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Daily Leadership and Character Development Resources November 2010 Provided by the AACPS Office of Student Leadership Development and Office of School Counseling How can I use this calendar? Whether you are a student, teacher, extra-curricular advisor, or administrator, these simple activities and resources can be incorporated, where appropriate, into curriculum, meetings, or events. Opportunities for developing leadership and positive character traits are ENDLESS. Use these tips to help develop them in the classroom, on the playing field, in our community… EVERYWHERE! The tips presented in this calendar are merely a collection of resources and ideas for stakeholders to consider when working with students of all ages. As always, it is important for those working with students to know the abilities and maturity level of the group in order to select appropriate activities. Content should always be previewed for appropriateness before presenting to students. Monday Knowledge is Power November 1 , 2010 Help students of all ages prepare for tomorrow’s election by completing one of the following activities: -Review the candidates in the county and state elections. Compare and contrast the candidates’ views and background. -Write letters to the candidates supporting or disagreeing with their views. -Hold a mock election in the classroom. Allow students to cast their votes. Form an election committee to count the ballots and announce the results on Election Day. Tuesday November 2, 2010 Election Day Election Day in the United States is an important day where citizens have the opportunity to practice their democratic right to elect their leaders and help determine the direction of the country. Even though there is no school today, discuss with students the importance of being a part of the democratic practice of voting when they are able to do so. Have students reflect on the following questions: 1. What would our country be like if we were NOT allowed to elect our leaders? 1. Why is each person’s vote important? 2. What would you say to convince someone to go out and vote on Election day? Wednesday November 3, 2010 Make a Promise… …Keep a Promise America’s Promise Alliance, developed by Colin Powell and his wife, focuses on helping to raise awareness of important youth related issues and encourage action and advocacy in our younger generations. Check out the website www.americaspromise.org for more information about how students can become involved in their community. Thursday November 4, 2010 Moral Reasoning Famous child psychologists, Piaget and Kohlberg, discovered that the way students think about moral problems develops throughout their lives. As students get older, their logic becomes less self-centered and more complex. This means thinking about long-term consequences seriously and how the actions will impact their character or integrity. Help students understand moral reasoning by completing the following activities: Find an example in the newspaper of a crime and write down all the people negatively influenced by this crime. Think of the scope of consequences for the person who committed the crime. How could their actions negatively affect their friends, family, and community? Find an example in the newspaper of someone or some group doing positive things, like volunteering or helping. Why do you think kids or grownups do these kinds of activities? How could their actions positively affect their friends, family, and community? Friday November 5, 2010 Defining a Good Citizen Help younger students understand what being a good citizen means using this simple pledge: A good citizen has good manners and uses caring words. A good citizen does his or her part to make their home, school, neighborhood and community better places to live. A good citizen follows the rules and laws. I am a good citizen, I follow class rules. Monday November 8, 2010 Measuring Citizenship Are You a Good Citizen? Have students answer True or False to the following statements that are associated with being a good citizen. -I take responsibility for what goes on in my community. -I do my part for the common good. -I participate in community service. -I help take care of the environment. -I obey the law. -I think I am/am not a responsible person because: ___________________ Remember: Citizenship is social responsibility in action! Tuesday November 9, 2010 Civic Engagement Students that are civically engaged in their communities can make a BIG difference. What does civic engagement and responsibility look like? -Volunteering to meet a community need -Participating in or leading a community coalition, board, or task force -Keeping up to date on important issues by attending meetings, reading the newspaper, or watching the news -Expressing opinions by contacting elected leaders or organizing public forums Adapted from Leadership for Student Activities, “A Call to Action”, September 2007, by Katie Peters Wednesday November 10, 2010 Practicing Citizenship Help students put citizenship into practice! Let students practice being a good citizen with one of the following activities: -Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper about a problem in the community that needs to be addressed. Lay out a plan for rectifying the problem. -Think of some kind of volunteer work you might like to do. Describe