EDUCATORʼS RESOURCE GUIDE - Learning Seed

A Childʼs Mind: 

How Kids Learn Right & Wrong 

EDUCATORʼS 

RESOURCE GUIDE 

Copyright © 2011 Learning Seed 

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Resource Guide Credits 

Writer: Kathleen Ryan 

Editor: Kari McCarthy 

Copy Editors: Jennifer Smith, EJ Green, Michael Robbins 

The Video 

Copyright © 2011 Learning Seed. 

This video program is protected under U.S. copyright law. No part of this video may be reproduced or transmitted 

by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by 

law. 

DVD LS-1346-11-DVD ! ISBN 1-55740-585-9 

Closed Captioning 

This program is closed-captioned. 

Questions, suggestions or comments? 

Email us at info@learningseed.com or call Jennifer Smith: 800.634.4941 

A Child's Mind: How Kids Learn Right & Wrong 

2 Copyright 2011 Learning Seed

Table of Contents 

Program Summary..............................................................................................................................................4 

National Standards.............................................................................................................................................5 

Additional Resources.........................................................................................................................................6 

Lesson Plans 

! Guide and Create Expectation: 

! Lesson 1a: Moral Dilemmas: What Would You Do? (Survey)......................................................................7-8 

! OR 

! Lesson 1b: Unit Pre-test (Fill-in-the-Blank)...............................................................................................9 

! Define and Interpret Information: 

! Students watch the video A Child's Mind: How Kids Learn Right & Wrong during this lesson. 

! Lesson 2: Who Said That? (Independent Practice)..............................................................................10-12 

! AND 

! Lesson 3: What Can We Do? (Collaborative Learning).............................................................................13 

! Generate and Differentiate Ideas: 

! Lesson 4: What Did I Do? (Journal Activity)...............................................................................................14 

! AND 

! Lesson 5: How Do They Compare? (Venn Diagram)..................................................................................15 

! Develop and Evaluate Performance: 

! Lesson 6a: Meet a Theorist (Mock Interview)...........................................................................................16 

! OR 

! Lesson 6b: Unit Post-test (Fill-in-the-Blank)............................................................................................17 

Appendix.................................................................................................................................................18 

! Student Worksheets 

! Rubric 

! Student Glossary 



Program Summary 

This program explores the topic of moral development and how it impacts human behavior. We describe the theories of 

Jean Piaget, Lawrence Kohlberg, Carol Gilligan, Albert Bandura, and Elliot Turiel. We also explain the concept of theory of 

mind. Examining moral dilemmas helps us to understand how children develop in the moral domain as they mature. 

Viewers see examples of how children of various ages will typically answer moral dilemmas and how adults can guide the 

moral development of children. 

Unit Teaching points: 

1. Moral development is the process through which individuals develop attitudes and behaviors toward others. 

2. Morals are based on social and cultural norms, rules and laws. 

3. A lack of moral development can lead to a variety of negative consequences, including socially unacceptable 

behavior, academic issues, inability to make friends, alcohol and drug problems, and criminality. 

4. Piagetʼs theory of moral development is characterized by a transition from heteronomous to autonomous moral 

thinking. 

5. Lawrence Kohlberg expanded on Piagetʼs work. His theory has stages through which people progress, but the 

process is gradual and has more transitions. 

6. Elliot Turiel used domain theory to explain childrenʼs moral development, their adherence to social conventions, and 

their views of themselves and others. 

7. Albert Banduraʼs theory asserts that most human behavior is learned through modeling. 

8. Theory of mind relates to the ability to see the world from another personʼs perspective -- something that very young 

children cannot do. 

9. Understanding moral development can help adults to better guide childrenʼs behavior. 

Related Learning Seed Programs: ! 

