CHARACTER COUNTS! Week highlights the value of good character and its important role in building strong communities that value positive, healthy relationships and respectful behavior. During CHARACTER COUNTS! Week, we celebrate young people who are role models of good character in their communities and support the parents and educators who teach our young people to be trustworthy, respectful, responsible, fair, caring, and good citizens.
Use #CharacterCountsWeek when you post photos to make sure we can share your celebrations!
Celebrate CHARACTER COUNTS! Week however it works for your school organization! If you need help, we’ve organized celebration ideas for each day.
Choose any or all of the plans that work best for your students.
Slides Coming Soon!
Monday’s Trustworthiness slides include the journal prompts, vocabulary words, and quotations.
Elementary
Write about a time someone trusted you. How did you feel?
Secondary
Think of a time when telling the truth was difficult. What did you do, and how did it affect your relationships?
Elementary
Loyalty: Standing by someone even when things are hard.
Secondary
Integrity: Doing the right thing when no one is looking.
Try using these quotations about trustworthiness as a discussion or journal prompt.
“The time is always right to do what is right.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” – Maya Angelou
“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” – Mark Twain
“Trust is built in very small moments.” – Brené Brown
“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.” – Albert Einstein
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” – Warren Buffett
“If it is not right, do not do it; if it is not true, do not say it.” – Marcus Aurelius
“People with good intentions make promises. People with good character keep them.” – Unknown
Honesty: Girl Scout Promises No False Advertising
Trustworthiness – Foster Child Gets His Fairytale Ending When Math Teacher Adopts Him
About the Videos
CBS News and CHARACTER COUNTS! are proud to present Kindness 101, a collection of complimentary K-12 lessons to teach character, social-emotional, and academic skills.
Each lesson features a short video originating from CBS News’ On the Road series with Steve Hartman. Students and educators easily connect to the heartwarming and inspirational stories featured in the videos.
Along with the video, we’ve provided activities, discussion and journal prompts, family connections, and a Google Slides deck. You may even find lessons written by teachers at schools near you!
For more, check out the video library.
Students will compete to write the numbers 1-10 (or 1-20, etc.) with their index finger in the air.
Materials Needed: A small object that can easily be thrown or caught
Directions
Process the Activity
You can’t have a little bit of integrity; you either have it or you don’t. When you are looking to others to see what you can get away with, that’s a time when you need to ask yourself some questions to make sure you are making the right choice, not just the easy choice.
Involve students’ families in CHARACTER COUNTS! Week. Send home this conversation starter or activity idea to practice trustworthiness.
Conversation Starter
Being trustworthy means doing what you say, even when no one is watching. Who is someone that always keeps their word?
Activity: Trust Jar
Any time a family member demonstrates trust or sees another family do so, write it down and put it in a Trust Jar.On Saturday, read all of the ways your family showed trust this week and discuss why trust is important to your family.
Slides Coming Soon!
Tuesday’s Respect slides include the journal prompts, vocabulary words, and quotations.
Elementary
How do you show respect to people who are different from you?
Secondary
How can respect impact a school or community’s culture?
Elementary
Golden Rule: Treat people the way you want to be treated.
Secondary
Respect: Treat someone with dignity because they have value as a person.
Admiration: Look up to someone because of who they are or what they have done.
Try using these quotations about respect as a discussion or journal prompt.
“I don’t have to agree with you to respect you.” – Anthony Bourdain
“It’s not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.” – Audre Lorde
“Treat everyone like they matter, because they do.” – Inspired by Bryan Stevenson
“We should all consider each other as human beings, and we should respect each other.” – Malala Yousafzai
“No one is born hating another person… People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love.” – Nelson Mandela
“You don’t have to look like me, talk like me, or live like me to be my friend.” – Inspired by Fred Rogers
“Respect means you care enough to think about others’ feelings before you act.” – Dolores Huerta
“Differences are not a reason to fight—they’re a reason to learn.” – Inspired by Desmond Tutu
Acceptance – Students Learn Sign Language to Support Classmate
About the Videos
CBS News and CHARACTER COUNTS! are proud to present Kindness 101, a collection of complimentary K-12 lessons to teach character, social-emotional, and academic skills.
Each lesson features a short video originating from CBS News’ On the Road series with Steve Hartman. Students and educators easily connect to the heartwarming and inspirational stories featured in the videos.
Along with the video, we’ve provided activities, discussion and journal prompts, family connections, and a Google Slides deck. You may even find lessons written by teachers at schools near you!
For more, check out the video library.
In this activity students will define respectful behavior in the classroom, hallways, and cafeteria by giving examples of what it does and does not look like.
Materials
Instructions
Activity
Student Reflection
Ask students to journal about the following prompts:
Schools that emphasize character development and build a positive school culture are more likely to succeed when students, faculty, and staff build respectful and healthy relationships. This activity is a fun way for students to learn about each other.
