Activity 1: (10 minutes) WHAT IS CHARACTER?

Review the Pyramid of Happiness poster. Review the fourth and fifth level of the pyramid and perform that action (strike a superhero pose and star-jump with arms and legs spread out wide). Make the connection of how having the trait of good character leads to a happier and healthier life. This makes us the best version of ourselves! Remind students about the actions associated with each level of the pyramid.

Read, Most People, by Michael Leannah, or watch the read-aloud video by The Alphabet Book Corner.

Have a discussion:

• Character describes the qualities people possess that they are consistent in showing over time.
• Character can consist of behaviors such as honesty, kindness, integrity, helpfulness, and being a hard worker.
• There are many other good character qualities.
• Honesty is the quality of telling the truth.
• Integrity is the quality of doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.
• Honesty and integrity, kindness, helpfulness, and being a hard worker are important qualities of someone with good character.
• What other character traits did you hear in the story?

Activity 2: (20 minutes) SMALL ACTIONS LEAD TO BIG OUTCOMES

Read I Walk With Vanessa, by Kerascoet, or watch the read-aloud video by Read Right Now. This wordless book shows how the smallest of actions can lead to big outcomes. On each page, invite the children to tell you what they are seeing on the page. Encourage them to note small details such as the expressions on the children’s faces. Have a discussion:

• What is happening in this story?
• Who showed good character by helping Vanessa?
• What did she do to help Vanessa?
• How do you think this made Vanessa feel?
• How did this little act of kindness turn into something very big?

Ask a child if they can lift a book by blowing on it. Can they lift it with a zippered sandwich bag or a straw? Demonstrate that big things can happen by small efforts by placing a straw inside a zippered sandwich bag. Tape the zippered edge shut and place it on the edge of the table so that the straw is hanging over the edge. Lay a large book on top of the bag and invite a student to come and blow into the straw. Allow the children to each build their own and experiment with different objects around the room. How much weight can they put on the bag and still lift it? What happens when you try to lift a ball? What happens when you try to lift your friend?

Note that this experiment shows how when we work together and make small efforts, big things can happen. When we use our good character traits to help others, it can lead to great things.

Encourage the children to think of ways they can be their super-star selves by making a difference, and have each one stand up and vocalize, “I can make a difference by ___________.”

Activity 3: (10 minutes) HELPERS All AROUND US

People who have good character are helpers. There are helpers all around us. Have a discussion of all the different kinds of helpers that the children interact with every day, such as bus drivers, crossing guards, cafeteria workers, police officers, firefighters, doctors, nurses, janitors, etc. All of these people have character traits that help them do their job and help others around them. Invite the children to help you create a list of all the helpers they see every day, and the character trait that they exemplify.

Activity 4: (10 minutes) GOOD CHARACTER

Use the Good Character Cards to discuss the image on the card and how it demonstrates the characteristic named.

Show students the Character Badges and tell them that throughout the day and/or week, you will be awarding these badges to students you see making good choices and showing good character. They will be able to collect more than one if they demonstrate that quality. Other teachers can also share with you when they see good character in students. Name a few examples of what students might do to receive a badge.

Character Badges:

• Hard Work
• Helping Others
• Honesty
• Kind Words
• Cheerful Attitude
• Sharing

Activity 5: (15 minutes) HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Read, Just Help, by Sonia Sotomayor or watch the read-aloud video by Book Readings with Mrs. Bernard. Ask the children to look for instances of when people helped one another in the book. Help the children to see all the different helpers, and how they each used positive character traits to help others. Helping others shows character. Ask the children “How did you help today?” or to share stories of times when they helped someone else. Pose the following scenarios for the children to contemplate how they can help.

What could you do?

• You find trash on the playground. Do you pick it up, or leave it for someone else?
• You find another child on the playground who is crying. Do you stop and comfort them, or do you walk away?
• Your grownup is carrying heavy sacks of groceries. Do you offer to carry a bag, or do you watch your grownup do all the work?
• Someone spills the bin of markers. Do you stop and help clean it up, or walk away because it wasn’t you that spilled it?
• You hear someone say something mean to someone else. Do you stick up for your friend, or pretend you didn’t hear it?
• You broke your brother’s favorite toy. Do you admit that you did it and try to fix it, or pretend that someone else broke it?
• You find a coat at the library that is not yours. Do you take it to the lost and found or do you leave it there, because someone else will find it?
• Your teacher calls for the class to clean up. Do you start to clean up right away, or do you keep playing because you’re not ready to clean up yet?

Have each child draw a picture and dictate a story about something they have done to be a helper!