Guiding Behavior In Early Childhood: A Positive Plan for Discipline and Caregiving 

Disciplining Kids: Without Screaming and Scolding 

Rules, Rituals, Routines 



National Standards 

National Standards for High School Psychology 

IA-1. Contemporary perspectives used by psychologists to understand behavior and mental processes in context 

IA-3. Research strategies used by psychologists to explore behavior and mental processes 

IIIA-1. Development as a lifelong process 

IIIA-3. Theories of development 

IIIA-4. Issues surrounding the developmental process (nature/nurture, continuity/discontinuity, stability/instability, 

critical periods) 

IVA-4. Components of cognitive learning 

NASAFACS - National Standards for Family and Consumer Sciences 

4.0 Education and Early Childhood 

! 4.2 Analyze developmentally appropriate practices to plan for early childhood, education, and services 

! 12.0 Human Development 

! 12.1 Analyze principles of human growth and development across the life span 

! 12.2 Analyze conditions that influence human growth and development 



Additional Resources 

Educating Moral People: A Caring Alternative to Character Education 

Nel Noddings, New York: Teachers College Press, 2002. 

Handbook of Moral and Character Education 

Edited by Larry P. Nucci, Darcia Narvaez. New York: Routledge, 2008 

Moral Questions in the Classroom: How to Get Kids to Think Deeply about Real Life and their School Work. 

Katherine G. Simon. Yale University Press, 2001. 

Nice is Not Enough. Larry Nucci. Merrill, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2008 

Character Counts: charactercounts.org 

Journal of Moral Education 

The Journal of Moral Education, Published by Routledge, New York NY. 



Lesson Plan 1a (page 1 of 2) 

Purpose: " Guide & Create Expectations 

Name: " Moral Dilemmas: What Would You Do?! 

Type: " Survey 

Est. Length " 40 minutes 

Lesson Summary 

Students use scenario-based activities to become familiar with moral dilemmas and how they can be 

used to understand moral development. 

Lesson Materials 

• Copies of “Moral Dilemmas: What Would You Do?”(Worksheet A in the Appendix) 

• Pen/Pencil 

• Computer with online access 

: 

• Printer 

Lesson Objective(s) 


• Students will understand the definition of moral dilemma. 

• Students will understand the application of moral dilemmas in the field of moral development. 

• Students will respond personally to moral dilemmas. 

• Students will differentiate between responses to moral dilemmas based on age. 


Lesson Plan 1a (page 2 of 2) 

(Estimated Length: 40 minutes) 

I. Lesson Set-up (10 minutes) 

1. Before class, access the following websites and choose 5 dilemmas that are appropriate for your class: 

! Good Character! http://www.goodcharacter.com/dilemma/archive.html 

Quose !! http://www.quose.com 

2. At the beginning of class, share with students the following: 

• Moral dilemmas can be used to assess how children think about moral situations at various stages of 

their development. 

• Examining moral dilemmas is useful to understand how moral development takes place, and also to 

inform caregiving adults as to what is developmentally appropriate for children at various ages. 

3. Read each dilemma to the class and probe for responses. Ask students why they feel as they do. Represent 

responses visually on white board/projector etc. 

II. Learning Activity (20 minutes) 

1. Explain to students that they will be reading various dilemmas and answering questions about how they would 

handle each one. 

2. Distribute copies of “Moral Dilemmas: What Would You Do?” (Worksheet A in the Appendix) for each student 

to complete independently. 

3. Facilitate a class discussion about each dilemma and their responses. 

III. Closure: Discussion (10 minutes) 

Have a class discussion about Moral Development. The five questions below should guide your daily closing 

discussion. 

Answer Key 

1. What is moral development? 

2. How can moral development be assessed? 

3. Why is awareness of moral development important to our society? 

4. How can adults foster positive moral development in children? 

5. How could a lack of moral development lead to negative consequences? 

1. 3-year-oldʼs answer: “JOHN - He broke so many!” 

2. A. 4-year-old ! “Itʼs bad to steal. She will be punished.”! ! ! ! ! ! 

B. 7-year-old ! “She should return it...but if she had no other way to get a 

present she could use that money...if she doesnʼt get caught.”! ! ! ! 

! 

