Our Centers for Ethics:

Weekly writing prompt

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September 6- 12, 2009 National Roald Dahl Day September 13 is Roald Dahl day – a tribute to the author famous for his timeless children’s stories like Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach. Use the quotes and scenarios below to celebrate Roald Dahl’s commemorative birthday. Visit the Roald Dahl Day website for more information on the celebration, the author himself, and his works.

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

"Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched."
– Aesop, Greek author of fables (6th century B.C.)(b. 1942)

Focus Pillar: Fairness
Just like Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, you own a factory that makes all of your favorite treats. You want to take your class on a tour, but you know that not everyone will be able to attend the field trip.

Think about the best way you can describe your factory and all the fun things that happen there. Then create a script, paragraph, brochure or speech to read aloud to everyone. Be sure you:

• Include sights, sounds and smells
• Have a neat and legible presentation

Secondary level

"The way you see people is the way you treat them, and the way you treat them is what they become."
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German author, statesman, scientist (1749-1832)

Focus Pillar: Respect
When writing for children, Roald Dahl often used a child’s point of view in his stories to describe other characters. Use him as your inspiration as you describe a recent disagreement you had with a relative. Then, write about the same occurrence from the adult’s point of view. Consider:

• Point of view
• Descriptive character traits
• Figurative elements

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