Using Children's Literature to Teach Character Education in a Third Grade classroom

Abstract

Character education is a growing topic for today’s schools. As adults, and educators, it’s our responsibility to prepare students for adulthood by teaching them ethical citizenship through character education. Children’s literature engages students in stories that can connect to their own lives through their learned and/or personal experiences, called transactional theory. This study addresses how character education can be implemented into a third-grade classroom’s reading curriculum by using children’s literature and engaging students in discussions and writing responses. Through evaluating pre and post-surveys, discussions, writing responses, and a comprehension assessment it is evident that student growth in character education occurred. The use of children’s literature in a classroom can be an effective tool to teach reading comprehension strategies and character education.