Responsibility

Word of the Month

September
Definition and Color Being accountable in word and deed. Having a sense of duty to fulfill tasks with reliability, dependability and commitment. Color: Black

Holiday: Labor Day The labor of our parents, community and nation is a responsibility that is sometimes taken lightly by students. Talk about the importance of a holiday set aside for the celebration of labor.
Teaching Strategies from KDE While character education is not mandatory this web site offers additional instructional tools for teachers which could be used with their existing curriculum. The purpose of this web site is for teachers to use it to blend Character Education related teaching strategies into their curriculum rather than creating a separate add-on curriculum. Decisions about how to incorporate character education into the daily classroom curriculum are local decisions best made by teachers, administrators, school board members and parents at the school site. The links below will help teachers find strategies on the word of the month on a level best suited to the class they teach.
Suggested Reading Now One Foot, Now the Other (Tomie DePaolo)
Horton Hatches the Egg (Dr. Seuss)
Horton Hears a Who! (Dr. Seuss)
Leah's Pony (Elizabeth Friedrich)
The Pearl (Helme Heine)
Responsibility  
When the Boys Ran the House  
Backyard Angel  
The Story of Johah (Kurt Baumann)
Samuel Eaton's Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy (Kate Waters)
Good Griselle (Jane Yolen)
The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest (Lynne Cherry)
In My Mother's House (Ann Nolan Clark)
Miss Rumphius (Barbara Cooney)
The Summer of the Swans (Betsy Byars)
George Washington: A Picture Biography (James Giblin)
Rikki Tikki Tavi (Rudyard Kipling)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis)
The Legend of King Arthur (Robin Lister)
Kate Shelley: Bound for Legend (Robert San Souci)
The Barn (Avi)
Andy Buckram's Tin Man (Carol Ryrie Brink)
A River Ran Wild (Lynne Cherry)
My Brother Sam is Dead (James Lincoln Collier)
The Ballad of Lucy Whipple (Cushman)
The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
The Slave Dance (Paula Fox)
Lincoln: A Photobiography (Russell Freedman)
Summer of My German Soldier (Bette Greene)
Have Space Suit, Will Travel (Robert A. Heinlien)
Across Five Aprils (Irene Hunt)
Sing Down the Moon (Scott O'Dell)
Lyddie (Katherine Paterson)
The Sign of the Beaver (Elizabeth George Speare)
Call it Courage (Armstrong Sperry)
When the Road Ends (J. Thresman)
Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain)
Dicey's Song (Cynthia Voight)
Where the Lilies Bloom (Bill and Vera Cleaver)
Flour Babies (Anne Fine)
Old Yeller (Frank Gipson)
The Red Pony (John Steinbeck)
Silas Marner (George Eliot)
The Things They Carried (O'Brien)
Family Activities

Parents can give their children tasks and duties at home where they can demonstrate responsibility such as washing dishes, running errands, etc.

Teach your children to honor their responsibilities to the community by volunteering with them to work for a charity group for a period of time.

Talk to your teenage children about the responsibilities of being a parent; of providing for a child; and the commitment of time, money, and energy required to raise a child. Help them to at least partially understand what an awesome responsibility it is to be a parent.

 Encourage your children to tell the truth about their mistakes. Make it clear that you expect them to admit to their mistakes and take responsibility for their actions. If they admit to doing something wrong before they are caught, thank them and let them know that since they took responsibility they are in less trouble then if they had tried to hide it.

 Take this opportunity to thank your children’s teachers for their efforts to help you educate your child. Let them know that you appreciate their willingness to help you educate your children.

 
Suggested Movies

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
It’s a Wonderful Life

Lord of the Rings/ "The Fellowship of the Ring"

Old Yeller/ Disney

The Chronicles of Narnia/ Disney

Apollo 13

The Pursuit of Happyness with Will Smith

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