D. 17-year-old! “She should return it. If it were mine, I would hope someone would return it to me. ! 

! ! ! Keeping it would be stealing and we canʼt condone stealing or what would our 

! ! ! society be? She should give it back for the good of society.” 

C. 9-year-old ! “She should try to find the owner and give it back. Whoever lost it deserves it back. ! 

! ! ! People canʼt just go around taking what isnʼt theirs! 

3. Moral Rule; Social Rule 



Lesson Plan 1b (Alternative) 

Purpose: " Guide & Create Expectations 

Name: " Unit Pre-test 

Type: " Fill-in-the-Blank 

Est. Length: " 20 minutes 

As an alternative to Lesson 1a: “Moral Dilemmas: What Would You Do?” you can guide and create student expectations 

by using the Pre-test found in the Appendix (Worksheet 1b). 

Answer Key 

Moral development is the process through which individuals develop attitudes and behaviors toward others. It is based 

on social and cultural norms, rules and laws. The lack of moral development can lead to a variety of negative 

consequences - including socially unacceptable behavior, academic issues, inability to make friends, alcohol and drug 

problems, and criminality. 

Jean Piagetʼs theory of moral development is characterized by a transition from heteronomous to autonomous moral 

thinking. Lawrence Kohlberg was an American developmental theorist who expanded on Piagetʼs work but felt that the 

process was more gradual and had more transitions that went from externally controlled behavior to internally controlled 

behavior. Carol Gilligan created a theory similar to Kohlberg, but instead of focusing on the growth of cognitive abilities as 

the primary driver of moral development, she saw the growth of a sense of self as the key to greater moral awareness. 

Elliot Turiel is an American theorist who believes that a moral domain, a social domain, and a psychological domain 

evolve in a parallel way - all occurring at once. Albert Bandura is a Canadian psychologist who examined moral 

development through social learning theory, which asserts that most human behavior is learned through modeling. 

Theory of mind is a philosophical belief that moral development is affected by the ability to see the world from another 

personʼs perspective. 



Lesson Plan 2 (page 1 of 2) 

Purpose: " Define & Interpret Information 

Name: " Who Said That? 

Type: " Independent Practice 



As students watch A Child's Mind: How Kids Learn Right & Wrong they will complete Worksheet C, “Who Said That?” 

Student will write the name of a theorist that matches each stated moral development concept given. 


• Copies of “Who Said That?” (Worksheet C in the Appendix) 


• Notebook paper 

• Video: A Child's Mind: How Kids Learn Right & Wrong 



• Students will understand key concepts of the moral developmental theories of Jean Piaget, Lawrence Kohlberg, 

Carol Gilligan, Elliot Turiel, Albert Bandura, and theory of mind. 

• Students will know what critics had to say about each theoristʼs findings. 

• Students will compare and contrast various theories and theorists. 


Lesson Plan 2 (page 2 of 2) 

(Estimated Length: 40 minutes) 


BEFORE the video: 

1. Ask students to respond to following in their journals: 

! Name 5 people in any field who you believe are experts at something. 

! For each, name: 

• their area of expertise, 

• what qualifies them as an expert, 

• how they can help other people with their expertise. 

2. Inform students that they will be learning about 5 prominent theorists who are considered experts in the field 

of moral development during the video they are about to watch. 


1. Distribute “Who Said That?” (Worksheet C in the Appendix). Instruct students watch the program as they 

complete the worksheet. 

2. Preview the worksheet and pronounce the names for the students. 

3. Explain that there are several quotes matching the main ideas of each theoristʼs work. Have students read 

each one aloud. 

4. Explain they should match the theorist to the quote as they watch the video. 

5. Begin the film and have students work independently. 


Have a class discussion about Moral Development. The five questions below should guide your daily closing 

discussion. 





5. How could a lack of moral development lead to negative consequences?! 



Who Said That? Answer Key 

1. “The ability to see from anotherʼs perspective is part of the cognitive maturity that is linked to moral development.” 

________________________________ (Jean Piaget) 

2. “Moral development is characterized by a transition from heteronomous to autonomous moral thinking.” 

