Character Education Links

Articles and Research
Book and Video-Based Curriculum
Books
Character Education Organizations
Collections of Links
Service Ideas
Web-Based Lessons/Activities/Quotes/Stories/Music
Handling Disruptive Behaviors
Parenting
Blogs
Other Helpful Sites

Articles and Research

1. The Center for the Fourth and Fifth Rs http://www.cortland.edu/character/default.asp  This center is directed by Dr. Thomas Lickona, a recognized leader and author in character education. Great set of articles! 
2. Good Character http://www.goodcharacter.com/Articles.html - articles on classroom discussion techniques.
3. Eric Digest http://www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/ed424190.html On using hero stories for character education. Documented.  
4. Educational Resources Web Page by Midge Frazel http://midgefrazel.net/character.html Good series of articles. Documented. 
5. ERIC Resources on Character Education  http://www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/ed444932.html
6. A to Z Teacher Stuff Network  http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/themes/charactereducation.shtml Articles on conflict resolution and incorporating character education into the curriculum. 
7. Articles on teens who triumphed over trouble, what’s working in one school system, etc. http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr114.shtml
8. Great site of useful biographies that illustrations could be made from.  http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/pagegen/mainmenu.html
9. Another site of biographies, including current biography: http://www.rolemodel.net  
10.Giraffes  http://www.giraffe.org/heroes_2.html Ordinary people who are heroes.
11. Attributes of a well-educated person http://www.usoe.k12.ut.us/curr/lifeskills/#lifelong
12. Some good online articles  http://www.uensd.org/USOE_Pages/Char_ed/resc/more.html
13. http://education.csufresno.edu/bonnercenter/about.html documented article. Looks good.
14.  http://www.cortland.edu/character/default.asp Articles by New York University.
15. Character Plus Process http://info.csd.org/staffdev/chared/Process/process.html 10 essential parts of a healthy character education program. Includes links to their specific characteristics.
16. National Center for Youth Issues http://www.cyi-stars.org/inforesources.htm
17.  California Department of Education  http://www.cde.ca.gov/character/reviews.html - Lists 13 sets of curriculum that meet the standards of the California Department of Education. Also, check out their evaluation criteria at http://www.cde.ca.gov/character/criteria.html .
18. Eleven principles of effective character education. (See appendix). http://www.state.nj.us/njded/chared/report.pdf Found here: http://www.state.nj.us/njded/chared
19. Looks like some great articles! http://tigger.uic.edu/~lnucci/MoralEd
20. Twenty Seven full research articles by Clete Bulach at West Georgia College http://www.westga.edu/~sclimate/ftext.htm 
21. University of Illinois http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/SchoolsOnline/charactered.html Contains about 20 lessons, no illustrations, for various character traits. Excerpted from their book. Tell about what have learned in Chicago. Offer classes, seminars. From University of Illinois.
22. Tips on raising children of character http://www.bu.edu/education/caec/files/10tips.htm
23. North Carolina Public Schools http://www.ncpublicschools.org/nccep/cumberland some brief ideas from two of their school systems. Some advice on literature for assigned reading at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/nccep/wake_county/page1.html I like their ideas on integrating character ed into various subjects, such as Science. Check these out at  http://www.ncpublicschools.org/nccep/lp/subjects.html#science
24. Center for Advancement of Character and Ethics at Boston University – check out their Internalizing Virtue Framework as a guide to see if your lesson is really making its point  http://www.bu.edu/education/caec/files/IVframework.htm They have one example lesson online http://www.bu.edu/education/caec/files/highschoollesson.htm
25. On teaching social skills. http://home.att.net/%7Eclnetwork/socialsk.htm
26. http://www.kamalii.k12.hi.us/Character/character_education.htm Interesting ideas from school in Hawaii, yet most I saw were only elementary level.
27. THIS SITE ROCKS! http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/pagegen/mainmenu.html Interviews, short biographies of great people of our time. Great for the raw material from which to craft stories. 
28. Helpful to see what character traits are adopted by one elementary school. http://polk.ga.net/Westside/Charactered.html
29. Suggestions and ideas: http://caracas.soehd.csufresno.edu/bonnercenter/PromisingPractices/CHARACTER2.HTM
30. 24 articles on character http://www.scu.edu/ethics/articles/articles.cfm?fam=EDUC , also links, related themes, etc. Markulla Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University.
31. Ethics Resource Center. http://www.ethics.org/character/statistics.html Articles, books and links, but most useful part is section of studies on character education. 
32. The 27 required character traits for Georgia. http://www.glc.k12.ga.us/pandp/chared/implmnt.htm
33. Fifty-five audio tapes from the latest Missouri conference put on by Character Plus. . Listen to them free of charge on your computer. Valuable resource! http://204.184.19.55/cpa/ 
34. The Search Institute. A great archive of research and practical articles on their "Forty Developmental Assets" http://www.search-institute.org 
35. Heartland. Links to a good number of full length journal articles. http://www.aea11.k12.ia.us/Schrader/character.html 
36. Changing Minds. The largest free, full-content site I've found on how we change what others think, feel, believe and do. http://www.changingminds.org 

