Middle School Ethics Education

Middle school materials for teaching principle-based ethics and ethical decision-making are available at no cost through the generous support of the Daniels Fund.

Now Available!

FREE Course Guide and 10 Instructional Modules About Ethics

Developed with the help of the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) and a middle school advisory network, these materials include comprehensive, ready-to-use lesson plans that integrate social-emotional learning geared for middle school students.

(Prior to download, you’ll be asked to complete a brief survey to help us evaluate the impact of the materials for the Daniels Fund, whose generous support allows us to offer these resources at no cost.)

Ethical Leadership for Middle-Level Students

A foundational ethics course that gives students the language and tools necessary to distinguish between right and wrong. Throughout the course, students examine and apply ethical principles to real-world situations that preteens and young adolescents commonly encounter in school, at home, and with friends. This 54-page course guide includes learning objectives, activities, ethics cases for students, academic connections, online resources, and more.

Course Guide Flyer

Ethics Instructional Modules

10 lesson modules that may be used individually or together as a coordinated instructional series. Topics covered in these modules include the nature of ethics, ethical principles, and responding to ethical dilemmas. The modules are ideal for classroom use, but they are also appropriate for alternative settings, such as in homeroom, advisory periods, or student organizations.

Lesson Modules Flyer

 

Middle School Advisory Network (MSAN)

We’re proud that our work is informed by middle school teachers, administrators, and counselors who serve on our 2023 Middle School Advisory Network (MSAN), an advisory board of educators supporting the development of materials that bring ethical leadership to middle school education nationwide.

2023 MSAN appointment is effective January 1, 2023–December 31, 2023.

Resource Guide

For a full list of the resources we have scheduled for development through the 2024–25 school year, access our Middle School Resource Guide.

Learn More

Lesson Module Topics

Early Feedback From Teachers

Click here for feedback we’ve received from middle level educators about the new middle school ethics education instructional modules. Responses are grouped by lesson module.

“These are great lessons for school counselors to utilize for classroom lessons, but the sequencing of the modules [is] easy for any teacher to incorporate into classrooms to meet social emotion learning standards. Ethics education is crucial at the middle school level, and in today’s society, this could not come soon enough.”

- Middle level educator

Additional Ethics Resources

Visit our Ethics Page for a comprehensive list of our ethics education resources, including:

  • Ethics Boot Camp
  • Ethics Books & Movies List
  • Ethical Leadership Course Package
  • Gray Zone Interactive Series
  • Videos
  • And more!

Top