Sample Curricula

Character education creates schools that foster caring young people by modeling and teaching good character through emphasis on universal values. It is the intentional, proactive effort to instill in students important core, ethical and performance values such as caring, honesty, diligence, fairness, fortitude, responsibility and respect for self and others. Character education teaches students how to be their best selves and how to do their best work. The goal of the Functional Approach to Character Education (FACE) is to provide quality character education training and curriculum to Virginia’s PreK-5th grade school teachers and guidance counselors. The objectives of our FACE curriculum are to:

• Promote social and emotional development in students
• Promote school and classroom community
• Promote and model active citizenship
• Promote healthy relationships
• Promote skills that support academic performance
• Promote and model avoidance of risky behaviors

Each lesson includes student objectives, assessing student learning, a motivating introduction, engaging learning activities, summary, evaluation of student learning and extension activities. Lesson plans covering the six pillars are related to character traits including:

• Trustworthiness-honesty, integrity, reliability and loyalty
• Respect-for school and classroom rules, for authority and the law, tolerance and courtesy
• Responsibility-hard work, self-esteem, accountability, diligence, perseverance and self-control
• Fairness-justice, consequences o behavior, principles of non-discrimination and freedom from prejudice
• Caring-kindness, empathy, compassion, consideration, generosity and charity
• Citizenship-concern for the common good and community mindedness

Lesson plan subjects are consistent across all grades each week and are interwoven with Standards of Learning. These plans are embedded into the subject of the week throughout the school and include parental and integrated community involvement.