These web pages contain very useful material to assist your efforts in educating for character and SEL. There is a lot in this list that you can use as the basis for class discussions, writing assignments and student activities. We have not attempted to sort them according to the virtues they teach because they all teach many virtues.

Characters of Character

https://www.charactersofcharacter.org/
Their mission is simple and powerful: To provide a firm foundation for children to establish strong civic values. These values can assist in social-emotional learning, good decision-making, positive relations, and self-awareness. We highly recommend their resources and materials to help children learn and build on core character traits.

Talking with Trees Books and Teaching Resources

https://www.talkingtreebooks.com
These beloved children’s books and free teaching resources feature lessons about honesty, respect, responsibility, and empathy. Find complete character ed lesson plans, worksheets, and tons of resources that make it easy to build a social-emotional learning lesson.

School Counselor ToolKit – Student Development

https://onlinecounselingprograms.com/resources/school-counselor-toolkit/student-development/
In promoting academic, career, and personal/social development, school counselors provide support to students in every grade level by providing comprehensive, proactive lesson plans surrounding character development, relationship education, conflict resolution, and much more.

Wise Skills

www.wiseskills.com/blogs/latest-blog-post
Tips and ideas for teachers concerned about educating for character.

Do Something

https://www.dosomething.org/
If you want your kids to be passive and docile, don’t let them near this website. It’ll fill their little heads with ideas about making the world a better place, and empower them to do something about it.

The Ethics Connection at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics

https://www.scu.edu/character/
Ethical dilemmas for young people written as dialogs. Lots to think about, talk about, write about. Also, they have a very useful framework for ethical decision making, which is at: https://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision In fact, check out the whole website – it’s loaded with goodies.

Kids Care Clubs

https://www.generationon.org/
Dedicated to developing compassion and the spirit of charity in children. This organization provides children, families, schools, and religious groups with meaningful opportunities to help others in their local and global communities. You can set up an affiliated club in your elementary school.

Teaching Tolerance (for teachers)

https://www.tolerance.org
A national education project dedicated to helping teachers foster equity, respect, and understanding in the classroom and beyond. This website offers excellent classroom activities as well as tremendously useful resources for teachers.

A Student Service Learning Program

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/ssl/index.aspx
What would a model service-learning program consist of? This amazing site gives the entire set of blueprints for the Student Service Learning program of the Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools. An indispensable resource!

National Student Campaign Against Hunger And Homelessness

https://www.studentsagainsthunger.org/
NSCAHH works with a coalition of students and community members to end hunger and homelessness through education, service and action. It’s the largest student network fighting hunger and homelessness in the country.

Learning To Give (K-12)

https://learningtogive.org/
Teaching the importance of voluntary action for the common good in a democratic society. Lesson plans, lesson plans, and much much more.

If you know of a good link that belongs in this list, please click here to tell us about it.

The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation

www.actsofkindness.org
This website is just packed with great stuff for propagating basic human kindness. Their own description is way too modest, but here it is: “Want to encourage kindness on campus? Access our free Teacher’s Guide, lesson plans, activity ideas, teachers’ experiences, and other materials to help you successfully incorporate kindness into your school.” A real gem.

Giraffe Heroes Program – a Free Lesson

https://www.giraffe.org/resources/teaching-materials
Want to inspire your students to be courageous, caring, and responsible members of the community? Want to help them redefine what it means to be a real hero? Try this free sample lesson from the K-12 Giraffe Heroes Program.