5 Ways to Incorporate Character Education in the Elementary Classroom
Character education is a process that encourages all individuals in a learning community to reflect and act upon core character values such as respect, empathy, kindness, courage, etc. Character education is a vital part of any well-rounded curriculum. No matter what role you hold in a learning community, you are a character educator. There are plenty of creative ways to incorporate character education in your classroom. Below I will share five ways I integrate character education in my own class.
- Define Character Education: Ask students what good character means to them. Let them brainstorm all of the ways people show good character. Be sure to define the term first so they understand what it means and then model plenty of specific examples. Incorporate these ideas into a large display, such as a Wordle. These beautiful word clouds look great in any classroom and can serve as a daily reminder of all of the ways we can all show good character.
- Create a Character Education Display: In addition to a definition display, another great idea to incorporate character education in your classroom is by having a set of colorful character education posters. This set in my shop provides great examples for students on topics such as fairness, empathy, courage, compassion, and more. Having a visual example of good character provides another daily reminder for students and staff about how we should treat each other.
- Integrate Read-Alouds: All good read-alouds include themes that align with character education. My novel resource for Lila and the Crow by Gabrielle Grimard incorporates character education with the traits of compassion and courage. Students will love the story of Lila and her magical encounter with a crow that shows us all to embrace our uniqueness. Other excellent examples for character education read-alouds are Thunder Boy, Jr. by Sherman Alexie and Yuyi Morales, Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o, and Sparkle Boy by Leslea Newman. Any of these units would be helpful additions to incorporate character education into your classroom.
- Character Writing: Asking students to write their feelings and experiences with character traits is a good way to incorporate character education into your classroom. My resource for Lila and the Crow by Gabrielle Grimard includes two sets of writing paper (courage and compassion) for students to share their ideas. Their completed writings would also make for an excellent bulletin board display!
5. Theme Months Choose a different character trait to focus on each month. The themes can range from character traits such as kindness, friendship, honesty, loyalty, and more. Pick specific read-alouds and activities that will align with that character trait. Incorporate your students’ work into themed bulletin boards and classroom décor for the occasion. You can even include art projects, snacks, and activities that teach students about the theme of the month. Get your learning community involved, too, by encouraging them to celebrate with you!
How do you incorporate character education into your own classroom? Comment below with your own ideas or follow me on social media to join in on the discussion!