Questions:
Involve students’ families in CHARACTER COUNTS! Week. Send home this conversation starter or activity idea to practice respect.
Conversation Starter
Respect is more than good manners. It’s valuing others’ feelings, space, and ideas. What does respect look like in your school or home?
Activity: Showing Appreciation
Share your respect for each other in your family! Try finding a time you can all sit together. Have each person share something they appreciate about someone else in the family. Focus on listening without interrupting.
Slides Coming Soon!
Wednesday’s Responsibility slides include the journal prompts, vocabulary words, and quotations.
Elementary
Write about a time you made a mistake. What did you learn from it?
Secondary
What does personal responsibility mean to you? How do you hold yourself accountable?
Elementary
Perseverance: Don’t give up, even when something is hard. Keep trying until you reach your goal, even if it takes a long time.
Secondary
Stakeholder: Someone who cares about or is affected by a decision, project, or event.
Try using these quotations about responsibility as a discussion or journal prompt.
“Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.” – Julie Andrews
“Motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you growing.” – John C. Maxwell
“Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most.” – Abraham Lincoln
“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” – Margaret Thatcher
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” – Mary Anne Radmacher
“The willingness to accept responsibility for one’s own life is the source from which self-respect springs.” – Joan Didion
“When a man points a finger at someone else, he should remember that four fingers are pointing at him.” – Louis Nizer
Resilience – Meet the Dog Who Learned to Walk Like a Human
Stick-to-itiveness – Basketball Players See Their Hard Work Pay Off
About the Videos
CBS News and CHARACTER COUNTS! are proud to present Kindness 101, a collection of complimentary K-12 lessons to teach character, social-emotional, and academic skills.
Each lesson features a short video originating from CBS News’ On the Road series with Steve Hartman. Students and educators easily connect to the heartwarming and inspirational stories featured in the videos.
Along with the video, we’ve provided activities, discussion and journal prompts, family connections, and a Google Slides deck. You may even find lessons written by teachers at schools near you!
For more, check out the video library.
Sometimes the decision-making process is quick and we don’t always have time to make a long, drawn-out decision. Quickly checking your decisions based on how they align with your beliefs is a helpful tool. Take a quick second to think “Is this helping create the kind of world where I want to live?” This will help guide your decision-making when it matters the most.
Instructions
This activity will focus on organization tips to help students balance their responsibilities and why it is so important. Students will consider how their organizational habits impact their lives and character, and work together to identify ways they can use organization to balance their responsibilities.
Materials/Preparation
Instructions
“Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.”
Activity
Write the following questions on chart paper and invite students to write their answers on the chart paper. After everyone has written an answer, ask students to put a star next to an idea that they think will help them to be more trustworthy and organized.
Discussion Prompts
Involve students’ families in CHARACTER COUNTS! Week. Send home this conversation starter or activity idea to practice responsibility.
Conversation Starter
Responsibility means taking ownership of your actions. Whether it’s doing homework or helping at home, small things build strong character. What’s one small thing you or a family member did today to build responsibility?
Activity: Chore Swap
Each family member chooses one responsibility they normally don’t do. For example, a parent makes the child’s bed, a grandparent does the dishes, or a child plans the dinner. Afterward, share what you learned about each other’s roles and how responsibility helps a household run smoothly.
Slides Coming Soon!
Thursdays Fairness and Caring slides include the journal prompts, vocabulary words, and quotations.
Elementary
How do you help solve problems when things don’t feel fair?
Secondary
Can fairness and kindness ever be in conflict? Explain.
Elementary
Compassion: Caring about other people and help them when they’re hurt, sad, or having a hard time.
Secondary
Equity: Everyone gets that they need to be successful.
Equality: Everyone gets the same thing.
Try using these quotations about fairness and caring as a discussion or journal prompt.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“Fairness is giving all people a chance to shine.” – Unknown
“Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance. Equity is making sure everyone can get to the party and dance comfortably.” – Verna Myers
“I raise up my voice-not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.” – Malala Yousafzai
“The measure of a society is how it treats its weakest members.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“I have learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou
“Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.” – Unknown
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop
“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” – Dalai Lama
Sportsmanship – Basketball Team Manager Gets His Big Shot
Empathy – 4-Year-Old Superhero Has the Power to Feed the Homeless
Friendship – Preschool “Twins” Take a Stand Against Discrimination
About the Videos
CBS News and CHARACTER COUNTS! are proud to present Kindness 101, a collection of complimentary K-12 lessons to teach character, social-emotional, and academic skills.
Each lesson features a short video originating from CBS News’ On the Road series with Steve Hartman. Students and educators easily connect to the heartwarming and inspirational stories featured in the videos.
Along with the video, we’ve provided activities, discussion and journal prompts, family connections, and a Google Slides deck. You may even find lessons written by teachers at schools near you!
