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Ready-to-use Character Education and SEL (Social Emotional Learning) Lesson Plans

Based on popular read aloud books, each lesson focuses on a character building trait and includes discussion questions, writing assignments, and student activities for building life skills such as diversity, trustworthiness, self-esteem, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and good citizenship.

Teaching Not Judging with The Hungry Coat
Lesson Objective: To understand that you cannot tell what type of person someone is just by looking at what they are wearing.

Teaching Not Judging with Big Al
Lesson Objective: To understand that you cannot tell what type of person someone is just by looking at them.

Teaching Determination: The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
Lesson Objective: To understand what determination is and what to do when you feel determined to do something.

Teaching Determination with Flight School
Lesson Objective: To understand what determination is and how to identify it.

Teaching Kindness: Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed
Lesson Objective: To discuss different ways to show kindness and understand the impact of random acts of kindness.

Teaching Kindness with The Invisible Boy
Lesson Objective: To discuss different ways to show kindness and understand the importance of showing kindness.

Teaching Honesty with A Day’s Work
Lesson Objective: To understand why honesty is important and how other people respect honesty.

Teaching Honesty with The Wolf Who Cried Boy
Lesson Objective: To understand what honesty is and why it is important. Teaching Honesty with The Wolf Who Cried Boy.

Teaching Individuality with The Big Orange Splot
Lesson Objective: To understand what individuality is and how to express their own.

Teaching Gratitude with All the World
Lesson Objective: To understand what gratitude is and identify things for which they are grateful 

Teaching Generosity: The Quiltmaker’s Gift
Lesson Objective: To understand what generosity is and the benefits of being generous

Teaching Courage: The Dandelion Seed
Lesson Objective: To understand what courage is and identify ways to be courageous

Teaching Courage: Brave Charlotte and the Wolves
Lesson Objective: To understand what courage is and how to demonstrate it

Teaching Diversity with Smoky Night
Lesson Objective: To understand that people may look different and come from different backgrounds, but that everyone can live, work and learn together

Teach About Sharing with The Mine-O-Saur
Lesson Objective:  To understand why sharing is important and how much fun it can be

Teaching Self-esteem: Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon 
Lesson Objective:  To understand what self-esteem is and identify what each student is good at

Teaching Empathy with Stand in My Shoes
Lesson Objective: To understand what empathy is and identify ways to demonstrate empathy to others in a variety of different situations

Teaching Creativity with Elephants Can Paint Too! 
Lesson Objective: To understand what creativity is and how to express it

Teaching Self-esteem With Zero
Lesson Objective: To understand what self-esteem is and identify positive qualities about themselves as well as activities that provide positive feelings

Teaching Diversity: All the Colors of the Earth
Lesson Objective: To understand and appreciate that people look different, but that everyone can work and learn together

Elmer the Elephant - Accepting Differences
Lesson Objective: To identify external and internal traits and recognize how differences make each person unique and special

Teaching Compassion with Angelo
Lesson Objective: To identify ways to show compassion to others

Teaching Compassion with How to Heal a Broken Wing - 
Lesson Objective: To understand what compassion is and identify ways to show compassion

Learning About Anxiety: Wilma Jean the Worry Machine
Lesson Objective: To identify worries and how to deal with them

Written by Kimberly Greacen, Education World® Contributing Writer

Kimberly is an educator with extensive experience in curriculum writing and developing instructional materials to align with Common Core State Standards and Bloom's Taxonomy.

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