Shaping Characters, Erasmus+ Project; Plán Výukové Aktivity

Shaping Characters, Erasmus+ Project

Educational Activity Plan Masaryk Elementary School and Kindergarten, Velká Bystřice

Name: Character

Educational Learning to identify and briefly describe certain character traits and document them objective: by real-life examples

Qualities in focus: Diversity of character traits – positive and negative, self-assessment

Target group, age of the 14 years of age students:

Suitable for: Citizenship Education

Teaching aids, Sectors of a circle cut out from coloured paper, magnets preparation:

Time needed: 30 minutes

Team competition The students are split into four groups (evenly according to the total number of students in the class). The teacher draws a circle of a magnetic board and divides it to 16 sectors, cuts out each sector from a paper of different colours, writes one of the numbers 1–16 on each sector and uses a magnet to fix the sectors to the circle drawn on the board.

Description of A team representative goes to the board, selects one numbered sector, and the activity: teacher gives a short description of the character trait allocated to the number. The group’s task is to determine the trait, express it by a single substantive and add a real-life example. The team cooperates in resolving the task for a specified amount of time. The answer is assessed by the schoolmates from other groups, awarding points 0–5. The activity is repeated in four rounds. The students are then asked to evaluate the results and the overall ranking. The group representatives take the individual sectors to the groups, therefore the circle is empty at the end of the competition.

Tried out in: November 2016 Author: Helena Stejskalová

The students love competitions, so the activity was embraced by them easily. They could recall the individual character traits and were able to assess them faultlessly. I did not prescribe the form of expressing the real-life examples, so the students played short scenes, some even mimed. Own reflections: It is recommended to split the students into mixed groups. Almost all the students engaged in the activity, only a few remained passive. The activity was a success, and I promised the students to continue at the beginning of the next lesson.

Enclosures: Examples of character traits + short description 1. Adaptability – ability to adjust oneself 2. Aggressiveness – ability to be harsh in social relations 3. Ambition – desire to excel, succeed 4. Antipathy – aversion to, or even abhorrence of, someone or something 5. Assertiveness – effort and ability to win recognition in behaviour as well as communication 6. Depression – anxiety, despondency, taking effect when someone goes through several hardships in a short time 7. Engagement – character trait as well as active involvement in an activity 8. Envy – being resentful towards others 9. Empathy – ability to put oneself in someone else’s feelings 10. Honesty – moral trait expressing the respect for oneself 11. Independence – relying on oneself 12. Introversion – concentration on oneself, reservedness 13. Moodiness – frequent changes in mood 14. Pessimism – inclination to only perceiving the evil, negative side of things 15. Punctuality – exact observance of specified time 16. Tenacity – ability to endure and persist