Book and Video-Based Curriculum

1. Choice Skills - http://www.choiceskills.com/7c.asp  They sell a book called The Seven C's of Thinking Clearly, in two versions, one for grades 2-6 (164 pp.) and the other for grades 5-9 (173 pp.) The Seven C's are Criticism, Creativity, Communication, Concentration, Curiosity, Correction, Control. Underneath these broad categories, twenty-four specific virtues are discussed. Inspired in part by the writings of Benjamin Franklin.  
2. Good Character -  www.goodcharacter.com - Multi-cultural, entertaining, research-based videos that can supplement and enhance a character education or life skills curriculum. Each video includes a teacher's guide.
3. Character Development Group http://www.charactereducation.com/resources.htm#teacherresources812
A variety of resources offered by character education guru Dr. Philip Fitch Vincent. 
4. Project Wisdom. http://www.projectwisdom.com/materials/fill_info_register.asp  Buy a notebook of One minute messages for intercom or school-wide TV.  Free Samples. 
5. California Department of Education  http://www.cde.ca.gov/character/reviews.html - Lists 13 sets of curriculum that meet the standards of the California Department of Education. Also, check out their evaluation criteria at http://www.cde.ca.gov/character/criteria.html .
6. Foxglove Music Press http://www.foxglovemusicpress.com/seanotes.html publishes a book/CD set "Character Education...With Music" aimed at Pre-K through 2nd grade level.
7. Accent on Success http://www.accentonsuccess.com/ publishes the book, Goal Setting For Students, targeting fifth grade and up, which teaches students how to set and achieve goals. Teacher's resource also available. 
8. Aegis - www.aegis-character.com - printed curriculum for k-8, focusing on elementary grades.
9. Wise Skills - www.wiseskills.com - printed curriculum for k-8, including character stories as well as activities, etc. 
10. Three Teacher Press - http://mysite.verizon.net/reso4qht/index.html - Their book, "Character Keys To A Bright Future," contains character stories, discussion questions and activities targeting 8th and 9th graders (but suitable for older and younger). See also their sister sites: Teen Discoveries - http://mysite.verizon.net/reso4qht/teendiscoveries/ - and http://mysite.verizon.net/reso4qht/teenmuse/ .
11. National Professional Resources, Inc. -  www.nprinc.com: Character Education, Staff Development and Teacher Training Resources.
12. Fiszer Concepts - http://www.fiszerconcepts.com/index.html - Dr. Fiszer is an elementary school principal and university professor who uses short, inspirational messages over the intercom. His book, Daily Positives, contains over 150 brief stories that can be used effectively by parents and teachers.  See also his award-winning book, Goal Setting For Students, at http://www.accentonsuccess.com/ .
13. Kreative Thinkers - www.kreative-thinkers.com - produces character trait lessons for school districts, educators and parents that test students for comprehension.

Recommended Books

1. California Department of Education http://www.cde.ca.gov/character/biblio.html lists 38 books on character education and moral development. The first listing gives a one sentence introduction to each. Scroll down to see more in depth descriptions/evaluations of each book.
2. http://www.charactereducation.com/resources.htm#teacherresources812 Several of these books look helpful, particularly the one on what they've learned in the Chattanooga school systems.
3. Short bibliography. http://education.csufresno.edu/bonnercenter/bonner/PAGE6.HTM
4. Center for the 4th and 5th Rs http://www.cortland.edu/character/default.asp
5.  Character Clearinghouse - http://www.collegevalues.org/resources.cfm Good list of books, extensive, but not annotated. Most extensive set of annotated links I’ve seen.
6. Good annotated list of books on character development. http://tigger.uic.edu/~lnucci/MoralEd/books.html
7. Author Stephanie Heuer asked students to complete two sentences: "I feel like nobody when..." and "I feel like somebody when...." Her book reveals their responses.  http://www.somebodybook.com/author.html 
8. Life as a Leaf: Growing Integrity in Children - "a simple, effective program for helping children realize
their connection to others in the larger world at a very early age."  http://www.lifeasaleaf.com 

