Character in Action PDF

Character in Action MAIN IDEA​ ​Good character helps you develop and maintain healthy relationships. Your good character shows in your actions and words. Good character improves your own life, and affects everyone around you. Think about all of your relationships: with your family, your friends and...

Character in Action MAIN IDEA​ ​Good character helps you develop and maintain healthy relationships. Your good character shows in your actions and words. Good character improves your own life, and affects everyone around you. Think about all of your relationships: with your family, your friends and classmates, and in your community. When your actions and words show good character, you have many good and strong relationships. How many people do you talk to, or interact with, on a daily basis? When your interactions with people show good character, you will have positive relationships. READING CHECK Describe​ How can good character improve your life? Making a Difference at Home Your first relationships are with your family members. Family relationships are built on caring, respect, fairness, trust, and responsibility. Your actions and words make a difference at home. You can show your character by treating your family members with caring and respect. Show appreciation for the things your family does for you. Help out with chores without being asked. Take responsibility for your own chores or tasks. Be patient and kind to your brothers or sisters. You can keep your good character even if you have a problem at home. Discuss your problem with respect for others. You may want to offer constructive criticism. For example, if your younger brother is having trouble tying his shoe, you might offer to demonstrate in numbered steps. You can also make suggestions using an "I" message. With "I" messages, you offer a suggestion from your own point of view. For example, “I can’t understand you when you talk with your mouth full.” READING CHECK List​ Name two ways to build good character at home. Making a Difference at School Good character can make a difference at school. At school, you have relationships with friends, classmates, teachers, and other adults. Good character means showing positive values and setting good examples of fairness, trustworthiness, caring, and responsibility. You can build your character by accepting others, and showing tolerance toward differences. People tend to feel comfortable around others like themselves. This sometimes leads to the formation of a clique​. Being a part of a clique can provide a person with a sense of belonging. However, cliques can be negative if they leave out others or show prejudice toward those whose interests are different. You show your character at school by taking responsibility for your schoolwork, obeying school rules, and treating teachers and students with respect. You demonstrate character by taking a stand against violence, bullying, and conflict. READING CHECK Describe​ How can cliques be harmful How can they be helpful? Making a Difference in Your Community You read about how character shows in citizenship. You can make a difference in your community with your acts of citizenship. You protect your environment when you throw away trash and recycle bottles, cans, and papers. You can also help your community by volunteering your time or skills to others. Most communities have volunteer programs to help others. Volunteers make and serve food to shelters, collect clothes and books to donate to others, and work to help others in different ways. Volunteers collect and box goods to send to service men and women. Volunteers tutor and coach children. Volunteers take part in activities, such as bake sales or car washes, to collect money for people in need. When you volunteer your time and skills to help others, you make a difference in your community. As a volunteer, your acts of citizenship show that you advocate fairness, equality, caring, and giving. You are helping to improve the lives of others who live in the same community. In this way, you are advocating for a better community and better world. Respect Older adults have a lot of wisdom and experience to share. You can show respect for older adults by listening and speaking in a polite manner.