it and tell why you think you would like it. If you have done volunteer work in the past describe what it was like and what you got out of it. Thursday November 11, 2010 Veteran’s Day Help students honor those who have served and reflect on their own understanding of Veteran’s Day Create a Voices of Remembrance wall, book, or webpage! Ask students to reflect on what Veteran’s Day means to them by: -writing a poem or essay -creating a cartoon -creating a collage of pictures -writing a song Post the students’ creations on a bulletin board, bind them together as a class book, or upload them to a webpage. Adapted from Leadership for Student Activities, “Remembering Those Who Serve”, March 2006, by Carmella LaSpada Friday November 12, 2010 Eight Degrees of Charity Being a good citizen means developing our capacity to give to and help others in our community and world. In the twelfth century Maimonides, the greatest Jewish scholar of the middle ages formulated 'degrees' of charity: -Giving grudgingly. -Giving willingly but less than you could. -Giving only when you have been asked. -Giving before you have been asked. -The receiving person knowing who has given but the giving person not knowing who has received. -The giving person knowing whom they are giving to but the receiving not knowing who has given. -Giving in such a way as to make the receiving person independent and never in need of charity again. Help students understand their development and provide opportunities for them to progress! Monday What it Means to Give November 15, 2010 What does ‘giving’ mean? Help students reflect on their own understanding of giving by having them answer the following questions: -When you think about "giving,” do you think about gifts or physical things? -In today’s society, do you think most people appreciate someone giving their time or a material object like money or donations? Why do you think this is? -What kinds of behaviors or things are easier to give than others? Why? -What kinds of behaviors or things are harder to give than others? Why? Tuesday November 16, 2010 Listen to Your Conscience Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide Usually people don’t like to feel guilt or shame about things they have done. While sometimes our conscience ‘punishes’ us by giving us pangs of remorse, it also ‘rewards’ us with feelings of self-pride, self-respect, and appreciation when we keep our promises or do something for others. Have students reflect on the above statements by discussing a time when they felt remorse for doing something they shouldn’t have done and a time when they felt proud for doing something for someone else. Ask students to discuss why listening to your conscience could be important to being a good citizen. Wednesday November 17, 2010 Smile for Citizenship Create a masterpiece of citizenship Allow students to use the lens of a camera to capture citizenship in action -Give each student or group of students a camera (disposable or digital) to take pictures over the course of week that depict good citizenship in action. -Have students use the pictures to create a collage, PowerPoint presentation, or movie about what it means to be a good citizen. Thursday November 18, 2010 Recognizing Citizenship Empower students to recognize citizenship around them! -Divide the class into small groups. -Have each group select a person in their school or community that exemplifies good citizenship. -Each group should create a product to showcase why the selected person is a good citizen. For example, groups could create posters, songs, poems, etc. -Invite the selected recipients to a recognition ceremony where each group can present their ‘award.’ Friday November 19, 2010 When Nobody’s Watching As students get ready to go on Thanksgiving break, help them think about ways to show good citizenship when they are at home. -Ask students to make a list of ways they can be a good citizen during their break. -Ask students to identify a person in their family that is a good citizen. What makes this person an exemplar? -Have students keep a citizenship journal over break to record examples of good and bad citizens that they may encounter. Ask students to analyze what those people not displaying good citizenship could do to improve. Monday-Friday November 22-26, 2010 We Are Thankful Even though there is no school for students, take some time to reflect on the things that you are thankful for. An important part of good citizenship is recognizing and expressing our gratitude about those people and privileges which make our lives easier and more enjoyable. Monday November 29, 2010 A Lesson in Citizenship Pass it On… Now that students understand what being a good citizen requires, have them create an activity, lesson, story, or game to explain citizenship to younger students. Present these activities to younger students in your school, your cluster, or a community organization. Make Good Citizenship CONTAGIOUS! Tuesday November 30, 2010 What’s Next? Thank you for viewing the November Leadership and Character Development Calendar. We hope that you have gained valuable resources and ideas regarding student leadership and character development. Don’t forget to download next month’s tips by visiting: http://tinyurl.com/AACPSLead Submit your own resources by emailing [email protected] Please share this calendar with family, friends, students, etc.