Character Corner

My "Character Corner" idea has been a great resource in my gym for years. It's used daily in my K-4 physical education classes. It highlights positive personal and social responsibility attributes in green (best effort, safe, leader, role model, plays fair, etc.) that students should have/develop, as well as those negative traits (argues, sore loser, always first, lies, etc.) in red that should be avoided.

In addition, I have added some popular phrases (in pink) that I use frequently (i.e. "The more you say - the less we play", "When the teacher talks - we listen"), and some behavioral outcomes (in blue) expected of elementary students in New York State.

This display also mirrors our report card grading system (4 - Exceeds Standards, 3 - Meets Standards, 2 - Partially/Sometimes Meets Standards, Does Not Meet Standards/Expectations).

My "Character Corner" has been a fantastic reference to recognize individual behavior, and to promote quality group behavior as well. Using the display I can point to terms I witness during an activity and give students feedback. This acts as a catalyst to instill the positive behavior in other students. I can also identify traits I'm looking for prior to playing a game, which results in seeing that behavior much more. If I see negative behaviors during class, making eye contact with the student/s and pointing to the wall with a shake of my head will change the behavior almost immediately.

Picture (Click here for larger picture)

Variations:

Can be used to start a class, as well as highlighted during different phases of a lesson.

Teaching Suggestions/Tips:

Be creative when using the "Character Corner". It works best as a 30-second reminder for behaviors you witness during an activity, or that you want to see in the next activity.

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