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MORAL VALUES

1.

Teaching values through stories with morals or lessons: Another way of

approaching morals, values, and worldviews is through stories and
examples that speak directly to particular values. A story is told with a
lesson embedded in it. Typically, the stories show how to behave or how
not to obey in situations where a decision has to be made. Often in
these stories right behaviors and actions are rewarded and, of course,
wrong behaviors bring undesirable consequences.
Fables and parables have been used to teach right and wrong for
thousands of years. This approach is most effective when the listener or
reader is provoked to think by the story and then through discussion and
thought discovers the lesson embedded in the story. Obviously, the
lesson in the story can be too difficult to figure out or too obvious. When
either is true, the approach is not very successful. It also fails if a lesson
runs contrary to the existing worldview of the audience and when the
story seems to be an attempt to force a belief that they do not want to
accept. The story approach offers a lot of possibilities for the teacher.
Most importantly, stories have plots, characters, and settingsall factors
that make them both interesting to listen to or read and, at the same
time, memorable.
Nonfiction or fiction stories provide a way to look at different cultures,
different times, and different beliefs. Every folk story tells a great deal
about the culture from which it came. It shows what those people
believed and, more importantly, what they thought was worth teaching
or passing along to the younger generation.
Stories offer opportunity for discussion and thinking, for questions, for
focusing on alternatives, and for comparison both with other stories and
with personal experiences. Students can learn through dramatizing
experiences with stories, through looking at character motivation,
through examining alternative outcomes and beginnings, and through
looking at the author's viewpoint, for example.

http://www.education.com/reference/article/develop-values/
Use childrens literature to share examples of caring. Early childhood educators should be aware that
using childrens literature to foster caring in children is both supported and criticized in the
professional literature. The well-established practice of bibliotherapy where carefully chosen
literature is used to help people solve problems certainly supports the idea. Yet, there are others who
criticize the practice of using moral stories to build character. They suggest that labeling a complex
set of behaviors with one word like respect or loyalty does not help children understand its
meaning (Narvaez, 2002). They also suggest that the use of childrens literature in this way is not
consistent with constructivist theory in that it represents an effort to give children a sense of morality
rather than providing them with experiences to develop their own understandings about what it means
to do the right thing (Narvaez, 2001, 2002).
While its important to keep these criticisms in mind, its also wise to refer back to the idea of
interactive discussion as an effective strategy in helping children construct their views of morality.
Childrens literature often serves as an excellent stimulus for such discussion. Rather than just
reading a book from cover to cover with children, teachers should help children uncover the meaning
and personal implications of the story through thoughtful discussion. Such discussion should be
based on the understanding that books cant give children morality but that they can serve as stimuli
for meaningful social interaction. Readers should be reminded that morality arises out of social
interactions and social relationships (Coles, 1997, 1986). (See page 20 for suggested childrens
books for fostering caring in young children.)

http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?
ArticleID=565

The most important part of a teachers job is the appropriate selection of a story.
Here is a list of the most important story selection criteria as suggested by Ellis,
Brewster, Armstrong, Bell and others:
1. Childrens age
2. The level of language of the target group
3. Interest and motivation
4. Balance of new and familiar language
5. Illustrations
6. Natural repetition
7. Practice of pronunciation
8. Creation of positive attitudes

It is also essential to remember in selecting a story that since children can

identify

with the characters and through the use of their imagination they become a part
of the
story, the teacher should try to choose a story that fits the childrens interests.

Illustrations are an inherent part of all storybooks. They synchronise with the
text and help children to understand the story and develop their visual literacy.
They
may also help children to understand the unknown vocabulary. Children are able
to
predict the story just by looking at illustrations, which may lead to the most
important skill speaking. Other than that, authentic storybook writers and
illustrators may choose different print styles, artistic mediums and genres so that
children may get to know them and learn about them in their art lessons. This
represents another example of cross-curricular links.
Illustrations play a very important role in books. They are invaluable and
irreplaceable. They help children understand and decode the story and improve
their
visual literacy. Illustrations in books can help children develop skills such as
'reading' pictures and getting meaning from them. As previously noted, by
selecting
different types and genres of books with various kinds of illustrations, graphics
and
photographs, teachers inform children about artwork and develop their feelings
for
them.

