Our Centers for Ethics:

Weekly writing prompt

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March 15 - 21, 2009 St. Patrick's Day March 17th is Saint Patrick’s Day. This week students will use the words of famous Irish authors to examine self-respect. Learn more about the history of St. Patrick's Day »

Write or discuss it! Foundations for Life gives teachers an easy way to improve students' critical thinking and composition skills. Each of these weekly prompts comes with a maxim illuminating an ethical issue. Students can analyze it and apply it to current events and their own lives, through discussion or writing. Each prompt also references at least one of the Six Pillars of Character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. As a result, students can easily tie the author’s words to community values. Suggestions for using the prompts:

• Read the biographies in the Teacher’s Resource.
• Present the maxim to the students.
• Briefly discuss:
  •   What did the author mean?
  •   Can you think of ways the statement applies to something in your life?
• Point out the Pillar related to the maxim.
• Present the writing prompt to the students and have them answer these questions in their draft book or other format.

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Elementary level

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."
– Margaret Wolfe Hungerford, Irish writer (1855-1897)

Focus Pillar: Respect
You decided to wear your favorite bright green shirt to school. The moment you get there, a bunch of students start making fun of you for what you are wearing. You happen to have another shirt in your locker. How would you handle this situation? In your writing, be sure to tell the reader:

• What you will say to the students
• Your decision and why you have chosen this action
• How you will handle situations like this in the future

Secondary level

"May you live all the days of your life."
– Jonathan Swift, Anglo-Irish author and satirist (1667-1745)

Focus Pillar: Respect
Part of living a good life is being proud of your accomplishments. Your job is to draft an autobiography that strangers will read. Be sure to inform the reader of your many successes. Keep in mind the elements of an effective autobiography:

• Sequence of events and their significance
• Sensory details
• Description of people and places

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