Character Based Literacy Program

1. Bob is the School Program Manager for CBL and trainer in Northern California. He has been involved with the program since it�s inception 15 years ago. Bob is the School Program Manager for CBL and trainer in Northern California. He has been involved with the program since it�s inception 15 years ago.

2. The Character Based Literacy (CBL) Program is both a :  Character Education Project Character Literacy Project The object is to: Promote school practices that positively influence the processes by which school pupils become good people, good citizens.

3. This can be accomplished by: Making use of effective and efficient methods to influence the values, thought processes and coping skills of students such that habits and choices result in pro-social rather than anti-social behavior.

6. CBL is a project that intends to serve students who: Have had marginal success in school Are at serious risk for school failure and antisocial behavior

7. What are the outcomes of schooling? Knowledge: what I know Skills: what I am able to do Character: the kind of person I become

8. What do we mean by character? Sum of my virtues and vices Who I am today as a result of all that I have become and overcome in my life as well as who I will be in the future as a result of what I do today

9. How is moral life properly influenced in a public school? Formed by two universal moral values forming the core of a public, teachable morality (Thomas Likona): Respect -- worth of someone or something Responsibility -- active side of morality One of the foremost modern-day authorities and champions for character education is Developmental psychologist,Thomas Likona. Thomas Likona says that "RESPONSIBILITY is the active side of morality. It includes taking care of self and others, fulfilling our obligations, contributing to our communities, alleviating suffering, and building a better world." (Educating For Character: How our Schools Can Teach Respect and Responsibility) Likona is a professor of education at State University of New York @ Cortland and directs the center for 4th and 5th Rs -- respect and responsibility.One of the foremost modern-day authorities and champions for character education is Developmental psychologist,Thomas Likona. Thomas Likona says that "RESPONSIBILITY is the active side of morality. It includes taking care of self and others, fulfilling our obligations, contributing to our communities, alleviating suffering, and building a better world." (Educating For Character: How our Schools Can Teach Respect and Responsibility) Likona is a professor of education at State University of New York @ Cortland and directs the center for 4th and 5th Rs -- respect and responsibility.

10. What is Character Education as we use the term? Everything we do in school that influences the kind of person that I (or anyone else) becomes Not a subject, or an activity, it is the curriculum done with people in mind It is based on:

12. What prompted the Character Based Literacy Program? First conceptualized 10-15 years ago by Steve Johnson, Santa Clara University, for students in the juvenile justice system. Changed as a result of the new California Reading/Language Arts Standards with accountability through evidence.

13. Organized in five value themed units Quarter 1 -- Responsibility is the active side of morality: doing what I should do, doing what I say I will do, doing what is best for everybody; especially doing the one thing I should be doing right now. Quarter 2 -- Change is possible. Change requires three things; a vision, a plan, and effort. It requires changing bad habits to good habits. It requires even when I don�t feel like working. It requires taking one step at a time. Quarter 3 --There are things I can not say or do to myself, any other person, or the planet because justice demands it. The actions I take and the decisions I make must respect the rights of others. Quarter 4 -- Courage is risk for a reason, not risk for a thrill; courage requires I moderate my impulses and emotions. Courage leads me to consider the heroic journey in which people live for purposes bigger than themselves and their wants and needs. Quarter 5 -- Integrity requires that the way I live my life is whole, entire, undivided, sound, coherent and principled. Integrity moves me to do difficult and new things not just easy and accustomed things. Quarter 1 -- Responsibility is the active side of morality: doing what I should do, doing what I say I will do, doing what is best for everybody; especially doing the one thing I should be doing right now. Quarter 2 -- Change is possible. Change requires three things; a vision, a plan, and effort. It requires changing bad habits to good habits. It requires even when I don�t feel like working. It requires taking one step at a time. Quarter 3 --There are things I can not say or do to myself, any other person, or the planet because justice demands it. The actions I take and the decisions I make must respect the rights of others. Quarter 4 -- Courage is risk for a reason, not risk for a thrill; courage requires I moderate my impulses and emotions. Courage leads me to consider the heroic journey in which people live for purposes bigger than themselves and their wants and needs. Quarter 5 -- Integrity requires that the way I live my life is whole, entire, undivided, sound, coherent and principled. Integrity moves me to do difficult and new things not just easy and accustomed things.

14. The theme units move students away from: Anti-social thoughts, values and behaviors and into pro-social thoughts, values and behaviors

15. Accomplished by: Engaging students in literature that is acceptable for grade level credit Engages their imaginations Connects them to characters they care about Provides opportunities to discuss the value context of the literature

16. Daily writing in integrated language arts lessons Accomplished with the use of the six language arts Reading Writing Listening Speaking Viewing Visually representing

17. Lessons are rooted in a particular text where students: Prepare to read Read Respond to and react to Explore more deeply and then Extend to their lives and the world

18. Phases of the lessons consist of Short activities based on a collection of nearly a hundred literacy strategies which have been validated by research in the teaching of English language arts and found usable by teachers of our special populations

19. In addition, there are: Daily lessons that pay attention to particular values in the readings Teach rational ways of thinking about problems and conflicts in the story Teach skills for coping with situations such as those faced by characters in the day�s readings

20. The program is coordinated and coherent Classrooms using program are reading literature from a limited list Those in the program are teaching the same unit, same book and doing the same lessons in a given week Students lose little if any ground when they move from one CBL site to another Poverty Custody changes Court decisions School problems Multitude of other reasons Poverty Custody changes Court decisions School problems Multitude of other reasons

21. Teacher support is provided through Initial training in program methods Regular updated session at sites called CBL Next Consultations with CBL staff Wealth of program materials including daily lesson plans in English/language arts and social studies available on the program web site

22. Web site access: www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/cblp

23. Major funding for the development of the CBL Program Walter S. Johnson Foundation Markkula Family Foundation Southern California expansion provided by the Daniels Fund and the Von Der Ahe Foundation Funding for CBL New Solutions provided by Verity Corportion, Adeptec Corporation, Affymetrix Corporation, Symantec Corporation, Thane Kreiner and Cheryl Breetmor

24. For further information on the Character Based Literacy Program: