Character Building Day by Day: 180 Quick Read-Alouds for Elementary School and Home

by Anne D. Mather, Louise B. Weldon

In elementary schools across the country, teachers are expected to provide at least five minutes of character education each day. This book makes it easy to meet that requirement in a meaningful way. It includes 180 character vignettes—five for each of the 36 weeks in the school year—grouped by trait. Each features kids in real-life situations making decisions that reflect their character. Each is short enough to be read aloud; all can be used as starting points for discussion, to support an existing character education program, or as the basis for an independent program. An excellent tool for the classroom or the character-conscious home.

Genres: Parenting, Education

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Blake · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was recommended by someone in my Montessori teacher training.  I tried out several of the short stories with my students but I didn't like the stories that I tried.  The idea behind the book is great and the introductory sections for each character virtue are good. However, I noticed that few of the stories had to do with life at school, which is what is relevant for my classroom.  Also, the stories that do have to do with school are geared toward traditional schools and aren't relevant to a Montessori classroom.  Plus, the stories just seemed to come from a mindset, that I can't quite put my finger on, that just didn't resonate for me.

If I had had more time with the book, I would have tried out some more stories but I don't think it would have changed my mind because I did browse through a handful of the stories looking for ones that I might like to read and I didn't find many that I liked. I think I'd use it if I didn't have any other options, at least for the general ideas, but I'd prefer to find something else that is a great fit for my classroom.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short moralizing stories for kids with different themes each week. The moralizing is the heavy-handed sort most kids instinctively dislike, but I was able to effectively present the ideas to my little kids (7 & 9), so not too bad. The stories are inclusive and diverse, and the morals are decent from my perspective, so not too bad at all.

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

My boys loved hearing these short stories, and then thinking and talking about what they would do in that situation. It was a fun part of our homeschool morning meeting. A lot of times my youngest would request another.

[Sydney McClure · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic idea for read alouds in the classroom. The purpose of the book is to build character, for anyone really not just the students. The subjects vary from responsibility to kindness and everything in between. It is great for discussions, too.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh, not as helpful as I had hoped!

[Jenny]

I'm reading one story to the boys every night before bed. This is a great book so far...