How Do We Teach It?

A systematic and effective five-step teaching process called SMILE has been developed uniquely for the AEGIS Character Education curriculum. It teaches and reinforces the basic skills and concepts of the program. By using this teaching process the children are able to learn, value, and commit to applying the character concepts and skills.

Stimulating Interest

Fun activities, stories, and games get the students' attention and introduce the unit concept(s).

Modeling the Concept

Students are given examples of the unit concept(s) from literature and/or activities. Teacher directed discussions clearly explain the concept(s).

Integrating the Concept

This step connects the new concept(s) to the students' prior knowledge and to the other concepts taught in the program.

Learning Link with Parents

Parents/guardians and students are provided the opportunity to interact through activities or other homework assignments. This step reinforces the concept(s) being taught, encourages parents to support what is being taught, and lets parents add their own perspectives to the concepts.

Extending into Real Life

The students have the chance to apply the character concept(s) to actual situations in their homes, classrooms, or communities.

What Makes Us Different?

The AEGIS (e-jus) solution is a unique prevention program that addresses basic, root causes of high risk behavior. It is designed to help children learn to resist negative peer pressure, acquire a strong sense of personal responsibility and build respect for themselves and others.

Provides Proper Dosage - Major problems are not solved by minor efforts. It takes more than a poster on the wall or a word of the day to have a positive, lasting effect on students. Regular use of the program actually creates more positive learning time by reducing time spent dealing with problem behavior.

Easy to Use - Our program is easy for teachers and/or counselors to use. It includes fully-developed, scripted lesson plans along with games, stories, activities, student worksheets (black line masters), parent letters, and journal pages. The package is complete.

Integrated with Curriculum - Our curriculum was written by teachers and counselors to integrate with regular classroom curriculum and therefore fits in with topics that are already being taught.

Adaptable - The program is easily adapted and has been used successfully by classroom teachers, counselors, after-school programs, summer school programs, and home schools.

Age Appropriate - A separate scope and sequence for the seven concepts and the eight skills was developed to ensure that the program increases in breadth and depth each year as the students progress in understanding.

Parent Involvement – Parents and Students are provided the opportunity to interact through activities and homework assignments. This helps the parents support what is being taught and allows them to add their own perspectives.

What Do We teach?

Our concepts are fundamental and universal; they have been reviewed and approved by a wide range of individuals and groups including Catholic Bishops, Jewish rabbis, atheist leaders, and Native Alaskan Tribal Councils. Worth & Potential, Rights, & Responsibilities, Fairness & Justice, Care & Consideration, Effort & Excellence, Social Responsibility, and Personal Integrity are taught clearly, directly and without apology.

In addition, we teach eight essential skills that will enable children to apply the character concepts to real life. Self-Control, Delay of Gratification, Persistence, Critical Thinking, Coping with Peer Pressure, Conflict Resolution, Prioritizing Competing Standards, and Goal Setting are life skills that are taught in conjunction with the character concepts, helping the children to become responsible, caring and productive citizens.

Children who embrace the seven character concepts along with the eight essential skills will develop principled standards of behavior which they will apply to the classroom, the home and the community.