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Virtues You Can Check

A 45-minute Grade 3 lesson on applying civic virtues to real situations where somebody could behave badly.

Virtues You Can Check is a free 45-minute Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D2.Civ.7.3-5 — put civic virtues into practice at school and in the community. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.

Grade:
Grade 3 to Grade 5
Length:
45 minutes
Standard:
D2.Civ.7.3-5

Grade 3 to Grade 5 · Civics

D2.Civ.7.3-5

Apply civic virtues and democratic principles in school settings.

Objective

Students will be able to name which civic principle a described action breaks, and say what should be done instead.

Students are successful when they can

  • Names the principle broken.
  • Says what the person should do instead.
  • Explains why it matters even if nobody would notice.

What you need

  • Six situation cards from the valley
  • Principle cards: honesty, equal treatment, accountability
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — nobody would know

5 min
  1. Read: somebody signs the petition twice. Ask whether it hurts anyone.
  2. Let the first answer be no, then leave it hanging.

Teach — the principle, then the fix

15 min
  1. Return to the double signature. It makes support look larger than it is. Principle: honesty.
  2. Take a councillor voting on his brother's contract. Principle: accountability. The fix: declare it and step out.
  3. Ask why declaring is better than merely being honest privately.
  4. Answer it: others can only trust a decision if they can see it was fairly made.
  5. Take a company charging one owner more. Principle: equal treatment under a published rule.
  6. Say the pattern: name the principle, then name the action that repairs it.
“Could somebody watching tell that this was done fairly?”

Guided practice — name and repair

13 min
  1. Pairs take six situations, name the principle, and write the repair.
  2. For two, they say who is harmed even though nobody notices.
  3. Groups compare repairs and pick the strongest.

Independent practice

9 min
  1. Students complete the 'Virtues in Public Life' page.
  2. Look for a named principle rather than 'that is bad'.

Close

3 min
  1. Ask which of the three principles is hardest to keep at school.

What goes wrong, and why

Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.

Says an action is wrong because it is against the rules.

Why: Rules are the available authority.

Fix: Ask what the rule protects. The principle is underneath the rule.

Thinks no visible harm means no wrong.

Why: Harm is how wrongness is usually recognised.

Fix: The double signature harms every reader of the petition, quietly. Name them.

Names a feeling rather than a principle.

Why: 'Unfair' covers everything.

Fix: Unfair to whom, and in what way? Push until a principle is named.

If they are not there yet

  • Three situations with the principle card given.
  • Offer two repairs and ask which is stronger.

If they finish early

  • Find a situation where two principles pull against each other.
  • Write a situation that breaks a principle without breaking a rule.
  • Say which principle the 2015 historian most depends on.

Exit ticket

A councillor votes on a contract for his own brother. What principle is at stake and what should he do?

What to look for: Accountability, and declaring the connection then standing out of the vote. 'It is unfair' alone means the principle is not yet named.

Printable practice for D2.Civ.7.3-5

Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.

Questions about Virtues You Can Check

How long does the Virtues You Can Check lesson take?

45 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 15 min, guided practice 13 min, independent practice 9 min, close 3 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.

Which standard does Virtues You Can Check teach?

D2.Civ.7.3-5 — D2.Civ.7.3-5, Civics for Grade 3 to Grade 5: “Apply civic virtues and democratic principles in school settings.” In plain terms, put civic virtues into practice at school and in the community.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

Six situation cards from the valley, principle cards: honesty, equal treatment, accountability and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.

What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?

Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: says an action is wrong because it is against the rules; thinks no visible harm means no wrong and names a feeling rather than a principle. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.

How do I know whether the lesson worked?

The exit ticket asks: “A councillor votes on a contract for his own brother. What principle is at stake and what should he do?.” Accountability, and declaring the connection then standing out of the vote. 'It is unfair' alone means the principle is not yet named. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.

Is there a worksheet to go with Virtues You Can Check?

Yes — 1 printable D2.Civ.7.3-5 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.

Is Virtues You Can Check free to use?

Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 7 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.

Last reviewed 2026-09-07. Aligned to D2.Civ.7.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.