Student Leadership – Students Spreading the Word …CC!+Week... · Student Leadership –...

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Celebrate Good Character! October 16-22, 2016

Student Leadership – Students Spreading the Word About CHARACTER COUNTS! Week

Congratulations on working with students to select a project for CC! Week. Student involvement, however, does not stop here. The goal is to have the adults oversee the ideas and the kids do the implementation. Below are suggestions designed to reach across several curriculum areas and grade levels. Be creative with your original ideas. Involve students in generating the ideas and in the actual outreach process.

ELEMENTARY (K-3):

• Make a commercial or skit. Invite parents to an Open House in your classroom to see their kids perform. Broadcast on morning school news. Kids write the skit or commercial, rehearse and practice, create the props, design and send out the invitations and, of course, perform.

• Visit a neighborhood hospital or senior center. Learn a few songs from our CDs or one of your own and sing for the patients and elders. Students find neighborhood centers to visit by researching online, then vote to choose where to go. Learn the songs, arrange practices, and perform.

• Organize a neighborhood walk. Deliver to neighborhood homes friendly notes or illustrations that students have drawn or written. Students pick a date and time, make a route, and deliver the notes and pictures to neighborhood homes or shut-ins. Kids practice skills in community organizing, map-reading, writing, and drawing.

UPPER ELEMENTARY (4-5):

• Decorate classroom doors. Participating classes each choose a Pillar of Character at random. Have students collaborate on decorating their classroom door to represent the selected Pillar. Use illustrations, photos, quotes, for example, to decorate. Students decide which materials to use and how to procure goods, interpret meaning of Pillar, collaborate in teams, and practice creativity.

• Write letters to the President. Mention what you are doing to make the world a better place. Don’t forget to tell him about your favorite Pillar of Character. Students write persuasive letters about their favorite Pillar, decorate or create stationery, and mail the letters. (See sample project based learning worksheet).

• Make a poster advertisement. Deliver it to a local business and ask them to place it in their storefront window. Students research where to post the art, contact the businesses, deliver the posters, and collect them at the end of the week.



MIDDLE SCHOOL (6-8):

• Have an essay contest. Write a persuasive essay about what the Six Pillars of Character mean to you, the student. Kids decide on topics, rules, prizes, and judging, then post their essays on your school website, library, or other public place.(See sample project based learning worksheet).

• Dress as your favorite Pillar of Character. See if others can guess which Pillar you represent. Students come up with their costumes and participate in a parade or assembly. Costumes can be judged by outside parties so that others learn more about CC!

• Visit a school board or city council meeting. Ask to have your students speak and share all about the Six Pillars of Character and what they mean to them. Students research the times and locations for the meetings and decide which one(s) to visit. They prepare the speech and adults may proofread their writing and critique their public-speaking skills.

• Make a public service announcement. Have students contribute ideas for a brief PSA. Assign groups of students various responsibilities: coordinate with local TV and radio stations for PSA release, script the PSA, film or record the PSA, and acquire equipment and materials. Students practice developing PSAs and coordinating with business and media entities for marketing.

HIGH SCHOOL:

• Vote for a King and Queen of Character. Then hold a dance to celebrate! Students organize this event by choosing a date, location, and rules for voting and crowning of the King and Queen.

• Campus clean-up. Students form a committee to organize the clean-up. Divide the campus into four areas and assign one to each grade level. Have students take photos of the areas “before,” “during,” and “after,” for a graph or chart. Choose someone to award a prize for the Most Improved Area. Students sharpen planning and organizational skills, and perform a fun and rewarding community service.

• Organize a pep rally. Students organize the rally by holding auditions for individuals or clubs. Create cheers to perform for your favorite Pillar of Character. Work with the administration to handle logistics. Invite city officials, parents, and other special guests to the rally.

• Appreciate local emergency service personnel. Record a video thank-you message for local police, firefighters, and paramedics in anticipation of CC! Week. Share all the ways that emergency service personnel serve the community and display the Six Pillars of Character. Students practice raising awareness, creating media production, and learning about available services for community.

• Submit a newspaper advertisement. Work with a local publication to produce a print advertisement for publication. Feature plans by local schools to celebrate the CC! Week. Students practice writing advertisements and garner real-world experience in advertising.



PBL and CC!: Blank Rubric

Project Based Learning Concepts Tasks CHARACTER COUNTS!

Alignment

Driving Question

Need to Know

Voice and Choice

Revision and Refelection

Public Audience

In-Depth Inquiry



PBL and CC!: Write to the President


Alignment

Driving QuestionWhat do you need to do to write a

letter to the President of the United States?

Citizenship; Respect

Need to KnowWill the President respond? Can I send letters to other

high-profile people?Decision-Making Skills;

Voice and Choice

Will the letters be written by individuals or by the whole class?

Will we write about the Six Pillars, or character in general? Will we send

pictures, as well?

Decision-Making Skills;Responsibilty;

Respect

Revision and Reflection

What tasks have been set to the students and how well are they staying on task? Are vocabulary

skills improving? How about general writing skills? Have they learned

letter-writing format?

Responsibility; Respect; Trustworthiness

Public Audience

The main audience will be the White House, but will there be a class

exhibition of the letters? Will they be displayed before or after a response?

Could the local library host the exhibition? What are the tasks

required to set that up?


In-Depth InquiryMake sure students are researching letter-writing protocol; vocabulary;

handwriting (or computer skills); and character traits.

Trustworthiness; Responsibility



PBL and CC!: Essay Contest


Alignment

Driving QuestionHow able are we to write a

persuasive essay about character in a group?


Need to KnowWhat will the topic be? What skills will be judged? How will they be judged? WIll there be awards?

Decision-Making Skills;

Voice and Choice

Will the essays be handwritten or typed? Can we include images?

What will the time frame for research into character be? Who will be

responsible for writing?

Decision-Making Skills;Responsibilty;

Respect

Revision and Reflection

What are the measuring tools, and how do we know how we are doing?

Is the work being completed on time? Are our group monitoring skills

improving our writing skills?

Responsibility; Respect; Trustworthiness

Public Audience

Who else will see the essays? Will they be judged online? By a

panel? By ourselves? Will they be displayed? Will they be put in a

book?


In-Depth Inquiry

Make sure the parameters for re-search and writing skills are set and

monitored. How are the groups work-ing? What are they learning about

themselves? Their work?

Trustworthiness; Responsibility

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