Objective:

Playing by the rules is an important part of fairness. Students will learn that in order to play by the rules, we need to listen carefully and follow directions. We can only play fair when we understand the rules. 

Character Education Objectives: 

Students will:

• explore how rules or directions could be interpreted in diverse ways.
• reflect on how unclear rules or directions can lead to unfair situations.
• discuss ways you can ask questions when you are unsure.
• discuss why playing by the rules is an important part of fairness.

Materials:

• A piece of paper (the same size) for each person
• Blindfolds if desired

Directions:

1. Tell students that you are going to play the Snowflake Game. The students who follow the game’s directions win.
2. Ask the students to either close their eyes or put on blindfolds.
3. Tell them you will be giving instructions and they are not allowed to ask any questions.
4. Give each student a piece of paper.
5. Give the following directions, but do not answer any of their questions.
   • Fold the paper in half.
   • Tear off the bottom right-hand corner.
   • Fold the paper in half again.
   • Tear off the upper right-hand corner.
   • Fold the paper in half again.
   • Tear off the lower right-hand corner.
6. Have participants open their eyes and unfold their papers.

Discussion:

• As they hold up their papers, ask the students what they see (the differences in each other’s papers even though they all had the same directions).
• We all had the same directions, but our snowflakes look different. Why do they look different?
• No one did it wrong, but there weren’t clear directions on how to do it. To be fair, we need to follow the rules and directions. So, it’s important we give clear directions and make sure everyone understands the rules for a fair game.
• Ask students:
  • How could the directions be changed to make the snowflake game fairer?
  • What questions could they have asked to better understand the rules of the game?
  • Can they think of a time when they needed to ask questions to make sure they understood the rules?

Overview: 

This lesson explores the stories of real people to help students learn how to move beyond stereotypes. They’ll learn how accepting others’ authentic and unique selves demonstrates respect and fairness. 

Character Education Objectives: 

Students will:

• how sharing our individual stories with the world helps break down unfair stereotypes. 
• explore Human Library stories. 
• reflect on their experiences with the Human Library story.

Materials:

• Videos from Aumen Film Co. (2017) The Human Library Trailer. Youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7vJgyRJ-zo

Opening Discussion:

• “Stereotypes lose their power when the world is found to be more complex than the stereotype would suggest. When we learn that individuals do not fit the group stereotype, then it begins to fall apart.” – Ed Koch
  • Ask students what this quote means to them?
• Share some stereotypes (teens, elderly, rich, poor). Then, ask about a stereotype students have (or used to have) about a group or individual.

Instruction and Activity:

• Teach students about Human Library projects. It is a collection of real-life human stories you can “check out.” These stories aim to break stereotypes. In addition, they help people embrace fairness and togetherness through our differences. 
  • Example:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7vJgyRJ-zo
• Ask students to explore the Human Library to learn more about others. Most importantly, suggest choosing individuals whom they may normally stereotype.
  • https://humanlibrary.org/meet-our-human-books/

Discussion:

• Why did you select that particular human library book?
• What did you learn about someone else today?
  • Why did learning about someone’s story impact any stereotypes you have or had?
  • How does getting to know someone else’s story make you a more connected citizen?
  • Describe how hearing someone else’s journey impacts your own story.

Reflection:

• What did you learn about yourself today?
• How did what you learn today help you move beyond stereotypes?

Overview: This lesson explores fairness and appearances. The lesson explores a group of children who could not live with the lack of fairness shown to one couple.

Objectives: 

Students will:

• discuss fairness and appearances and the impact of judging people based on their appearance.
• review a video about one couple’s journey when they were judged based on their appearances.
• create a sample social media post about not judging others based on their appearance.

Opening Reflection:

• How have you or how do you judge others based upon their appearance?

Review content (small groups or whole group): 

• CBS Evening News  (2018) Students take action after hearing couple’s honeymoon story. Youtube.com. https://youtu.be/AeVrH_3igzk
  Gilbert Caldwell and his wife, Grace, didn’t get the honeymoon they dreamed of 60 years ago. They were turned away from a hotel for being black. After teaching a powerful lesson to a group of students, they recently got a second honeymoon. Steve Hartman has their story “On The Road.”

