Elementary Decision Skills
3. Defining Ethical V alues
E THICAL V ALUES AND O THER
K INDS OF V ALUES
PURPOSE
• To help students begin to understand what ethics means
• To distinguish ethical values from other kinds of values
PREPARATION AND MATERIALS
Photocopy the Ethical Values and Other Kinds of Values handout. Photocopy the Ethical
Values and Other Kinds of Values worksheet. Arrange your classroom so students can
work in small groups on this activity.
PROCESS
• Read the text together as a whole class, or in small groups if that seems more
appropriate. Discuss the ideas in the text and the different terms targeted.
• Next, break your class into small groups, if you have not already done so. Pass out
copies of the Ethical Values and Other Kinds of Values worksheet. Ask students to
work together in their small groups to determine the ethical and nonethical values
in each example. Ask them to mark “E” over the ethical and “N” over the nonethical values, as per the directions at the top of the sheet.
• Then, as an extension to the worksheet, invite each group to choose a scenario to
perform for the class (or assign one to each group). Give students time to prepare
their skits.
• After each group presents to the class, use the opportunity to firm up the difference between ethical values and other kinds of values through discussion about
the skit.
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Elementary Decision Skills
E THICAL V ALUES AND O THER
K INDS OF V ALUES
The word ethics has to do with good or doing the right thing. An
ethical decision is the kind of decision that has to do with making a
good choice. When people talk about values, they are often
referring to ethical values—the kind of values that have to do
with being good or doing the right thing. They mean the values
that are good for a family.
There are lots of values, however, that have nothing to do with
ethics. It is important to be able to tell the difference between
ethical values and nonethical values if you want to get at the
most basic ideas about goodness or doing the right thing. In the
scenarios on the worksheet, you’ll be exploring the difference
between ethical and nonethical values.
If you feel some confusion about the difference, try this test. Ask
yourself, “Is this value about goodness, or doing the right thing?
Would you consider a person with this value to be a better person than someone without this value?”
INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL ETHICS
Elementary Decision Skills
E THICAL V ALUES AND O THER
K INDS OF V ALUES
In each of the following examples, the ethical values and the
nonethical values are underlined. Write an “E” over the ethical
values. Write an “N” over the nonethical values. The first one is
done for you.
SCENARIO #1: Jeff is very athletic and he plays on the basketball
team. What I like most about the way he plays is that he’s such a
team player. He would never keep the ball just to make a fancy
play. He’s considerate of everybody else on his team.
N
Is being athletic about goodness or doing the right thing?
E
Is considerate?
SCENARIO #2: Sheila is one of the most responsible people I
know. She is very adventurous and likes to challenge herself in
all sorts of ways, but she doesn’t forget to be sensible. Once
some of us climbed a really tall tree together, and then I had
trouble getting down. Sheila didn’t just run off, but helped me
find a way to the ground. She knew I could have hurt myself if
she hadn’t stayed to help.
INSTITUTE
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GLOBAL ETHICS
Elementary Decision Skills
Is being responsible about goodness or doing the right thing?
Is adventurous?
SCENARIO #3: I like visiting Rakesh’s family because they’re so
hospitable. They’re pretty wealthy, but they never make me feel
uncomfortable at their home. Just the opposite is true. They
make me feel like a part of the family and we always have lots
of fun.
Is being hospitable about goodness or doing the right thing?
Is wealthy?
SCENARIO #4: I like Samantha because she’s respectful of everybody, even though she can be really funny. Some kids tell jokes
that are hurtful and mean. Samantha knows how to make everybody laugh, and nobody gets hurt.
Is being respectful about goodness or doing the right thing?
Is funny?
INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL ETHICS
Elementary Decision Skills
SCENARIO #5: Barry is very musical, and sometimes I wish I
could play the guitar as well as he can. I also admire his honesty.
The other day, when band practice didn’t go very well, he was
the first to admit that he hadn’t really practiced the way he’d
promised.
Is being musical about goodness or doing the right thing?
Is honesty?
