Volume 2, Issue 4: January/February 2009

For January...

Georgia is a very good math student who does well on homework but falls apart under the stress of heavily weighted tests. Under these circumstances, would it be so terrible if she cheated just a little? (An exploration of situational ethics.)

Elementary School
Lose the Excuses
Here is a lesson plan that focuses on "excuses" as a way of denying responsibility for our actions.

Exercising Responsibility
A useful lesson plan from Character Counts! featuring a variety of classroom activities. (PDF)

Learning to Respect Each Other
This lesson plan could easily be adapted for any K-12 classroom. It focuses on Martin Luther King, Jr. and his "I have a dream" speech. There is excellent material for discussions and projects around history, discrimination, and stereotyping.

How to be a Responsible Person (and Feel Great!)
A variety of materials for teaching responsibility, including a how-to handout, discussion questions, and student projects.

Middle School
Lessons in R-E-S-P-E-C-T
A rich lesson plan for grades K-8 with lots of variety.

Lesson Plan for Respect
A very detailed lesson plan that can be used in the classroom or in an assembly. It uses as its point of departure Aretha Franklin's "Respect" song, and includes a wide range of projects for the teacher as well as the students. (Microsoft Word .doc)

The Three Rs of Growing Up
Discussion questions and activities for teaching middle schoolers to be Respectful, Responsible people who do the Right thing.

High School
A Multi-Disciplinary Lesson in Responsibility
A detailed lesson plan that covers general areas of responsibility, with sections in Social Studies, English, Math and Economics, and Science.

In Search of Respect
Teach your high school students the virtue of respect, with these discussion questions, activities, and even a quiz to find out whether they are already respectful people.

Creating Character: Visual History Lessons in Respect and Responsibility
These two lesson plans provide material for a general approach to these two important ethical principles, but they also focus on issues related to the Holocaust. (PDF)

Center for the 4th and 5th Rs
The Center's recent newsletter, edited by Dr. Thomas Lickona, a major figure in the character education movement, contains a personal story and an article entitled "What Works in Character Education?" Don't miss the list of scientifically supported character education programs that's included in the article. (PDF)

The Three Rs
A very useful chart covering the three Rs: Respect, Responsibility and Resilience (PDF)

Who is Responsible for Sex Education?
Helium is a terrific website for discussions on issues that concern teens. The question here is: who is responsible for teen sex education? Should it be in schools? Posts presenting both sides of the issue are on this website.

Raising Responsible Kids
Here are some guidelines that work at home as well as at school.

Editorial: Students' Sloppy E-Mails More than a Respect Issue
Students more and more are texting or e-mailing their teachers. But teachers are often put off by the tone of this communication. Think about your electronic communication with your students. How do you feel about it?

Show of Respect
When one kid was bullied, an entire school found a way to make a statement about bullying.

Respect for All
A seventh-grade student published this tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. and Duke Ellington.