http://is.muni.cz/th/105084/pedf_b/Storyline.pdf

When evaluating potential books, look at:

The length and complexity of the story. Simple, short stories with
repetitive language work best for young EFL learners.
Does the book look overwhelming? Type that is too small, or too
many words on a page, can intimidate young students.
The level of vocabulary. How much of it will be review for your
students? If students know less than 75% - 80% of the vocabulary, they
may lose confidence in their ability to understand the story.
Illustrations should be interesting and should help students
understand both the vocabulary and the story.
Finally, select a book that you think you will enjoy. It will be difficult to
convince students to be enthusiastic about a story you don't like.

http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Brown-ChildrensLit.html

Criteria for the selection of stories Bongs story

Fulfills Exploits

28

appropriate language level (vocabulary, structures, notions/

functions)
98
content (interesting, fun, motivating, memorable, encourages
participation)
98
visuals (attractive, potential to work with, size) 9 8
pronunciation (intonation, rhythm, repetition) 9 8
motivation (develop imagination, arouse curiosity, draw on
personal experience)
98
Language learning potential (skills development, language

practice, recycling, prediction, other strategies)

98
potential in terms of learning other subjects, target/other culture,
metacognition
9

SELECTION CRITERIA OF TEXTS FOR YOUNG LEARNERSLANGUAGE LEVEL AND

POTENTIAL
Vocabulary
Notions/ functionsStructures
GrammarPronunciation (intonation, rhythm, repetition)
VISUAL FEATURES
Attractive, potential to work with, size
PicturesColoursFontsLayout
CONTENT
(interesting, fun, motivating, memorable, encourages participation,develop imagination,
arouse curiosity, draw on personal experience)
INTEREST
Main characters-heroes(children)Theme
CULTURAL CONTEXT
Identity and cultural heritagesort of clotheskinds of houseskinds of foodtypes of kitchens and
utensilssort of games they playedthe occupations of people
SUITABILITY
How do the literature theme and treatment of ideas, characters andplot and the level of
language suit the:

child's or children's maturity and interests

personal problems

social situations

creative abilities

understanding

responses and feelings

MORAL VALUES
Implanting values

Moral
reasoning
Moral judgement is essential in guiding individuals to behave ethically and to respect the rights of all
living things. Both fantasy and realistic fiction can provide a context within which children can examine
the characters values and gain insight into their own values and attitudes (Goforth, 1998). Kohlberg
and his colleagues (Colby & Kohlberg, 1987) found that working through complex moral dilemmas
enhances moral reasoning levels of young adolescents, and Ghosn (2003) contends that childrens
moral reasoning can similarly develop when they work through moral dilemmas in literature. For
example, The Hundred Dresses mentioned above is a story of a poor immigrant child, who is bullied
and mocked by classmates. One of the students feels guilty, but, afraid of becoming a victim of the
bullying participates in having fun with Wanda. Discussing her choices and what options she might
have had, and why what the children did was wrong, will help children gain insight into moral choices,
and what they might do in a similar situation. Similar discussions can be raised after children have
read stories such as The Hundred Penny Box, a chapter book by Sharon Bell Mathis, and The
Summer My Father was Ten, a picturebook by Pat Brisson. When asked to relate the story events to
their own life experiences,[End of page 43] childrens understanding of moral choices will grow.
These three stories are suitable for intermediate learners as read-alouds, and as independent reading
for advanced learners aged 10-12.

Well-illustrated stories can reveal characters emotions through both text and pictures. The
popular Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and Alexander, Whos Not (Do
You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move by Viorst are excellent examples; Alexanders body language
in the illustrations by Ray Cruz and R. B. Glasser, respectively, clearly reveals his emotions while the
text tells the reader what is causing them. Children can explore the characters body language in the
illustrations and look for clues to their emotions in the text. On many occasions characters emotions
are revealed by behaviour even silence rather than words. Explicit instruction of vocabulary on
emotions and feelings will facilitate discussion if they are only implied in the narrative.

http://clelejournal.org/article3/