By Laura Gallinari
Download full lesson plan as PDF.
Get the related handouts: Virtue Worksheet | Prompt Sheet
Course | English Language Arts 11–12
Length | 90 minutes of class time (two 45-minute periods, or alternatively, one 90-minute period). Extension activities are also provided.
Writing for Big Questions Online, Roy Baumeister, a professor of psychology at Florida State University, poses the age-old question: Can virtuous habits be cultivated?
He writes:
Doing what is right requires strenuous effort to resist the alluring temptations of vice. You strive to resist selfish impulses and push yourself to do what moral duty prescribes. Virtue is hard work
Or is it? Could virtue become a habit–that is, a … Read more »
Distinguished scholar-teachers Amy and Leon Kass demonstrate how short stories, speeches, and songs can be used to enhance civic education and how a pedagogical approach that stresses learning through inquiry can make primary sources come alive for students of all ages.
View the CurriculumBuy the Book
“What a wonderful collection of American songs, speeches, and stories. It should be valuable for teachers, students, parents, and readers of all kinds.”
— Diane Ravitch