Resources
for Developing Caring Schools
Beyond Rhetoric and Rainbows
This educational tool can
help you explore and celebrate what is truly valuable and effective
in education. As you read, reflect on ways to apply the concepts,
insights, and strategies. We hope that you will discover new
ideas and rediscover how your role as a change agent can bring
inspiration, genuine caring, and new levels of performance into
the classroom.
Sample Activity from Beyond
Rhetoric and Rainbows - Old
Wisdom: New Learning
To order Beyond Rhetoric and Rainbows, go to www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/SchoolsOnline/rainbows.html
Leadership Development Through Community Action
 The service learning curriculum, Leadership Development
Through Community Action, is a multi-faceted resource
for teachers to help youth learn life and academic skills through
group activities and community-based experiences. Targeting middle
school youth, it is based on a model that begins with understanding
self and their group before moving on to explore their community
and issues of concern. They then select an issue they want to
address and plan a project(s) to impact the issue. After evaluating
their "results" and "process", they decide
on future individual or group action. The seven-module curriculum
includes thirty lessons, each about one class period length,
which have multiple experiential activities, ideas for reflection,
handouts, visual masters and Illinois Learning Standards identified.
Each module also gives ideas for student portfolios or basis
for evaluation by the teacher. The complete curricula (Publication
#CLV99-1) includes a teacher guide with all lessons and teaching
background and a notebook of visual and handout masters. Additional
teacher guides may be purchased separately.
Sample from Leadership Development Through Community Action –
Lego Model
To order this curriculum, go to the Publications Plus website.
Polite Is Right
Polite Is Right is designed to teach
children social skills and encourage the use of considerate behavior.
The program focuses the attention of youth on social rules and
customs, helps children understand why rules are important, and
helps children develop skills and behaviors consistent with these
social rules and customs. The lesson titles are: Rules Help Us,
Respect, Sportsmanship, Mealtime Manners, Put Your Best Foot Forward,
and Electronic Etiquette. Illinois Learning Standards are identified
for each lesson. Support pieces include family pages and ideas
to catch students being polite. Designed for elementary school
children, the program is more successful when the whole school
participates.
Sample from Polite is Right - Compliments
Count
To order Polite Is Right, go to the Publications Plus website.
TeRRiFiCC Teachable Moments
TeRRiFiCC Teachable Moments is a character
development resource for educators and caregivers of children
from pre-kindergarten to second grade (Level I) and third to
sixth grade (Level II). Each booklet is a set of 75 activities
with short (about 10-minute) hands-on, minds-on activities
or mini-lessons meant to reinforce and encourage children to
make positive character choices. Illinois Learning Standards
are identified for each lesson. The activities are categorized
using the Six Pillars of Character—Trustworthiness,
Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship—identified
by the Josephson Institute of Ethics and used in CHARACTER COUNTS!
programming. Each activity presents the behaviors, objectives,
materials, and procedure for completing the activity. Additional
helpful hints are also included for many activities. Available
as a stand-up “flip-book” or searchable CD.
Sample from Terrific Teachable Moments: PreK-2 grade - Magnets
Draw Others
Sample from Terrificc Teachable Moments: 3-6
grades - Working
to Stay Honest
To order Terrific Teachable Moments,
go to the Publications Plus website.
Walk in My Shoes
Walk in My Shoes is a 4-H project that
reaches across generations and teaches young people about
growing older and the physical changes that occur with age.
A 59-page member manual enables individual youth working with
an older helper to distinguish between the realities of aging
and the stereotypes or myths that exist about older adults.
Youth learn to develop an awareness of the impact of physical
and sensory changes on the lives of older people through "hands on" activities.
Young and old are able to share, learn and understand
one another. A 67-page Leader's Guide provides assistance
to volunteers or teachers who are assisting a group with
the project. In addition to background information on
aging, life skills, developmental issues for 9-14 year
olds and teaching experientially; the Guide includes
24 activity plans for which Illinois Learning Standards
have been identified.
Sample from Walk in My Shoes -- Butterfingers
To order both the youth and leader's guide of Walk in
My Shoes, go to the Publications Plus website.
Additional Resources [Downloadable PDF Files]:
100
Ways to Promote Character Education – A list
of ideas for schools.
Ideas
for Elementary Schools to Help Students Become People of Good
Character – Ideas specifically for elementary
schools and not found in the “100 Ways . . .”
Ideas
for High Schools to Help Students Become People of Good Character
– Ideas specifically for elementary schools and not found
in the “100 Ways . . .”
Ideas
for Schools to Help Students Become People of Good Character
– Ideas for schools to promote character education, not
found in the “100 Ways . . .”
Stages
of Moral Reasoning – Fact sheet that helps
us understand if a specific age child is capable of certain types
of moral reasoning.
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