We know character education is so important in the primary grades. Without a good foundation in character education, it can become very difficult to teach the core subjects.
So many school districts fail to put an emphasis on character education, when it should be a #1 priority. Our schedules get too busy, and other mandates get in the way of explicit instruction for character education.
Below, you will find read-aloud suggestions, as well as YouTube videos to every book in case you don’t get a chance to check these out at the library.
Caring
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The Teddy Bear by David McPhail
A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams
Stand in My Shoes by Bob Sornson
Citizenship
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Granddaddy’s Turn by Michael Bandy
What Does It Mean to be Global? by R. DiOrio
Cooperation
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The Little Red Fort by Brenda Maier
Ella and Penguin Stick Together by Megan Maynor
Fairness
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Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles
Patience
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Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney
Waiting for the Biblioburro by Monica Brown
Waiting Is Not Easy by Mo Willems
Respect
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Do Unto Otters by Laurie Keller
Responsibility
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But It’s Not My Fault by Julia Cook
What If Everybody Did That? by Colleen Madden
Self-Control
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My Mouth is a Volcano by Julia Cook
Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein
Thoughtfulness
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Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena
You, Me, and Empathy by Jayneen Sanders
Trustworthy
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The Boy Who Cried Bigfoot by Scott Magoon
Walter and the Wallet by Billy Bloom
[Print out the full book list by clicking here]
Have any favorites you would like to add? Be sure to comment below with your favorite character education read-alouds!
Teaching Character Education
We wanted to make it easier to teach character education by getting hands on activities and scenarios for your students. We started putting character education task cards into our 2nd Grade Literacy Centers. Each month, we add a new set of task cards, focusing on another character trait.
We had so many teachers ask if we could make a resource that just had the Character Education Clip Cards. So that is exactly what we did!
**Please note, if you already own our 2nd Grade Literacy Centers, there is no need to purchase these task cards. They will all be included by the time the bundle is complete.
You are now equipped with the resources to teach character education during your literacy block! How amazing is that!?
I think you will be amazed at the transition your students will make this year when it comes to becoming good people:) I can’t wait for you to see this resource!
[See our Character Education Clip Cards in our website Shop]
Let me know if you have any questions!
At Education to the Core, we provide done-for-you curriculum that is simple, fun, and effective! We want you to be the very best teacher you can be, while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. We believe that in order to be an effective educator, you have to take care of you first! We strive to make a healthy work-life balance a reality for you each and every day.If you enjoyed this blog post, be sure to join my email list to get exclusive FREEBIES, exclusive content, updates, deals!
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