Character Ed
Building A Foundation of Character
Top 10 Lessons
On
Character Education
Character Ed Tools’ Vision
Empowering students to stand on a foundation of character so they
may act responsibly when faced with difficult decisions.
Character Ed Tools
15709 Arrow Highway, #2
Irwindale, CA 91706
626-960-6922
www.characteredtools.com
[email protected]
Building a Foundation of Character
© 2011 Character Ed Tools
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form
without written permission from the publisher, with the exception of
materials designed to be copied for individual classroom use.
Top Ten Lessons
On Character Education
Table of Contents
How To Use This Top Ten Lesson Program
Daily Reflections On Character
Lesson #1 ……….Responsibility
Lesson #2 ……….Respect
Lesson #3 ……….Honesty
Lesson #4 ……….Self-Control
Lesson #5 ……….Fairness
Lesson #6 ……….Perseverance
Lesson #7 ……….Self-Confidence
Lesson #8 ……….Commitment
Lesson #9 ……….Courage
Lesson #10 ………Citizenship
Lesson #1
Responsibility
___________________________________________
Responsibility
Lesson #1
___________________________________________
Objective:
Students will learn how the power to choose comes with accepting the
consequences for those choices. They will increase their understanding of how
greater freedom is earned as they exhibit more responsible decision making skills.
Lesson:
Responsibility is a big word that brings to mind a different meaning for all of us. It
involves following the rules, doing what we say we will do, dealing with the
consequences for our actions, and building others’ trust in us.
Time:
Materials:
40 Minutes
Chalkboard, Copies of ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY and DR. ELLEN OCHOA
worksheets for students
___________________________________________
When students take control of their learning and make positive decisions, we say they are
responsible. How do we create responsible students? Telling them to be responsible does not work.
Some consider the risk too great, feel they will look foolish, feel they will be embarrassed, or do not
see the priorities of the teacher as their priorities. A student’s opportunities in life expand
tremendously when they take responsibility for their learning, decisions, actions, and goals for their
lives. The following lesson is designed to help your students develop their ability to be responsible.
The first step to making positive changes in our lives is to
begin taking responsibility for our decisions and actions.
© Character Ed Tools
Lesson #1
Responsibility
Activity:
Have the students write a list of excuses they’ve heard used concerning why
someone didn’t complete their homework or project on time. Then have them
evaluate and discuss the validity of each excuse.
Discussion:
When we think of the word “responsibility” what comes to mind is usually a negative
thought. We think, “Who’s responsible for this?” Meaning, someone is in trouble and
when that someone is us, well we are masters at shifting the responsibility to
someone or something else. We are experts at finding fault or blaming others for
whatever is wrong in our lives. Or if we can’t find someone to blame, we simply
make up an elaborate excuse for why we failed.
Remember, responsibility simply means “the ability to respond.” It’s the choices we
make. It’s how we respond to the good and bad consequences of our decisions.
Dodging negative consequences may appear to work in the short run, but over time
we will discover that it is better to take responsibility for our mistakes rather than
attempt to blame someone else or make up an excuse. We become a responsible
individual when others believe we can be counted on to make the right choice when
making a difficult decision.
1.
Why do we feel compelled to blame others or find an excuse for our
mistakes? What do we hope to gain from shifting the responsibility for a task
to someone or something else?
2.
You discover that a friend lied to you in order to make themselves look good.
Does this change how you think about them? Will you still trust or believe
whatever they say to you or will you think twice about what they are telling
you? Talk about why you feel this way.
3.
Taking responsibility for the good and bad decisions you make gives you a
feeling of being in control. Talk about the confidence you get from taking the
responsibility for the good and bad consequences for your decisions. How
do others treat you when they know you won’t blame others but will take
responsibility for your actions?
© Character Ed Tools
Lesson #1
Responsibility
Accepting Responsibility
Lesson #1 - Worksheet
1)
Think about a time when someone you know lied to you. How did you feel
knowing that they had lied to you?