SCENARIO #6: Jill is very creative and will probably become an
artist someday. She’s a great help when we work on group projects because she always has good ideas about what we should
do. She also is cooperative with everyone else. When we work
together, I never feel like she’s bossing me around, even though
she usually knows the best way to go about getting the job
done.
Is being creative about goodness or doing the right thing?
Is cooperative?
INSTITUTE
FOR
GLOBAL ETHICS
Elementary Decision Skills
3. Defining Ethical V alues
C ATEGORIZING V ALUES
PURPOSE
• To continue exploration of ethical values and other types of values
PREPARATION AND MATERIALS
Photocopy the Which is It? worksheet. You can make a copy for each student, to fill out
independently, or enough copies for students to work with in small groups (one copy per
group). Or, if you think this would benefit your class more, transcribe the worksheet’s
values list onto chart paper and work as a whole group. Have chart paper and markers
ready to make a class poster.
TIP: You can use this activity to assess students’ understanding of the concept of ethical
values.
PROCESS
• Have your students work through the worksheet individually, in pairs, or as a
whole class.
• Once the worksheet is complete, check answers and make sure the meaning of ethical value is clear.
• Now use the students’ work to make a poster. List “Ethical Values” in one column
on the poster. List “Nonethical Values” in another column.
• Leave space in the Ethical Values column for more words. Throughout literature,
history, science, and other content area studies, you will come across more examples of ethical values. Add to the list as your students discover new words, helping
them to make connections to ethics from a variety of subject matter.
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Elementary Decision Skills
WHICH IS I T ?
All the words listed below represent values. Circle the words
that represent ethical values.
Honest
Playful
Serious
Smart
Gentle
Considerate
Careful
Kind
Adventurous
Outgoing
Genuine
Witty
Athletic
Responsible
Artistic
Reserved
Creative
Respectful
Attentive
Hospitable
Open
Fair
Ambitious
Brave
INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL ETHICS
Elementary Decision Skills
3. Defining Ethical V alues
C HARACTER T RAITS :
FAMOUS P EOPLE
PURPOSE
• To further explore ethical values and how they differ from other kinds of values
PREPARATION AND MATERIALS
Arrange reading groups as you deem appropriate. (Some teachers like to mix reading
abilities and personalities; others prefer to arrange the reading groups according to proficiency.) Find level-appropriate biographies or passages from biographies of respected
people in history. You will need chart paper and some simple guidelines for student
research. Students will need time to research and carry out the assignment.
PROCESS
• Provide students with the opportunity to read about respected people in history.
As they read, ask them to look for character traits that seem to represent important values.
• Have the students list these traits on chart paper.
• After they are finished reading and listing character traits, ask them to test each
trait as was done for them in the Ethical Values and Other Kinds of Values
activity.
• Have each group present their findings to the class. Post the lists of values in the
classroom.
• As an extension to the research, invite each reading group to write an imaginary
interview with the famous person they have studied. Or, they might act out the
most interesting event from their reading.
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Elementary Decision Skills
3. Defining Ethical V alues
C HARACTER T RAITS IN
T RADITIONAL L ITERATURE
PURPOSE
• To discover the role that values play in different genres of children’s literature
PREPARATION AND MATERIALS
Gather examples of fables, fairy tales, folk tales, myths, and/or any other literature genre
with which your students are already familiar. Arrange your class in reading groups (see
the Character Traits: Famous People activity).
PROCESS
• Ask each group to explore four or five stories from each genre. As they read the
stories, have the students list the character traits of the heroes or sympathetic
characters in each story. (Villains have character traits too, but they are usually
negative. Focus on the positive ones.)
• After they are finished reading and listing the character traits, ask them to test
each trait as was done in the Ethical Values and Other Kinds of Values activity.
• Then have each group present their findings to the class. Post their lists of values
in the classroom. Use extension activities like the ones described in the Character
Traits: Famous People activity, if time allows.
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Elementary Decision Skills
3. Defining Ethical V alues
A N OTE TO P ARENTS
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All of us have different kinds of values. Our
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ethical values define what we think of as “good
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or right.” This week in school we are working
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on identifying ethical values and other kinds of
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values.
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GLOBAL ETHICS