Character Education Organizations

1. Teach One to Lead One - http://www.teachonetoleadone.org/index.htm - Developing character and leadership through teaching universal principles, presented by trained mentors. 
2. The Character Counts! Coalition - www.charactercounts.org - Advancing the "Six Pillars of Character": trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.
3. The Peace Rug - http://www.peacerug.com/ - A research-based, proven way to conflict resolution in schools.
4. Character Development Group - http://www.charactereducation.com/ Offers lots of resources from many organizations. Ask for their free catalog. Based in North Carolina. 
5. National Center for Youth Issues - www.ncyi.org - Based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, this organizations offers many resources from many organizations through their catalog. 
6. Values Education for Australian Schooling - See especially their "Good Practice Schools" section, where they're studying schools to discover the best practices for teaching character education.  http://www.valueseducation.edu.au/values/values_homepage,8655.html 
7. Charles E. Frame, Sr., Foundation - http://www.framefoundation.org - Students receive exposure to several foreign languages, trips to various countries, etiquette classes to carry them through their lives, and a mentor to help mold them for their future.

Collections of Links

1. California Department of Education http://www.cde.ca.gov/character/resources.html - Helpful list of 15 character education sites. 
2. The Center for the Fourth and Fifth Rs http://www.cortland.edu/character/default.asp This center is directed by Dr. Thomas Lickona, a recognized leader and author in character education. Great set of annotated links! 
3. Good Character  http://www.goodcharacter.com/TeacherResources.html Good collection of 24 sites on character
4. Educational Resources Web Page by Midge Frazel I like her collection of resource links, articles, etc. Updated recently. 
5. http://www.uen.org/utahlink/activities/view_activity.cgi?activity_id=5399 A good set of links, including links to curriculum, to explore.
6. Texas Youth Commission - Links to some good sites and online articles on preventing drug abuse, etc. http://austin.tyc.state.tx.us/cfinternet/prevention/search.cfm 
7. Good set of annotated links: http://education.csufresno.edu/bonnercenter/ce_links.html
8. Center for the 4th and 5th Rs Recommended books, links, resources http://www.cortland.edu/character/default.asp
9. Good set of links: http://www.cde.ca.gov/character/resources.html
10. Markulla Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University  http://www.scu.edu/ethics/articles/articles.cfm?fam=EDUC  
11. Character Clearinghouse - http://www.collegevalues.org/resources.cfm Most extensive set of annotated links I’ve seen.
12. Good list of links from Kennesaw State University - http://webtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek3/chared.htm
13. New Jersey Professional Education Port http://www.njpep.org/Educators/content/ContentResources/character_education/Lesson_plans.htm
Good annotated list of sites to look for lessons.
14. Links from North Dakota - http://www.dpi.state.nd.us/characed/resource.shtm

Service Ideas

1. http://www.goodcharacter.com/SERVICE/primer-10.html FREE! Specific ideas for service ideas. The first half of the page is for grades K-5, the second half for grades 6-12.
2. http://www.actsofkindness.org/inspiration/media_docs.php FREE! Download your choice of scores of articles on how organize acts of kindness in general and how to pull off some specific acts of kindness. Divided by age group.
3. http://www.servantevangelism.com/matrix/matrix.htm FREE! 500+ specific projects, with click-throughs on each button heading to give more detail. From a church whose forte is acts of kindness.
4. http://www.actsofkindness.org/class/ FREE lesson plans on Acts of Kindness.
5. http://www.actsofkindness.org/board/viewforum.php?f=1 FREE discussion board where people exchange ideas for acts of kindness.
6. http://www.goodcharacter.com/SERVICE/primer-1.html FREE! Step by step on how to plan and implement acts of kindness for greatest effectiveness. Includes a project planning sheet.