For more, check out the video library.
Materials/Preparation
Instructions
Student Reflection
Students will read a poem about friendship and then share the elements of a good friendship. Then, they will reflect and compare those elements to their own friendships.
Materials/Preparation
Instructions
Student Reflection
My True Friend
by Abimbola T. Alabi
You always answer when I call
And help me up if I should fall,
But you never complain at all,
My true friend.
You confront me when I am wrong
But will never scold me for long,
Instead, you try to keep me strong,
My true friend.
You know the funny things to say
To make me laugh my fears away.
Like the sun, you brighten my day,
My true friend.
You see in me gifts I deny
And urge me to give things a try.
You spread for me my wings to fly,
My true friend.
You always perceive what I need
And offer it before I plead.
Just like a book, my mind you read,
My true friend.
You value little things I do
But won’t brag of what you do too.
How can I ever repay you,
My true friend?
And greatest of all I have found
When times are tough and I’m down,
You are the one who sticks around,
My true friend.
Involve students’ families in CHARACTER COUNTS! Week. Send home this conversation starter or activity idea to practice fairness and caring.
Conversation Starter
Fairness means playing by the rules and caring means looking out for others. When we do both, we create a stronger community. Where have you seen examples of people showing fairness and caring to uplift your community?
Activity: Caring Coupons
Have each person make at least two coupons offering kind or fair actions. They can be things like playing their favorite game, making a meal together, or swapping chores. Trade them during the day!
Slides Coming Soon!
Friday’s Good Citizenship slides include the journal prompts, vocabulary words, and quotations.
Elementary
What are some rules in your classroom or school, and why do we have them?
Secondary
How do you practice good citizenship online?
Elementary
Cooperate: Work together to get things done.
Secondary
Civil Disobedience: Peacefully break a law or rule because we believe it’s unfair or wrong and want to help make a change.
Try using these quotations about good citizenship as a discussion or journal prompt.
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” – Desmond Tutu
“Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Gandhi
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” – Anne Frank
“Service is the rent you pay for room on this earth.” – Shirley Chisholm
“When we show up for each other, we create communities of care. – Valarie Kaur
“The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.” – Ida B. Wells
Humanity – 12-Year-Old Boy Buys Bullied Classmate Brand New Sneakers
Confronting Injustice – Students Take Action After Hearing Couple’s Honeymoon Story
About the Videos
CBS News and CHARACTER COUNTS! are proud to present Kindness 101, a collection of complimentary K-12 lessons to teach character, social-emotional, and academic skills.
Each lesson features a short video originating from CBS News’ On the Road series with Steve Hartman. Students and educators easily connect to the heartwarming and inspirational stories featured in the videos.
Along with the video, we’ve provided activities, discussion and journal prompts, family connections, and a Google Slides deck. You may even find lessons written by teachers at schools near you!
For more, check out the video library.
Students will explore the benefits of finding common ground with others in their community. They will discuss how teamwork is impacted when we find things in common and journal about how they can connect with others in their community.
Instructions
Discussion Prompts
Students will discuss why connecting to others is an important part of building an inclusive community.
Instructions
Student Reflection
Involve students’ families in CHARACTER COUNTS! Week. Send home this conversation starter or activity idea to practice good citizenship.
Conversation Starter
Fairness means playing by the rules and caring means looking out for others. When we do both, we create a stronger community. Where have you seen examples of people showing fairness and caring to uplift your community?
Activity: Service
Do a mini service project as a family, like picking up litter, writing thank-you notes to school staff, or donating to a food pantry. Talk about how small acts make a big difference in the community.
Recognizing students who show good character and make positive choices is an important part of character education and a great way to celebrate CHARACTER COUNTS! Week. Here are a few ideas:
We’re seeing great plans for school and district-wide celebrations. We’d love to share your CC! Week plans, activities, and photos! Share your celebration online and use #CharacterCountsWeek in your posts, or email your photos to us at Amy.Smit@drake.edu.
Every year since 1993, the U.S. President, U.S. Senate, state governors, and officials around the world proclaim the third week in October as CHARACTER COUNTS! Week.
🔵 Twist is for Trustworthiness.
🟡 Roll is for Respect.
🟢 We’re gonna reach up for Responsibility.
🔴 Then we blow a kiss for Caring.
🟠 Flap your arms for Fairness.
🟣 Stomp your feet for Citizenship.
The Six Pillar Shuffle is a kick!
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(C) 2024 The Ray Center at Drake University is proud to be the home of CHARACTER COUNTS! CHARACTER COUNTS!, the Six Pillars of Character, and Pursuing Victory with Honor are trademarks of the Josephson Institute. CHARACTER COUNTS! was founded by Michael Josephson through the Joseph and Edna Josephson Institute of Ethics.
