Focus on the key topics from the book. According to Sanborn's Teacher's Guide for "The Fred Factor," these topics include: responsibility, self-discipline, altruism ( caring), human worth, honesty and respect. These are all character traits that encourage students to be polite, respectful and respectable. If students or employees learn to develop these characteristics, they then can apply them to their careers. For each lesson that you teach related to "The Fred Factor," choose one of these character topics as your focus.
Give students opportunities to explore each character trait. Vary the techniques that you use in order to keep the lessons interesting. Provide hands-on learning opportunities in order to gain student interest and involvement in your lessons. For instance, during a lesson on respect you might have students establish a set of rules for treating other people and ask them how they would like to be treated by others as a foundation for this activity. During a lesson on honesty, students can act out various scenarios, such as finding a wallet on the sidewalk or noticing a co-worker stealing from his employer. Ask the students to discuss the scenarios and the most-honest actions to take in such situations. Engage your students with each topic in order to help them explore and fully understand each concept.
Relate the lessons to the students' individual lives. When a student can apply a lesson she learned in class to her own life, she is more likely to internalize that lesson and practice it in her daily life. When you teach about self-discipline, for instance, ask students to set a goal for improving an area of their lives and map out a plan for accomplishing that goal. They might choose to save money, eat healthier foods or get more exercise and then identify how they will discipline themselves to make these changes in their lives. In a lesson on responsibility, challenge students to assume responsibility at work, home or school and have them keep a journal of the challenges they encountered in attempting such a task and what they will do to overcome them.