Web-Based Lessons, Activities, Quotes, Stories, Music

1. Good Character -  www.goodcharacter.com - Their video discussion guides are available free of charge online. Although some questions and activities assume the use of the video, others could be used in a discussion. Resources for K-12.
2. Some lesson plans and activities online http://www.uen.org/utahlink/activities/view_activity.cgi?activity_id=5399#lesson
3. http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/SchoolsOnline/charactered.html Contains about 20 lessons, no illustrations, for various character traits. Excerpted from their book. Tell about what have learned in Chicago. Offer classes, seminars. From University of Illinois.
4. Character Counts http://www.charactercounts.org/guides.htm offers database of quotes - one liners, not stories. Also offer a small amount of ideas/activities for character education. 
5. Joy in Learning http://www.joyinlearning.com/game.html Two example games. 
6. One example lesson. http://info.csd.org/staffdev/chared/Connections/high/high.html
7. THIS SITE ROCKS! http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/pagegen/mainmenu.html Interviews, short biographies of great people of our time. Great for the raw material from which to craft stories. 
8. Offers online materials http://ddonline.tomsnyder.com/howto.htm – contemporary headlines with questions and answers of moral significance. One year subscription cost is $59.95 for one user, $199.95 for 5 users, etc. Get 30 days free to see how it works.  
9. Honesty lesson plan - http://askeric.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Language_Arts/Literature/Childrens_Literature/CHL0213.html
10. "I-Care" http://www.uensd.org/USOE_Pages/Char_ed/char_ed_old/pubs/icare/main_pg.html Activities on five different character traits.  
11. Character Plus http://info.csd.org/staffdev/chared/internet.html  Weaves character throughout their curriculum. 87 schools in Missouri use it. Four free lessons. 
12. L.P. Junior’s School District. Some online lessons. http://legalpadjr.com/school/lessons/character
13. Center for Character Development. http://www.collegevalues.org/resources.cfm – Some games and activities, plus a helpful list of Bible verses pertaining to various character traits for faith based schools. 
14. Online materials for k-6^th grade. http://www.lifeskills4kids.com/lessons2.html
15. Bob King's songs for children that reinforce character education. http://www.thenewpaths.com/default.asp?id=21 
16. Civics in Action http://www.civicsinaction.org/ gives civics lessons that reflect on character from current events.
17. Kind Acts Foundation. http://www.kindacts.org/index.cfm Offers a free way to reward acts of kindness.
18. Character Kids www.character-kids.com Great songs and poems to promote character education for children
5-11 years.
19. Award-Winning Play on teen suicide: http://www.aaronlevy.net/Welcome.html .
20. "Big Philosophy for Little Kids: A Reading and Writing Adventure Through Time." Curricula for nurturing emotional fluency and moral sagacity, by a fifth-grade teacher who specializes in affective education. http://web.mac.com/maestromarrero/iWeb/Site/Big%20Philosophy%3A%20Intro.html 
21. Business Quotes http://www.woopidoo.com/business_quotes 
22. Explore Facing History and Ourselves has a new interactive website, “Be the Change: Upstanders for Human Rights” (http://www.facinghistory.org/BeTheChange). The website profiles the stories of five extraordinary men and women who have made a positive difference in the world. Designed for teenagers, and created with the help of student interviewers, “Be the Change” looks at the influences, inspirations and motivations that led the five upstanders to take action on behalf of others. By taking the journey through the website, students connect with a growing global network of their peers who care about creating a more just world.
23. Teach Virtues, Integrity and Moral Character with Dilly Bears - http://www.quantumluxuries.com/dillybears.html - "Dilly" stands for "diligence." Everything from baby gear to advice on family finance. 
24. I found some neat, free outdoor games that could be connected to character traits through this site - http://www.picnicrecipesandgames.com .

Handling Disruptive Behaviors

1. http://www.disciplinehelp.com/ - Discipline Help - Online resource for handling over 100 misbehaviors in class or at home. 

Parenting

1. http://www.savingchildhood.org/ - A helpful forum for discussing issues related to providing a less stressful childhood for our children.
2. http://www.schwablearning.org/index.asp - Great articles for parents helping kids with learning disabilities.
3. http://www.teachingmoments.com/Index.html - Parents helping parents raise happy, caring and responsible children, through sending a free, bi-monthly e-mail about life-skills ideas, tips and suggestions.  

Blogs

1. http://valuesblog.blogspot.com - Character Education and Values Blog. Steve Miller, the primary writer for Legacy Educational Resources, writes this blog. 

Other Helpful Sites and Link Exchanges

Drugs and Alcohol

 

1. The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign. Resources for parents, educators and faith leaders from the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign and The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. See the entire site. Great stuff!

Learning Disabilities

1. http://www.schoolbehavior.com/ - Written in lay language, this site is a great starting point for teachers and parents trying to help students with disabilities. The many helpful articles help us to identify disabilities and find practical ideas to make learning easier. 
2. The National Resource Center on AD/HD ( www.help4adhd.org ). Provides an online library open to Operated by CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They also have a 1-800 number to call for advice by phone. The articles I've read are clear, to the point and based on research into what works.
3. http://www.schwablearning.org/index.asp - Great articles for parents helping kids with learning disabilities.
4. http://www.sandralreading.com/index.html - The Sandral Reading site provides resources to help toddlers, elementary and middle school kids learn the fundamentals of reading and test preparation. For all students, not just those with disabilities.

