Character Trait Songbook and CD
A School Year Character Trait Program
A School Year Collection of Songs of Integrity (©2010)
During each month of the school year, students in every classroom sing the character trait song that has been assigned for that month. They discuss the meaning of the trait and start looking for peers and teachers who demonstrate that trait. Every time a student is caught demonstrating that character trait, they are given a colored strip of construction paper. They put their name on the paper and add it to the chain that has been started by the teacher. By the end of the month, each class has a paper chain of a certain length with the names of each student who demonstrated that month’s character trait.
At the end of the month, the school has an assembly and all the chains from each class are stapled together to form one very long chain. This chain is put up at the top molding of the multipurpose room or auditorium/cafeteria. By the end of the school year, the walls are covered with the concrete examples of how the Character Trait Program has benefited the school population.
This program can result in the following changes in your student’s attitudes and behaviors:
- They learn effective communication skills
- They learn how to achieve goals
- They learn to overcome shyness
- They learn to resolve issues
- They learn to believe in themselves
- They learn that everyone is responsible for themselves
- They learn to care
- They learn to stay positive
- They learn persistence
There is no doubt that the existence of some sort of character trait program in a school setting positively affects both student academic performance and student behavior. There is also ample evidence that the ability of students to handle crisis situations, make tough decisions and deal with difficult relationships improves dramatically after a character trait program has been introduced.
The earlier we begin to address the need for positive behavior in our students, the earlier students begin to learn how to relate successfully with others. They learn that their positive or negative thoughts and actions concerning other people directly relates to their attitude and the skills they had practiced during the Character Trait program.
Music is one very effective method for helping elementary aged students understand their feelings and how their feelings relate to the feelings of others. Singing in a group together, whether it is a class of thirty students, a grade level of one hundred students or a whole school of 500 students, brings a special focus to that group activity. That focus adds credibility to the importance of the content area. In other words, they are more likely to believe in the need for being honest when an entire school population is enthusiastically singing "The Honesty Song."
Musical jingles get stuck in our minds and repeat over and over without our consent and even sometimes without our knowledge. The memory of a Character Trait song will last in the brain much longer than a lecture on the importance of character. The process of singing touches both the affective and the cognitive aspect of the student’s mind.
This program involves the school as a whole which brings the school population closer together. Teachers and students in every classroom discuss the Character Trait for that month and also sing a song about that character trait. The songs are in many different upbeat styles and have been successfully tried and tested on elementary school students. In fact, students helped to choose whether the song would have a pop beat, a blues sound or rock and roll. When the entire school sings the song at the end-of-the-month awards assembly, even the visiting parents comprehend how the students are learning character.
This year long series of Character Trait songs helps students to define and practice being good citizens. They learn how to cooperate, overcome fear and how to be generous. They learn to respect all people and all things and to take responsibility for their actions, thoughts and feelings. They learn the value of honesty and kindness. The songs they will be singing deal with these traits:
Only $25.00 (including shipping)