KHEC Curriculum Framework 3.1
Heart Talk for Kids: An Introduction to Human Universal Needs. The foundation of Heart Talk is the understanding that all people share the same needs. Young or old, of any ethnicity, our survival depends on food, shelter, safety, and for play, peace and meaning in our lives. Heart Talk (also known as Compassionate or Nonviolent Communication) is "speaking and listening from the heart." Its purpose is to communicate with each other in empathy and to understand and see our common humanity. The curriculum that has been developed follows Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication model where children learn to make observations, get in touch with their feelings, learn the difference between a universal need and a strategy, and practice clear requests. They explore anger, empathy, gratitude, conflict resolution and look at historical and current peacemakers. A number of lessons have been developed for Pre-K through the 6th grade. They include: Observation, Feelings, Needs, Requests, Self-Empathy, Gratitude and Celebration, Anger, Empathy and Conflict Resolution, and Peace and Contribution. For additional information, visit: www.uucards.org/lassen0807.php or heartvistas.com/nvccurriculum.aspx
Love Your Neighbor: Stories of Values and Virtues by Arthur Dobrin. (1999). New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. [Reviewed by Marc Bernstein, Archivist, American Ethical Union and the New York Society for Ethical Culture]
Looking for a children's book that teaches values with a light hand, not a sledgehammer? A book that entertains as well as instructs? Try Love Your Neighbor, by Arthur Dobrin, with illustrations by Jacqueline Rogers. Dr. Dobrin, a leader in the Ethical Culture movement for over 30 years, is also a poet, a novelist, and a fine spinner of tales. In this beautiful book, he offers 13 original animal stories that teach lessons about friendship and cooperation, honesty and love, respect for individuality, the costs of stubbornness, and the idiocy of discrimination. Like all good writers, Dr. Dobrin lets the message emerge from the tale, and he ends each story with a provocative question parents can ask a child or a child can ponder alone. Some of the stories contain drama and conflict, but these are resolved in ways that teach good behavior.(One of my favorites features two obstinate camels locked in a struggle about who has the right of way at a gate.)
Adults who read this book to their children will enjoy the good prose and the vein of humor running through the stories. (Two cats go on a shopping spree in Feline's Basement.) Ms. Roger's illustration are whimsical and wonderful. Squirrels sport luxurious tails popping out of their pajama bottoms as they do good deeds at night; a giraffe sleeps in a sleeping bag as long and narrow as a dignitary's red carpet; beet-loving ostriches learn about a super-beet in an ad for Jack's Colossal Veggies. The fit between story and illustrations is splendid.
A few words about the animals as teaching devices. Every story has a different set of creatures as protagonists. In reading these tales, we not only get a moral lesson, we learn a good deal about animals: bees have six legs, spiders eight, rhinos and ostriches are vegetarians. The animals come from different parts of the world; Russian ostriches are appropriately named Boris and Natasha; when they figure out a way to harvest their giant beet, they enjoy some borscht. In this way, the animals inform young readers about different cultures as well as different virtues.
Moreover, in almost every story, Dr. Dobrin gives his animals names before we learn that they are camels or zebras or hippos. Consider this opening: "Rhonda ate all day. She ate under a cloudless sky; she ate when it thundered and poured.... Like all hippos she knew, Rhonda ate with chopsticks." This is not only wonderful writing, it also establishes immediately the personality of the protagonist. Perhaps unconsciously, Dr. Dobrin shows that creatures are more than the categories zoologists put them in. Each has a distinctive name because no two are identical and we are all better for that. This turns out to be the theme of "Shopping Spree" and "Dandelions in the Garden," but the way names are introduced in each story strengthens this message.
Unlike so many books that try to teach virtue, Love Your Neighbor will expand your child or grandchild's moral awareness without putting either adult or youngster through the wringer.
Love Your Neighbor: An Exploration of Values [Pre-School thru Elementary Age Children] by the Religious Education Committee of the American Ethical Union. (2000). New York, NY: American Ethical Union.
The Love Your Neighbor curriculum was written by the Religious Education committee of the American Ethical Union. It accompanies the book of the same name written by Arthur Dobrin, the Leader Emeritus of the Long Island Ethical Humanist Society. The curriculum, which is appropriate for preschool through early elementary aged children, includes lessons to go along with the 13 stories in the book. The lessons include art projects, songs, dramatic play, and discussion questions. Materials for the lessons are primarily basic easy-to-find supplies. These lessons can be used with a Sunday School group or at home with your children. For each lesson, key Ethical Core Values are identified, e.g.,
--Ethics is my religion.
--Every person is important and unique.
--Every person deserves t o be treated fairly and kindly.
--I can learn from everyone.
--I am part of this earth; I cherish it and all the life upon it.
--I learn from the world around me by using senses, mind, and feelings.
--I am member of the world community which depends on the cooperation of
all people for peace and justice.