Persuasion

http://www.changingminds.org - Changing Minds. The largest free, full-content site I've found on how we change what others think, feel, believe and do. Anyone teaching character must understand persuasion. We're not just helping students memorize content, but persuading them to adopt new forms of behavior. Valuable site. 

 

Critical Thinking

1. http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/detective/index.html "The Internet Detective" helps students distinguish good sources from bad sources when researching on the Web. I love the way the site is set up and designed! Makes for a fun, informative read. Whether you're teaching critical thinking or assigning a research project, have your students read this site in preparation. 

Faith-Based Character Education

1. www.youth-ministry.info contains over 1000 pages of lesson plans, geared to teen, from a protestant Christian perspective. Most of the lessons involve character. Also, they house an illustration database of over 3500 speakers and writers illustrations. Great for local church youth ministers and pastors who want to communicate with the younger generation.
2. http://www.epicworld.net contains ideas for character education in the home, particularly for dinner conversations revolving around stories. 
3. www.cpyu.org , the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, keeps a sharp eye out on what we can learn about today's youth from both research and the media. The better we know them, the better we can help them.  

1. www.charactertesting.com Offers an online method for character verification & guidance. Discover your  your character strengths and weaknesses and get suggestions for strengthening your areas of weakness.

Sponsor a Child

1. http://www.worldvision.org/ - Sponsor a child through World Vision.  Their child sponsorship programs help alleviate world poverty, fight natural disasters and protect children.

Dating

1. http://www.theromantic.com/books.htm Some highly acclaimed books about creative dating and adding romance to relationships. Helpful supplemental ideas for teaching Dating, Marriage and Family classes.

Interviewing Techniques and Assessment in the Workplace

http://www.rogersgroup.com.au - The Rogers Group offers a wide range of assessment programs for the interviewing needs of companies.

Online Courses

http://www.teachmeit.com/ A comprehensive repository of online training for computer fundamentals, online IT training, online computer training, java, web designs, certifications, online courses and many more.

Online Diplomas and Degrees

1. http://www.online-degrees-search.com Online Degrees Search offers you the capability to search for online
college degrees in your specific area of interest.

2.  http://www.earnmbadegree.com - Online MBA Degree - Request free information from wide range of MBA universities and Colleges.

3. http://www.onlinebestcolleges.com - Online Colleges - a great source to find the best online colleges and universities to earn your degree.

4. http://www.foresttrailacademy.com/counselors.html - Distance Education - Forest Trail Academy - Online school guidance counselors are available each day to talk with individual students regarding online high school education, online high school credit, keystone online high school.

Coaching (Personal Professional Trainers)

http://www.tdwi.org/ - The Data Warehousing Institute™ - Founded in 1995, it provides education, training, certification, business intelligence, data warehousing,. news, and research for executives and information technology (IT) professionals worldwide. 

 
Finding Local Classes

1. http://www.trainingblock.com/ Find local classes, workshops, seminars or clubs. (Presently only in Georgia, but going nationwide!)

Preschool Materials

http://www.smartneurons.com/index.asp - Kids Educational Software offers products to help preschoolers with critical thinking, imagination, and leadership.

Unusual Sports Equipment and Toys for Outdoor Activities

http://www.funattic.com/ - Unique stuff for creative outdoor games.

Assemblies and Special Events

http://www.atrickybusiness.com/ - Winner of Atlanta's Magician of the Year award does assemblies that promote character.

Home Schooling

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/ - A to Z Homes' Cool Home Schooling Web Site. Great first stop to find resources to either home school your children or supplement a public or private school education. 

http://homeschool.priswell.com - Pontiac High School -  Practical information on helping others to get started homeschooling. How our hobbies became an education.

Researching Articles

http://www.accessmylibrary.com/comsite5/bin/comsite5.pl - I'm finding many great free articles on this site. It claims to help you access Web resources through your local library, without having to use your library card. Fast and efficient.

Colleges and Higher Education

http://www.sbcfenton.com - Sanford-Brown College Fenton , Missouri Founded in 1866, Sanford-Brown College in Fenton , Missouri is a private, career-oriented college offering focused, quality bachelor’s, specialized associate, diploma and certificate programs in the information technology, business and healthcare fields.  

http://www.thebristollanguagecentre.co.uk/ - English School UK - The Bristol Language Center offers English courses including Business and IELTS English courses, as well as evening group French, German and Spanish courses in Bristol.

Private Schools

http://www.educationseek.com/schools/Private_Schools - Private School Blog - providing information on US public and private schools, including boarding schools, military schools and more.

GED Prep

http://www.passged.com/  - GED practice test with hundreds of actual test questions to help you prepare. 

http://www.essentialed.org - More GED learning solutions at Adult Education Resources.