Whole Group Discussion: 

• What surprised you about the story in the video?
• How did the students right an injustice years later?
• How do you assume the couple felt then and now?
• What is harmful about judging others based on their appearance?
• What injustice do you see in your school based on appearances?

Reflection:

• Create a sample social media post about accepting others regardless of their appearance.

Fairness is one of the Six Pillars of Character. Click here to learn more about the Six Pillars.

Overview: This lesson explores how an unfair situation can lead to frustration or anger and how to resolve it. It also allows students to demonstrate their understanding of fairness by recreating the rules to make a game fair for all participants.

Objectives: 

Students will:

• experience an intentionally unfair game and discuss the impact of unfair situations
• brainstorm how to make a game fair for all participants

Materials needed: Beach balls

Directions:

1. Ask to the group to line up shortest to tallest. Divide the line in half so all the shorter people are on one team and the taller people are on the other.
2. Have the taller people get in a circle on the outside with the shorter people in the center.
3. Have them play a game of keep away where the outside circle tries to keep the ball away from the others. If someone in the middle gets the ball, the inside participants switch to the outside circle and the others go inside.
4. After playing for a while, the taller team will most likely be keeping control of the ball and the shorter team may be getting frustrated.
5. At this point, change the rules. Tell the taller team that they must all put one hand behind their back or in their pocket while they play.
6. Play again now that the game is in favor of the other team.
7. Put students in small groups and have them come up with a way to play the game that would be fair for all participants. Bring the students back together and come up with a set of rules for the game that all students agree is fair. 
8. Play the game with your new class rules.

Discussion Prompts:

• How did you feel when the game was in your favor?
• How did you feel when the game wasn’t in your favor?
• Do you ever get angry when things seem unfair?
• What is a better way to handle an unfair situation?

Fairness is one of the Six Pillars of Character. Click here to learn more about the Six Pillars.

Overview:
Fairness is hearing all sides to a story, even when it’s hard to see there is another side. This lesson is designed for students to stretch their perspectives in stories that feel like there is a good and a bad side. Students will be encouraged to think about how a story that they thought they knew looks different when they see the perspective of others.

Character Education Objectives:

Students will:

• identify the perspectives of each character. 
• discuss the impact of seeing only one side of a story. 
• reflect on their own experiences with fairness. 

Materials:

• Choose a classic good vs bad story like Hansel and Gretel, Three Little Pigs and The Big Bad Wolf, The Three Billy Goats Bluff, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, etc.

Lesson:

Large Group

1. Read or tell the story you chose. Pick a story where there is a good vs. bad dynamic with the characters.
2. Explain to the students that every story has two sides. To be fair, you need to hear both sides. Share with students that the story you just read only shares one side of the story. We know this because the story focuses on the one character and we know what that character does before, during and after the main events. 
3. The other side of the story is the “bad guy’s” story. For example: In Hansel and Gretel there is only the story of the children and the witch’s story goes untold.
4. Explain to the students that they will be creating another story to show the view point of the other character in the story.

Small Group

1. You can also do this in a large group depending on the developmental level of your students. 
2. Students will write and/or draw a short story that involves telling the side of the other character in the story. The story will need to include the following:
   • The main plot points of the story.
   • Why do you think the character did what they did?
   • What did this character do before the event?
   • What was the character thinking during the event?
   • How did the character feel after the main events?
   • What did the character do after the main events?
3. Have the groups share their short story out to the large group.

Discussion Questions

• When you first read the story, did you think about the side of the other character? Why or why not?
• Did writing the other character’s side of the story change how you felt about the character? If so, how?
• What would happen if you didn’t think about the other character’s side of the story?

Journal

Think about a time when you were in a disagreement with someone. What was your side of the story? What do you think their side of the story was?

Overview: Learning about other traditions and holidays is important to promote acceptance not just tolerance of other viewpoints, religions, belief systems, and perspectives. This lesson will discuss having integrity with a focus on fairness to promote a classroom that embraces diversity.

Character Education Objectives:

Students will:

• discuss traditions of their culture and family 
• share ideas about promoting a fair environment for all learners to be who they are
• depict what it means to embrace culture using a form of artistic expression (Day 2) 

Materials:

• Venn Diagram handout
• Integrity and Fairness Cultural Expressions Project Grid
• Art supplies 
• Paper
• Pens
• Markers
• Teacher Resource : Bhouraskar, S., 2019. Finding A Place For Culture In The Classroom. [online] Teaching Multicultural Students: Creating Inclusive Classrooms.