2)
What motivated them to tell you a lie rather than the truth?
3)
It’s easy to blame someone or something else for our mistakes. Why are
we so afraid of taking the responsibility for our mistakes?
4)
It’s difficult to change our lives for the better when we refuse to accept the
responsibility for our decisions. What is one area of your life where you
blame others or circumstances for your mistakes?
5)
What can you do today to change how you respond to this type of failure?
6)
When we take responsibility for our mistakes, we begin the process of
improving our lives. Write about a time you took responsibility for a
mistake and how it made you feel.
This worksheet may be duplicated for educational purposes only. For more information regarding RESPONSIBILITY or other Character Ed Tools
programs please go to www.characteredtools.com or contact: Character Ed Tools, 15709 Arrow Hwy., Suite #2, Irwindale, CA 91706. (626) 960-6922.
Character Ed Tools is a division of Camfel Productions, a non-profit company.
© Character Ed Tools
Lesson #1
Responsibility
Responsibility In Action:
Ellen Ochoa
Ellen Ochoa was born in La Mesa, California. She has devoted her life to learning more
about music, math, and science. Ellen graduated with top honors from San Diego University with a
degree in physics. She went on to graduate school at Stanford University with a Masters and
Doctorate in Electrical Engineering. Her doctoral research led to a patented optical system designed
to detect defects in a repeating pattern now used for quality control.
From 1985 to 1988, Ellen worked as a research engineer at Sandia National Laboratories.
She successfully developed an optical system that recognized objects regardless of their position
using robotic engineering to guide a robot to or a around specific object. Ellen also worked at the
Intelligent Systems Technology Branch at ANASA/Ames Research Division where she led a research
group in optical processing.
Ellen set her sights on a higher goal and applied at NASA to become an astronaut. In 1990,
Ellen began training as an astronaut at the Johnson Space Center. On July 1991, she became the
world’s first Hispanic female astronaut. She has spent over 480 hours in space on two flights. Her
flight experiences include a nine-day mission aboard the Discovery to study the Earth’s ozone layer.
She dreams of working on the space station, which she considers to be an important step to furthering
our exploration of space.
Dr. Ochoa has received many awards including the Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award,
NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal (1997), and Outstanding Leadership Medal (1995). In addition to
these, in 1999, President Clinton selected Dr. Ochoa to serve on the Presidential Commission for the
Celebration of Women in American History.
Besides being an astronaut, researcher, engineer, classical flutist, wife, and mother, Dr. Ellen
Ochoa takes time to talk to students in schools encouraging them to study hard. She emphasizes the
need and importance of aiming high and not being afraid to succeed. She encourages students to
study math and science. Dr. Ochoa states that her hard work is what got her where she is today and
encourages others to take responsibility for their futures and work hard at whatever they do. She says
that, "Getting to be an astronaut is tough for anybody, not just Hispanics or women. I don't think my
background made it harder or easier. I think it's just a matter of working hard to have a very good
education."
© Character Ed Tools
Lesson #1
Responsibility
Responsibility In Action
Lesson #1 – Worksheet for Dr. Ellen Ochoa
1)
How important do you think Dr. Ellen Ochoa’s education was in helping
her become an astronaut?
2)
Dr. Ellen Ochoa feels education is an important element to achieving
goals. What responsibility do you have in getting a good education?
3)
When we do only enough to get by in school, who are we cheating?
4)
No one can learn for you. It’s your responsibility to learn. What can you
do today to improve your grades?
5)
Dr. Ochoa encourages students to aim high. Why is it important to set
high goals for yourself and then take the responsibility to achieve those
goals?
This worksheet may be duplicated for educational purposes only. For more information regarding RESPONSIBILITY or other Character Ed Tools
programs please go to www.characteredtools.com or contact: Character Ed Tools, 15709 Arrow Hwy., Suite #2, Irwindale, CA 91706. (626) 960-6922.
Character Ed Tools is a division of Camfel Productions, a non-profit company.
© Character Ed Tools