Teaching the Value of
Work Ethic
Grades 5-Adult
All Subjects
60-180 Minutes
Overview
Materials
This lesson has been designed to engage students in a real, honest look at the
purpose of work ethic. It contains an effective rubric measuring several aspects
of work ethic that students may not have considered before. The lesson will
serve as a stand-alone introduction piece or as an embedded guide to projects,
continually used as a peer-review and self-assessment of student’s own work
ethic.
This Lesson Plan includes:
•
Introductory Activity
•
Work Ethic Rubric
•
Collaborative Strategies
Objectives
•
Ideas for Extension
Activities and Rubric will force students to internalize work ethic with the
intent of creating a deliberate attitude change on developing a stronger work
ethic toward academics.
•
Scaffolded Questions for
discussion
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Activities
The instructional design I follow with this lesson is more exploratory in nature. I do not announce that we will be now studying
work ethic. I allow it to unfold to perk their curiosity in the topic.
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Start with “12 Who Mattered” Activity. I tell them that this is a 2-part activity. The first is a 3-minute timed part. “When
I say go, turn the sheet over, read the directions and stop when I say “time”.”
Following the 3-minute time, I then say, “I want you to take your sheet, and complete the bottom 6 boxes with names
from your peers in the room. Walk around, see who others came up with to represent effort = achievement and write in
the 6 names you like best.
At this point, you can spend as much time as you like identifying and discussing the people as case studies. I write the
formula on the whiteboard “effort=achievement” and ask students for other terms that we use besides effort. When
someone responds with work ethic, I write this below the formula on the board too.
If you want to spend more time here, you could have groups of 3-4 students create a couple of graphic organizers on their
people.
Pass out the copy of the Work Ethic Rubric and read through it with the class. Use the Scaffolded Questions for
Discussion to guide your students with this sheet.
“Next Steps” will be determined by you as the instructor. You can use this as a mentoring, assessment aid with students
using to self-assess. You can use it during collaborative projects to have students engage in a peer-review to use with
assessment phase. You can put aside and use it as a referral piece when you discuss work ethic or lack of.
Adaptations
1.
The file contains a pdf version and a document version of the work ethic rubric. Several teachers have found, given their
grade level and student demographic, the need to vary the categories and/or descriptions.
Teaching the Value of Work Ethic
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Twelve Who Mattered
Directions: There are 12 boxes below. You have exactly 3 minutes to fill in the first 6 boxes
with the name of a person whose life demonstrates:
EFFORT = ACHIEVEMENT
The names can be anyone you know personally or have read about, living or dead.
You just need to be able to justify to the rest of us that they meet our effort = achievement criteria.
Only fill in the top 6 boxes…GO!
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Scaffolded Questions for Work Ethic Rubric
Teacher’s Guide: Scaffolding your questions to students allows them to build on their understanding and synthesis of the topics as
you ask questions at different cognitive levels.
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Who are the two people you heard mentioned in our “Twelve That Mattered” that you think really exemplify the best
work ethic? (knowledge)
What did you use as your criteria to judge the people you included? (understanding)
In your own life, what are some behaviors you use to demonstrate your work ethic? (application)
Which 2-3 characteristics do you think best illustrate someone has a good work ethic? (analysis)
Let’s take 5 specific people and list on the white board. From our knowledge of these people and their achievements, what
2-3 key traits do you think they have in common? (synthesis)
Read through the rubric, which columns surprise you that they are included in an evaluation of “work ethic”? (evaluation)
If you had to add a column to the work ethic criteria, what is a trait that our rubric could be improved by? (creation)
I like to have the students circle the sections to assess themselves in each category.
You can use it as a discussion tool, a growth tool to revisit throughout the year, or as a peer assessment tool for projects.
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WORK ETHIC EVALUATION
WORK ETHIC
EXCELLENT
ACCEPTABLE
UNACCEPTABLE
Hands in work on time
in high quality form.
Hands in work on time
but had to rush to
finish & the work
quality has
Work not handed in on time.
CRITERIA
DEADLINES
suffered.
Listens and reads
directions; able to work
without supervision;
works the entire time
Works on assigned
projects, but must ask
for extra instructions
or concentration level
varies
Must be told to get back to
work or to begin working;
distracts others.
Has proper materials
every day; ready to
participate in each day’s
activities.
Has proper materials
but must scramble at
times to get them;
ready to participate
Borrowing or searching for
material; not ready to
participate.
Works toward
achievement of group
goals; promotes group
interaction.
Works toward group
goals and expresses
ideas with prompting.
Does not work toward group
goals; does not participate in
group interaction.
COMMUNICATION
Listens and participates;
follows written and oral
directions; speaks and
writes effectively 100% of
the time.
Listens and
participates; follows
written and oral
directions; speaks and
writes effectively with
some prompting.
Does not listen and/or
participate; does not follow
directions, does not express
spoken or written language
clearly.
Generally uses good
manners and show
concern for others.
Seldom uses good manners or
shows concern for others.
RESPECTFULNESS
Frequently uses good
manners and shows
concern for others.
PRODUCTIVITY
PREPAREDNESS
TEAMWORK
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