--I can learn from the past to build for the future.
--I am free to question.
--I am free to choose what I believe.
--I accept responsibility for my choices and actions.
--I strive to live my values.
The curriculum guide can be downloaded by going to -- eswow.org/religious_education.php. This will provide a link to the curriculum.
Sometimes Bad Things Happen by Ellen Jackson. Brookfield, CN: Milbrook Press. 2002.
This book is designed to help children (ages 4 – 8) cope with "bad things" that occur in their everyday lives and to allow them to explore their feelings of sadness, fear, anger, etc. The author reassures youngsters that while "a few people do bad things," most people "want to make the world a better place for everyone." Older children also could use this book as a springboard for talking about their experiences and ways to handle them positively. Younger children will find comfort in expressing their own sadness and looking for a happier outcome.
It's Up to You, What Do You Do? by Sandra McLeod Humphrey. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 1999
From ages six through elementary and junior high school, young people are continuously exposed to questions of personal values; their responses help to develop those unique virtues that govern their actions for years to come. The 25 anecdotes in this book offer challenging situations involving school-age children who must make their own life choices.
If You Had to Choose, What Would You Do? by Sandra McLeod Humphrey. Amherst, NY: Prometheus, 1995.
The 25 situations presented in this book and the thought-provoking questions at the end of each story can serve as a valuable foundation to help parents and teachers talk with children about important moral and social issues. This book will guide children through everyday problems and instill in them a sense of responsibility for their own actions. See also her 2003 book More If You Had to Choose, What Would You Do? for more scenarios.
Character Building Day by Day: 180 Quick Read-Alouds for Elementary School and Home by Anne D. Mather and Louise B. Weldon. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing. 2006.
Intended for grades 3 and 4, the book includes 180 character vignettes grouped by trait. Each features children in real-life situations making decisions that reflect their character. Each can be used as starting points for discussion.
What Do You Stand For? For Teens: A Guide To Building Character
by Barbara A. Lewis. Free Spirit Publishing; 1st edition (September 2005).
This compendium of ideas, activities, and resources helps children explore who they are and develop positive traits such as caring, good citizenship, empathy, respect, peacefulness, and responsibility. Ages 9 -12. 284 pages.
10-Minute Lessons for Kids by Jamie Miller. Publisher: Harper. 1998. Includes 52 fun and simple games and activities to teach children honesty trust, love and other important values.
How To Behave And Why by Munro Leaf. New York: Rizzoli/Universe International Publications. Republished in 2002.
First published in 1946, Munro Leaf's book gives touchingly sincere yet gently funny lessons in Honesty, Fairness, Strength, and Wisdom. Originally intended for the very young, but with meaning for us all, the book is a true classic, illustrated with childlike drawings and with a timeless message.
Hey, Little Ant. Story and song by Phillip and Hannah Hoose [Posing the eternal question: “to squish or not to squish”]. Berkeley,CA: Ten Speed Press.1998.
In 1992, Phillip Hoose and his daughter Hannah, then nine, wrote a musical conversation between an ant about to get flattened and the child about to squish it. It ended with the question, "What do you think that kid should do?" Their popular recording of the song "Hey Little Ant" led to the story's publication as a children's picture book in 1998. Now the ant and the child – and their shared dilemma – are known by parents, children and educators throughout the world.
Six books for younger children on Secular Values and Virtues
Honesty:
The Empty Pot by Demi, Hitz Demi (Illustrator). New York, Macmillan/ Henry Holt and Co., 1996.
When Ping admits that he is the only child in China unable to grow a flower from the seeds distributed by the Emperor, he is rewarded for his honesty
Sharing:
Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister, New York: North-South Books, 1992.
This book tells the story of the vain, lonely Rainbow Fish who relinquishes his pride and gives away almost all of his special shiny scales to gain friends.
Equality
Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport. New York: Hyperion Books for Children. 2001.
By using simple, direct language -- much of it King's -- the text offers young readers an accessible yet profound introduction to King's legacy. It explains that as a child, he listened to his father's "big words" and vowed to inspire others with such words when he grew up.
Abundance
The Gift of Nothing by Patrick McDonnell. New York: Little, Brown Young Readers, 2005.
The problem of Mooch the cat is what to give his best friend, Earl, who has everything. How he solves the problem is pure delight, reminding young readers that the greatest gift is friendship, not things.
Self-esteem
Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell. New York: Scholastic Book Services, 2001.
Even when the class bully at her new school makes fun of her, Molly remembers what her grandmother told her and she feels good about herself.
Life Purpose
The Three Questions by Jon J. Muth (an adaptation of a short story by Tolstoy). New York: Scholastic Press, 2002.
Nikolai asks his animal friends to help him answer three important questions: "When is the best time to do things?" "Who is the most important?" and "What is the right thing to do?" To answer these questions is to know how to be a good person.