Book Description

Developing standards of the heart means becoming a caring, contributing, productive, and responsible member of society. It includes being successful in school; making responsible decisions; caring about others; contributing to society; developing social and personal skills, such as problem solving, accepting various perspectives, and setting and attaining goals; and developing a core set of common values. This guide is intended to be a resource for parents and educators to use in choosing quality children's literature that exemplifies positive character development. The guide is divided into these sections: "Introduction" ("A Definition of Standards of the Heart"; "Fostering Standards of the Heart in the English/Language Arts Curriculum"; "Planning for Language Arts Instruction";"Best Practices in Reading and Literature"; "Teaching and Planning for a Reading Task"); "Standards of the Heart: A Bibliography of Literature for Children and Young Adults" ("Introduction"; "Promote Core Values"; "Safe School Environment"; "Family and Community Involvement"; "Address Societal Issues"; "Develop Positive Relationships"; "Engage Students' Minds"; "Set High Expectations"); and "Sample Teaching-Learning Strategies" ("Introduction"; "Teaching-Learning Strategy: Identify Core Values"; "Teaching-Learning Strategy: Explore Value Conflicts"; Teaching-Learning Strategy: Explore Feelings and Develop Empathy"; "Teaching-Learning Strategy: Examine Cultural Norms"). (Contains 3 appendices: "The Importance of a District Selection Policy"; "Annual List of Children's and Young Adults' Literature: Awards and Distinctions"; and "Resources for Identifying Books for Use in the Classroom.") (BT)