Teach students to show good character in the classroom by introducing them to one positive character trait each week. Ask them to compliment and draw attention to their fellow students throughout the week when those students display that positive character trait.
Introduce students to veterans and other local adults who have shown good character. Allow the students to interview the adults. Ask the adults to emphasize what they think good character is, why they think it’s important, how individuals with good character affect the community and how the students can show good character. Introduce students to people in the community who may need help or companionship, such as elderly people in a nursing home. Ask the students to show good citizenship by creating relationships with and volunteering to help the needy in the community.
Read stories which teach important social truths and lessons, such as folk tales or "Aesop’s Fables." Ask students to pick a fable or tale, and use its moral as a thesis for an essay. Have each student illustrate his thesis using examples from within the fable and from the real world. Ask the students to conclude by emphasizing the importance of using the moral or remembering its truth in their life.
Choose a historical figure that displayed strong character, such as Eleanor Roosevelt, who spearheaded social reform movements in the 1930s. Have the students read and analyze the historical figure’s writings and accounts of the figure written during her lifetime. Chart how the historical figure influenced others’ attempts at making the world a better place and building their own character. Challenge the children to apply the historical figure’s beliefs and lessons to their own lives.