Encourage students to be RESPECTFUL, CARING, FAIR, RESPONSIBLE, and HONEST! Complete kit includes streaming, a digitally accessible Leader’s Guide with comprehensive lessons plus activities, 2 sets of photo card flip book images to project onto your smartboard or display on a computer screen for one-on-one work with kids, Back to Willow Pond storybook with discussion questions (both in PDF format and as videos you can stream).
The Building Character with Kelso curriculum develops positive character traits in elementary-aged students. The program features Kelso the Frog, a fun yet sensible mascot. Kelso keeps students interested while helping them understand and develop positive character traits to succeed socially and academically.
The curriculum contains differentiated instruction for lower and upper elementary students while keeping language consistent throughout all grade levels. Students are introduced to each trait by identifying what it looks, sounds and feels like. As the lessons progress, students develop a more complex understanding of what it means to have good character. Diverse lesson styles cater to visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners while being engaging and fun!
ABOUT EACH COMPONENT:
Leader’s Guide
This comprehensive leader’s guide includes complete lesson plans, beginning with core lessons for Grades K-3 which incorporate the use of the K-3 Photo Card Flip Book to show young students what each of the five character traits look, sound, and feel like. Core lessons are followed by K-3 Extension Lessons to be used to reinforce the core lessons throughout the school year. Each lesson varies between 30 – 40 minutes, and includes a “Preparation Difficulty” gauge to help busy counselors quickly know how much prep time each lesson will require.
Upper elementary students (grades 4-5) have their own lessons based around the K.C. Star visual rather than the Kelso Star. These lessons have more mature, age-appropriate content that address pre-teen social issues such as social media and friendship drama. The upper elementary section includes core lessons for Grades 4-5 which incorporate the use of the Grades 4-5 Photo Card Flip Book. Core lessons are followed by Grades 4-5 Extension Lessons to support the core lessons throughout the year.
At the back of the leader’s guide, there are Reinforcement Activities (quick, fun worksheets to support the lessons of the curriculum), as well as Reproducible Masters (useful documents to be reproduced for staff, parents, and students – included on the CD).
View Table of Contents: Click here
Photo Card Flip Book images
This curriculum comes with 2 sets of images (one for Grades K-3, one for Grades 4-5). These photos display each of the 5 character traits in 3 settings – at home, in class, and on the playground. For every setting, photos of children display a situation where the student is clearly not using the character trait. Below the large image is a brief description of what is being displayed to give students context. Students are then asked to describe how the people in the image feel, sound and feel like. Then, students are asked to predict what the situation will look like with the character trait. On the following card, the image depicts the same situation with the children using the character trait. Students are then asked follow-up questions to close out the scenario card.
Streaming video
The streaming video includes five vignettes for grades K-3, and five vignettes for grades 4-5.
Presents a scenario for each of the five character traits for K-3 students and five different scenarios for upper elementary students. This video program helps children understand the meaning of these complex concepts by presenting short, true-to-life vignettes. Watch as students approach an everyday situation without utilizing a good character skill, followed by a vignette of the students approaching the same situation, this time, using the good character skill. Students will see how other children apply good character in class, at recess and at home.
Storybook
This full-color storybook explains what each character trait is through whimsical stories about Kelso the Frog and his Willow Pond friends. Read entertaining stories such as how two raccoon siblings sneakily steal Sally the Squirrel’s stash of winter nuts and the lessons they learned, plus more! Each story includes discussion questions throughout the story as well as a list of questions to ask students at the end of every story.
Plus an audio recording of the original Back to Willow Pond Storybook – hit play and sit back
Powerpoints of posters and peripherals for you to project onto your smartboard for a quick visual without the paper.
