purpose:
Human beings need opportunities to build and maintain positive relationships in all stages of life. Providing teens with opportunities to develop a clear definition of what healthy relationships look and sound like is important to help ensure health development, physically, socially, and emotionally. Creating positive models and situations to practice healthy boundaries and communication is important to grow relationships and social connections.
Lesson
Independent
Who do you have a healthy, positive relationship within your life?
How does this connection with this individual make you feel?
Students will discuss how connection increases communication and collaboration.
Content Objective:
Students will discuss what the Six Pillars look like in them, their friends and the people they admire.
Language Objective:
Students will journal about how they can actively work to connect with one another.
Purpose:
Including intentional connection time with your students is a great way to show the importance of connecting with one another. When we are connected we communicate better, collaborate more successfully and assume better intentions in one another. We often think of connection as something to check off the list at the beginning of the year a getting to know you activity, but in reality it is something that needs to happen regularly. The following activity will allow students to connect over character traits they see in themselves and those that are important to them.
Electricity Split the students in two equal groups. Each group will be a team. Encourage them to get together and create team names. One team will get in a line standing shoulder to shoulder and all facing one way. The other team will get in another line shoulder to shoulder and facing the other team. The lines should be a few feet apart. There should be an aisle between the lines.
If students point directly in front them, they should be pointing at only one student and one student should be pointing at them. This is their partner for the first round. Have students discuss the following question with their partner: What’s your favorite cartoon character?Now, students will play a game to get their next partner. To set up, you keep the teams in their lines and determine which side will be the start and which side will be the end of the line. At the end of the line, place an item on the ground evenly between the last two players of each team. The game is passing a high five down their team’s line from the starting side until it gets to the last person. The only rule is that you may not pass the high five until the high five is given to you.
Once the high five hits the last person then the last person will grab the item from the ground. The first team to grab the item is the winner. The team that lost will move one person to the left. The person on the furthest left spot will walk down the aisle to the other end of the line. If you want, encourage the students to do a little Six Pillar Shuffle down the aisle! This should give students a new partner. With their new partner, have students discuss: What makes a person trustworthy? Have the students get ready to pass along the high five again.
Once the winning team is determined, have the team that lost move one to the left again. This will give the students a new partner. Have the new partners discuss a question and then repeat the game and questions until you have answered all of them: How do you respect your friends? Who is someone in your life you think is responsible? Why? Was there a time in your life when something was unfair? How did you handle that?How has someone show you they cared for you? Who is someone you admire that shows good citizenship?
When the game is done, talk about the power of connection. When we do these games, we are connecting with one another and finding things we have in common or how we think similarly. When we find that connection with someone we are kinder, more respectful and work better together. It’s important to take the time to connect with each other and it doesn’t always take a game. Encourage students to take the time to connect to someone they don’t know well during lunch, recess, group projects or collaboration times in the classroom.
Have the students journal about ways they can make connections throughout the day. Connection is not something you can do just once and check it off the list. It must be done continually. Connection is also something that doesn’t always come naturally and sometimes needs to be intentionally planned. During this journaling time, you should encourage students to think about those two things and how they will work in connection into their day more frequently.
Family Connection
Give a brief overview of the importance of connection. Encourage families to watch a video about the power of connecting with those who may look and think differently than you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQuM5e0QGLg
Give the families the following prompts to connect around character development:
What makes a person trustworthy?
How do you respect your friends?
Who is someone in your life you think is responsible? Why?
Was there a time in your life when something was unfair? How did you handle that?
How has someone show you they cared for you?
Who is someone you admire that shows good citizenship?
Students will discuss the impact of
gossip on individuals, teams, friend groups, and families.
Content Objective:
Students will commit to a No Gossip challenge to show respect.
Language Objective:
Students will share ideas about
spreading the #NoGossip
Purpose:
Gossip is a toxic cloud that spreads darkness around the globe and runs rampant in schools and communities. Creating a culture of respect is vital to ensure learners feel safe and like they belong. So, let’s build a 40 Day No Gossip Campaign to empower students, teachers, administrators and families to stand for respect.
Lesson:
Independent (3 mins)
Write about a time you have heard, been part of, or were gossiped about in school or on social media.
How did it make you feel?
Write one feeling on a sticky note and add it to the whiteboard or post on social media: Instagram/Twitter/Facebook #NoGossip #CHARACTERCOUNTS
Vocabulary (2mins): What do these words mean? (Optional)
6-12 Character Education Lesson Plan: Connecting with Others
Character Education Objective: Help students understand the importance of connecting to other individuals. Develop connection strategies and provide an opportunity for students to practice connecting with others.
Core Alignment:
HS – Essential Concept and/or Skill: Communicate and work productively with others, incorporating different perspectives and cross cultural understanding, to increase innovation and the quality of work.
HS – Essential Concept and/or Skill: Demonstrate leadership skills, integrity, ethical behavior, and social responsibility while collaborating to achieve common goals.
MS – Essential Concept and/or Skill: Communicate and work productively with others, considering different perspectives, and cultural views to increase the quality of work.
MS – Essential Concept and/or Skill: Demonstrate leadership, integrity, ethical behavior, and social responsibility in all environments.
Lesson:
We often tout how well-connected our society is. Ever-improving technology allows us to contact almost anyone, almost anywhere, at almost any time via a wide-variety of methods – texting, phone calls, Snap Chat, Twitter, Facebook, Skype, and a host of other applications.
Though our methods of connection have multiplied, our ability to connect with one another at a human, person-to-person level may be diminishing. In many ways, technology limits our interaction with our wider community by allowing us to filter who we see and what we hear. Citizenship requires that we engage with our community by learning about the individuals who make up our society. It requires that we work together to build a community that is inclusive of different people, different ideas, and different experiences. To build that type of community, to be an engaged citizen, requires connection.
After the video, ask students what they saw in the video. What happened when people had to make eye contact for 1 minute? (smiled, hugged, cried, etc.)
Ask student why they think people had each of those reactions.
Optional Activity: Ask students to do the experiment and look into someone’s eyes for 1 minute without speaking. Ask students to analyze that experience.
There is nothing inherently wrong with connecting to people using technology, but nothing will ever replace sharing a physical space, sharing eye contact, and engaging.
Moreover, effective citizenship requires that we not only know who makes up our community, but to understand what they think and why they think it. To achieve this level of connection we must work to know people at a substantive level. Most of our conversations happen at a surface level and that is ok. Surface level questions (like what did you do this weekend? Did you see this movie?) are efficient, safe, ice breakers. But if we really want to understand others we must engage each at a more substantive level.
The link below will take you to a list of 36 questions developed by psychologists that are proven to increase closeness between two individuals. Give students the list of questions and instruct them to take turns asking and answering each question. You may want to assign partners so that students are connecting with an individual they do not know well. You may also choose to edit the list of questions for time or content as needed.
Optional Activity: Instruct students to complete a reflection after their interview. Did they find any connection points to the person they interviewed? What did you learn about this person that they didn’t know before? What are the benefits of knowing this person better – for you and for them? Etc.
Parent Connection:
Send parents the link to the 36 questions and encourage them to complete the same activity with their child.
