Content of Their Character: Teacher's Guide

Grades: 6-Adult        Each of these lessons contains resources for four to six 30–45 minute lessons on a given Jewish virtue/value. Each of these lessons is designed to center around a different kind of learning modality: the sharing of personal experience, the analysis of stories, the study of Jewish texts, the exploration of an ethical dilemma, or the use of mussar and other self-help processes.

Based on a combination of learning technologies and models, these units are designed to (a) define individual values/virtues, (b) deep-root them with stories and texts, (c) test them against other values through the study of  oral dilemmas, and (d) explore techniques for learning how to live them. These materials combine the models developed by William J. Bennett (The Book of Virtues), Sidney Simmon (Values Clarification), Lawrence Kohlberg (Moral Development), and Richard and Linda Eyre (Teaching Your Child Responsibility and Teaching Your Child Values). It also combines classic Jewish learning modalities of the Mussar (moral education) Movement, halakhic (legal) problem solving, aggadah (narrative theology) and various kabbalistic sources about the process of inner work (work on the soul). In drawing these models and techniques together, these units offer a dynamic opportunity to create profound character education—letting Torah influence behavior.

*When you purchase this guide you will be provided with a link to download the guide. Make as many copies of this guide as you need for your school and only your school. Materials that are downloaded are not returnable. 

The teacher's guide includes Content of Their Character lessons on the following topics.