  The Character Chronicles brings character education alive for upper elementary and middle school students. Presented from the point of view of a middle school video blogger, this series explores the Six Pillars of Character (Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, Citizenship) through the thoughts and personal experiences of young people throughout the U.S. The series contains a variety of entertaining and provocative elements including inspiring documentaries, humorous vignettes, and insightful teen discussions about each of the pillars. These compelling chronicles sparkle with a hip, modern, energetic style that young viewers will love to watch. The Character Chronicles is intended for grades 4-8. Each program is approximately 25 minutes in length. Programs are available on DVD or VHS, and are closed-captioned. Each video includes a facilitator�s guide with discussion questions, writing assignments, and other activities designed to enhance the learning experience provided by the program. Program Descriptions Program 1: The Character Chronicles: The Trust Connection The Trust Connection begins with Judy, our Asian American middle school blogger, presenting a video vignette, shot on the streets of New York City, reflecting on the role of trust in every day life. She then introduces a group of teens who tell moving stories about losing and regaining trust with friends and family. That essay is punctuated by a short dramatic skit about the new kid in school who lied to fit in. This combination of elements is bound to provoke moving discussions about honesty and trustworthiness in the classroom. Program 2: The Character Chronicles: The Respect Connection Our video blogger covers the subject of Respect in a combination of a video essay about respect in our daily lives, a documentary about a group of teens in Georgia who learn about respecting our planet, and a flash animation dialogue between our blogger host and a mighty disappointed Mother Earth. The program opens with a dramatic skit about a middle school student who can�t get respect from his classmates and the sorrowful impact that has on him. The sum total of these elements reinforces the importance of respect in everything we do and in all the choices we make. Program 3: The Character Chronicles: The Responsibility Connection Responsibility is presented by our video blogger in a dynamic combination of a teen discussion and two moving documentaries. The first documentary is about a young, irresponsible teen in California who decides to turn her life around. One day she looked at her bullying behavior and realized that she was making herself and her classmates miserable. So she decided to focus on her studies while setting her sights on attending college when she is older. The second documentary is about an Asian teen in Rhode Island who is distressed about e-waste. That is computers and other high tech devices that are poisoning our environment. So Alexander and his friends are doing something to correct the problem. They are truly showing social responsibility in action. Program 4: The Character Chronicles: The Fairness Connection As soon as children are able to speak they often complain, �No Fair.� With that as a point of departure, our African-American blogger covers the topic of Fairness by presenting some teen discussion and two documentaries. The first documentary is about a Teen Court in an Indiana middle school that exemplifies fairness in its every day practice. The second documentary tells the story of Michael Pesci, an 11-year old boy in New Jersey with natural athletic ability, who uses his talent to literally �level the playing field.� He established a charity to help children less privileged because he didn�t feel it was fair that they didn�t have the same opportunities that he has. Program 5: The Character Chronicles: The Caring Connection Our Indian blogger shows inspiring stories and teen discussions to demonstrate that caring is about doing, not simply feeling. The first documentary features Nicolas Mejia, a cancer survivor/amputee who helps other children get through hard times. Our second documentary reveals how all it took for Kassandra Gonzalves in Massachusetts was to read an article about how foster children usually carry their belongings from house to house in garbage bags. So she organizes groups of kids to make hand-made goodie bags for these foster children. In her summary our blogger encourages other kids to become caring people by doing caring things, and tells them if we want to make a difference in this world, it�s simply up to us. Program 6: The Character Chronicles: The Citizenship Connection Malik, our African American middle school blogger, covers the topic through a combination of teen discussions and two documentaries about Citizenship in action. The first is about Michelle Loke in Wisconsin who out of concern for her younger brother found lead in children�s toys and stopped stores from putting them in vending machines. The second documentary is about a group of teens in Illinois who formed a club to perform community service. All the sections in this program are designed to show other young teens that they have the power to make a real difference in their communities. Award-Winning! A Parents� Choice 2008 Recommended Award Winner A Telly Award Winner A 2008 iParenting Media Awards Best Product Winner Endorsed by KIDS FIRST! And the Coalition for Quality Children�s Media An Association of Educational Publishers Distinguished Achievement Award A Houston WorldFest Platinum Remi Winner A CINE Golden Eagle Award Winner |