Character builders cover

Character builders

by Liz Knowles

"This book by well-known authors Liz Knowles and Martha Smith (Boys and Literacy, Reading Rules!, etc.) fills the need for a K-12 resource for teachers and librarians searching for materials and activity ideas at all grade levels. It consists of 12 chapters--one on each virtue: empathy, respect, courage, humor, responsibility, perseverance, loyalty, honesty, cooperation, tolerance, citizenship, and forgiveness. Each chapter has a listing of related virtues, a definition, several useful famous quotes, listings of people and organizations who have demonstrated the virtue, related topics for further curricular exploration and discussion questions. There is also a complete listing of annotated titles divided into five sections: picture books, primary (gr. 1-3), intermediate (gr. 3-5), middle school (gr. 5-8) and young adult (gr. 8-12). In addition, Knowles and Smith offer lists of other good professional books and Web sites to consult in building your school's character education program. A unique feature of this book is a section in each chapter called, in action in which the authors offer ideas to share with students such as Empathy in action: Be polite in the cafeteria, Be kind and helpful to those with mental and physical challenges, Share your supplies with those who have none. Grades K-12"--Publisher's website. Recommends six hundred books that encourage character traits such as responsibility, perseverance, and cooperation, and contains categorized entries that give a synopsis of each book.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?