Lesson Plan Day One 

Journal: (5 mins) 

• What is one of your family’s favorite traditions? 

Think-Pair-Share: (10 mins) 

• Share a family tradition with a partner
  • Use the Venn Diagram to compare and contrast your family cultural tradition with your partner’s family cultural tradition

Small Group Discussion: (10 mins)

• What is a definition of culture?
• What makes up culture?

Whole Group Discussion: (15 mins) 

• As a class define culture- use the definitions created in small group and wordsmith to create a classroom definition
• Discuss the elements that make up culture 
• How do we promote fairness in the diverse culture where we live?
• What does integrity have to do with being fair to other cultures?

Exit Ticket: (5 mins)

• What is something you learned about promoting cultural fairness and awareness today?

Lesson Plan Day Two 

Journal: (5 mins)

• What does it look and sound like to allow everyone to be who they are in a classroom? 

Think-Pair-Share (5 mins)

• Discuss the following quote with a partner: “Be yourself, everybody else is taken” – Oscar Wilde 

Whole Group Discussion (5 mins) 

• Make a list with students about what is needed in a classroom of fairness to allow everyone to be who they are? 

Individual Work (20 mins)

• Give students the freedom to choose an activity from the Integrity and Fairness Cultural Expressions Project Grid to share about what it means to have the integrity to showing fairness for all cultures in the classroom. 
• Play some different cultural music while they work (or take suggestions from students and ensure they are not explicit).

Exit Ticket (5-10 mins)

• Share your work with a partner or record a video of yourself sharing your Integrity and Fairness Cultural Expressions Project and post to your classroom social media using #CharacterCounts.

References

Teacher- to learn more information on teaching culture and to get some ideas to help with discussion check out this resource:

• Bhouraskar, S., 2019. Finding A Place For Culture In The Classroom. [online] Teaching Multicultural Students: Creating Inclusive Classrooms. Available at: <https://www.accreditedschoolsonline.org/education-teaching-degree/multicultural-students/> [Accessed 27 March 2020].

Download these PDFs and get started coloring!

Trustworthiness

Respect

Responsibility

Fairness

Caring

Citizenship

At CHARACTER COUNTS!, we often refer to the Six Pillars of Character as universal values. In other words, they are values that transcend race, ethnicity, gender, religion, and even time. Put another way, nearly everyone can agree that more trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship would be good and even necessary for our individual, community, and societal growth.

Though the Six Pillars are universal, they are not absolutes. Like anything else in society, what the Pillars look like, sound like, and feel like can change due to context or circumstance. What is considered perfectly respectful behavior at a football game would not be considered respectful in a boardroom, for example. How we define what each pillar looks like and sounds like in unique circumstances is particularly important when Pillars appear to be in conflict. One definition of citizenship may include following the rules, respecting the law, and so on. And yet, Rosa Parks is often highlighted as an example of fairness, for her protest on the bus in which she technically broke the law – an unjust, unfair, and racist law, but a law nonetheless. Does that mean she’s a bad citizen? Or, a student may argue that she was showing caring by letting her friend copy homework so her friend wouldn’t get in trouble, while a teacher might argue that the student was being irresponsible and untrustworthy by letting her friend cheat.

The tendency in these moments is to ask, “which Pillar is more important?” but that’s the wrong question. The right question is, “in this time, given these circumstances, what does it mean to put the Six Pillars into action?” When one asks this question, Rosa Park’s action is not only a demonstration of fighting for fairness, but citizenship, as she tries to make her community a better place for everyone, regardless of race.

Of course, some may view the constant need to negotiate what the Six Pillars look like in different circumstances as soft or unprincipled, but maybe it’s the opposite. The intentional, deliberate conversation about what the Six Pillars look like for us, in this situation, is exactly the kind of conversation, sometimes hard conversation, we must have if we’re going to work together successfully. Yes, the Pillars are universal, but what we want them to look like for our students, school, community, family, and society is ultimately up to us.

Learn more about character education.

Download these PDFs and get started coloring!

Trustworthiness – Camel

Respect – Lion

Responsibility – Elephant

Fairness – Giraffe

Caring – Kangaroo

Citizenship – Bear