The 3rd Grade Worksheet, Book 5, Character Traits is part of the Activities for Third Grade Resource Kit. It provides a foundation for a course about Character and Human Nature that helps students develop how to look at life through the eyes of a character and to be more responsible for their actions.
The worksheet addresses five traits of good behavior, which are: Honesty, Dedication, Loyalty, Respect and Conscientiousness. Each trait is represented by a single character trait that is either written or illustrated. Students are then asked to identify the trait they are thinking of when writing the trait, and then indicate what those traits mean to them in their own words.
Traits are listed according to their strengths and weaknesses, but you can also think of them as working toward a common goal. When you consider that everyone has strengths and weaknesses, you can start to see the character traits in the workbook as a system to help students to harness their inherent abilities. This worksheet is designed for young children to use at home and school to help them learn to set goals, plan for them, and work towards them. There are two main sections of the worksheet, the assessment section and the planning section.
The assessment section provides students with a list of character traits that they are going to review during class and one or more charts they can use to relate their traits to a chart. The goals outlined in the workbook relate to the different character traits which are listed below.
Honesty is a character trait that refers to how the student will be honest in telling other students the truth. Students are asked to write their thoughts on what honesty means to them and then they will be asked to identify the traits that they think make them honest. When students are using this worksheet, they are not allowed to answer more than one question, so they will only be allowed to answer one trait at a time.
Loyalty is another trait, this time associated with the concept of belonging. When students are asked to identify loyalty in the assessment section, they are asked to write their opinions on what being loyal means to them. They are also asked to determine whether the trait they have written about matches up with their ideas of loyalty. In the planning section, students are given a list of things they can do to be loyal. Some of the things students can do include setting aside a certain amount of time each day to spend with their family, or setting aside specific times when they can be loyal to the school and parents.
Respect is another trait that is discussed in the assessment section. When students are asked to choose between different character traits for respect, they are asked to identify the traits that they think make someone respect others. They are also asked to state whether these traits are qualities they have already learned and practiced. One student could be told that they respect the teacher’s opinion but that they didn’t pay attention to a test and another student could be told that they respect others who study in their class. The traits to consider are honesty, sincerity, friendliness, respect, and responsibility.
When you are considering what characteristics you want to teach in your classroom, think about which traits are important to you. Once you’ve chosen a trait or two to teach, use the worksheet to encourage students to think about those traits and write them down. Students will find that this worksheet provides them with a learning experience in which they will learn about themselves, how they behave, and why it is important to set goals.
