Character Education

• Committee for Children - Creators of the Second Step Program - here are some additional supports and resources for administrators with suggestions for successful rollout in your schools. Also, quite a few tips for teachers on refreshing their program and making the most of this program.
  
• PBIS Website - National Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
  
• Effective Behaviour Supports - Developed by the Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior at the University of Oregon, the Effective Behavior Support (EBS) is a schoolwide behavioral support program. EBS was designed to prevent disruptive behavior by all students, including those that exhibit chronic behavior problems.
  
• An article for background information - Effective behavior support: A systems approach to proactive schoolwide management Focus on Exceptional Children, Feb 1999, by Lewis, Timothy J, Sugai, George.
  
• Good Character - If you work with kids, and you need to implement character education tomorrow, and you want some immediate help, this is where to start. But if your character education program is cruising, and you just want some additional ideas and materials, this is also where to start. This content-rich website is loaded with free resources to help you do the job!
  
• Reclaiming Youth Network
  This Web site offers training opportunities, publications, research and advocacy to support children and youth in conflict. The underpinning of the Reclaiming Youth Network is the Circle of Courage philosophy, a model of youth empowerment based on a Native American approach toward life.
  
• Twenty-Five Activities for Building Student Character, School "Community" - Education World - In an already packed school day, finding time for character education can be a challenge. Most of these 25 activity ideas can be worked seamlessly into the school day to build student character and to develop a sense of community in your school.
  
• Giraffe Heroes Project - Giraffe Heroes are people who stick their necks out for the common good. The nonprofit Giraffe Heroes Project tells their stories on podiums, in materials for schools and in the media. Giraffe Heroes are models for the rest of us. Follow the link to read several stories of people taking risks to make a better world.
  
• Hero Central - (SPS Developed) This site was created to provide teachers with an online resource for studying the hero theme. Resources are divided by grade level but you may find something of interest in another section that may work in other grade levels when modified. You are encouraged to to browse other sections.
  
• Heroes for Humanity - Our mission is to empower people and to make a difference in our world. Our commitment is to deliver avenues for humanitarian outreach and to inspire leadership in the hearts of millions.
  
• Ten Wise Choices - Student handout from PROJECT WISDOM - A great additional to any classroom bulletin board or each choice could be highlighted in a monthly newsletter.
  
• Learning to Give - Discover more than 1,200 teacher-created, standards-based lessons and resources with connections to service-learning, character education and civic engagement.
  
• Free the Children - Children helping children!
  
• 11-year-old Annie Wignall, who created the Care Bags Foundation, an organization that distributes games, toothbrushes, books, and more to kids during difficult times?
  
• The Richest People In America - Rich because they GIVE!. The people on the list reflect the best about the joy of giving back to others by using their time, talents, and resources to make a difference in the world.
  
• Random Acts of Kindness - This site has so many valuable resources and ideas for inspiration! Free downloads of Bookmarks and Kindness Calendars, Pass It On cards, certificates and posters (see INSPIRATION). They also have endless teacher resources for various grade levels and topics. Kindness Week, Teacher's Guide, and a Video Bibliography are only the beginning of the resources you will find here.
  
• Tools and Resources - Character and Citizenship Education in Alberta Schools - School culture assessment tools, resources for parents, service learning and more.
• Thrive! The Canadian Centre for Positive Youth Development The Canadian Centre for Positive Youth Development aims to provide leadership, knowledge and resources to develop healthy, capable young people of strong character. This Web site includes information about and access to Lions-Quest programs.
• Teaching Citizenship’s Five Themes - Activities from the editors of Weekly Reader can help develop K-6 students' understanding of the five citizenship themes---honesty, compassion, respect, responsibility, and courage.

High School Resources (Specifically)

• Creating Character (University of Southern California): Visual History Lessons on Character Education - Creating Character contains a series of eight multi-media classroom lessons, each of which explores the importance of positive character development.(Ties Holocaust survivor stories to character education).These lessons are geared towards teachers who teach 8th to 12th grade. For specific information about these lessons and video clips, please view About the Lessons.
  
• High School Kindness (9 pages) - from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation.