Character Principles for Lesson Plans
Character education based on God’s Word can be taught in every lesson in every subject area. Christian educators have long recognized the importance of teaching character traits in the home, church, and school. Character education in public schools is a recent trend in reaction to the lack of moral character in our nation’s young people.
The following list of character traits and the descriptions were developed by a public school system. This list defines moral decency as viewed by our society regardless of religious beliefs. Correlated scripture verses have been added for each trait listed, although the scripture verses would not be included in public school instruction. (Portions of verses could be used for younger children – see italics.) Literature-based approaches provide a wonderful opportunity to teach character with the abundant wealth of examples in children’s literature.
Character education is not the same as “values education.” There is a danger in values education taught from a secular perspective because the absolute truth of God’s Word is not acknowledged. Values clarification activities are used to teach situational ethics. As Christians, we are opposed to such methods. We are the salt and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16). We can have a positive influence on the lives of our students by modeling and discussing the character traits listed below.