Lensey Namioka’s Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear provides an opportunity for young readers to observe how writers bring their characters to life. Each class member selects a character to trace through the novel, recording...

Whether it is a protagonist, antagonist, hero or heroine, characters are a must in any story. Learners analyze a character from a narrative they are reading, then use that character as inspiration. They create a ceramic bust depicting...

Combining descriptive and expository writing skills, middle schoolers create a character sketch about someone they know well. They use a graphic organizer to help them discuss a model character sketch and organize/write one of their own....

Develop a mystery character using clues from a bag. This engaging activity will help learners understand character traits. They develop a list of the items from the bag, discuss and develop the character with a partner, and create a...

Animals oftentimes elicit various characteristics which make them symbolic or representative of human feeling, action, or emotion. The class creates horse characters out of clay to show character action and symbolism. This is a great...

Some of what we know about a character is directly stated. Some of what we know is inferred by events in the story. Character maps help primary learners recognize the difference. After modeling with a story your class has read, pupils...

Everyone learns and experiences life differently. A set of lessons about character intensities encourages middle and high schoolers to analyze themselves, their peers, and characters from a book based on the five listed intensities:...

Sixth graders read Katherine Paterson's novel, Bridge to Terabithia, and watch a video of Maurice Sendak's book, Where the Wild Things Are. They examine the characters in both stories that share similar characteristics. Students use the...

Students create a bookmark with reminders of simple acts of kindness. In this character education lesson, students participate in a mini-lesson that serves as a great introduction to a service project. Students first brainstorm ways to...

Read Ira Sleeps Over, then identify elements of plays that are also common to books. Learners analyze character and setting, consider how these elements relate to a play, then write a one-paragraph skit using the characters from Ira...

Students analyze the decision-making skills. In this character education instructional activity, students read a comic book and identify the superhero. Students then analyze the types of decisions the character makes throughout the story...

U.S. immigration is the focus of a unit on social justice. Over the course of a school year, young historians read a variety of texts to learn about four waves of immigration that have occurred over time in the U.S. An emphasis on...

Fifth graders define character words, look for real-life examples of the traits "in action," and write an acrostic poem based on one of these qualities.

Welcome your class back to school! They will participate in a character education lesson in order to build community at the school. First they identify needs of new learners by putting themselves in their shoes and create welcome packs...

Students visualize a character or event and personalize it through drawings.

Seventh graders examine words of Greek origin and discuss character development in fiction. They read a list of Greek word parts and create words on a worksheet. Students then read and discuss an informational handout about character...

Learners explore self-discipline. In this character education lesson, students define and give examples of discipline and self-discipline. Learners work with a group to complete a related concept map.

Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree is a great way to cover multiple concepts in an elementary school classroom. Throughout this lesson, they learn about economic principles such as scarcity and goods, science principles like renewable...

Students identify bullying behaviors through this cross curricular music and character education lesson. Learners read the story Cinderella and discuss how the stepsisters demonstrated bully behavior. Students create a new ending for the...

Students discover the vocabulary of the Six Pillars of Character and their relation to the school environment. In this character education instructional activity, students discuss the character pillars and brainstorm about their use in...

Young scholars analyze the importance of being a socially healthy citizen. In this character education lesson, students brainstorm personal traits that they think make the world a better place. Young scholars compile their ideas as a...

Students research an influential African American. In this character education instructional activity, students use a variety of research materials and write a biographical report about a famous African American. Students identify the...

Eighth graders define caring. In this character education lesson, 8th graders examine the attributes of compassion as they discuss altruism, empathy, and selflessness.

Use this multidisciplinary lesson to delve into these subjects: English language arts, math, science, drama, and character education. After reading, discussing, and making interpretations about Go To Sleep, Gecko!: A Balinese...