! _______________________________ (Theory of Mind) 

3. “Violent tendencies in children grow as a result of observing othersʼ violent behavior personally or through the media 

or environment.” 

________________________________ (Albert Bandura) 

4. “This theorist put too much emphasis on thought as opposed to actual behavior. He does not cite the influence of the 

parentsʼ role in moral development, and progression through his stages is not always exactly as he predicts.” 

________________________________ (Critics of Kohlberg) 

5. “This theorist is mistaken in the idea that the domains of morality, social convention and personal autonomy are 

separate from and develop parallel to each other. They must be interrelated!” 

________________________________ (Critics of Turiel) 

6. “My theory has 3 levels --Preconventional, Conventional, and Postconventional-- that are made up of 6 stages.” 

________________________________ (Lawrence Kohlberg) 

7. “The growth of a sense of self is the key to greater moral awareness.” 

________________________________ (Carol Gilligan) 

8. “Some young children are not as egocentric as this theorist believed them to be.” 

________________________________ (Critics of Piaget) 

9. “Though moral, social and psychological are distinct developmental areas, they are often connected. It is the childʼs 

! ! attempts to understand how they relate to one another that allow moral development to take place.” 

________________________________ (Elliot Turiel) 

10. “This theoristʼs ideas donʼt take into account that studies have shown that both men and women use both justice and 

! ! care dimensions in their moral reasoning.” 

________________________________ (Critics of Carol Gilligan) 

11. “Social learning theory doesnʼt take into account an individualʼs genetic and cognitive predispositions. There have 

been conflicting findings regarding whether or not television and video game violence causes children to act violently.” 

________________________________ (Critics of Bandura) 



Lesson Plan 3 

Purpose: " Define & Interpret Information 

Name: " What Can We Do? 

Type: " Collaborative Learning 



Students create a plan of action to help guide a childʼs moral development. 


• Copies of “What Can We Do?” (Worksheet D in the Appendix) 


• Notebook paper/Journal 


• Students understand how moral dilemma situations are important to moral development. 

• Students apply suggestions for how to guide a childʼs moral development. 


Ask students to respond to the following in their journals: 

1. Write about a time when you asked for and received someoneʼs advice because you struggled with deciding 

what would be the “right” thing to do. 

2. How was it helpful or not helpful? 


1. Distribute “What Can We Do?” (Worksheet D) and review the situations shown in A Child's Mind: How Kids 

Learn Right & Wrong in which parents and caregivers could help foster moral development in children. 

2. Divide students into groups of three or four and tell each group should choose one scenario. 

3. Instruct each to brainstorm ideas for helping guide a childʼs behavior for each scenario. 

4. Create an action plan to help foster that behavior. 

5. Groups will share their plan with the class. 


The five questions below should guide your daily closing discussion. 








Lesson Plan 4 

Purpose: " Generate & Differentiate Ideas 

Name: " What Did I Do? 

Type: " Journaling Exercise 



! Students will personalize the subject of moral development by reflecting and writing about what they remember 

! about the types of moral dilemmas that people face at various stages of their lives. 


• Copies of “What Did I Do?”(Worksheet E in the Appendix) 

• White board or overhead projector to represent class discussion responses for all to see 


• Notebook paper 

Lesson Objectives 

• Students will understand the importance of moral development to a personʼs early childhood development. 

• Students will apply suggestions regarding how adults can foster positive moral development in children. 


1. Lead students through a brainstorming activity to identify moral dilemmas that most children face at each of 

the following stages: preschool, early elementary school, middle school, junior high, and high school. 

Example questions: 

What kinds of moral dilemmas do 3- and 4-year-olds face at home? At school? On the playground? 

2. Represent student ideas on an overhead, white board, chart paper, etc. 


1. Distribute “What Did I Do?” (Worksheet E) and read it over completely with students. 

2. Tell the students they have 20 minutes to complete the exercise independently. 

3. Ask students to share their responses voluntarily. 


The five questions below should guide your daily closing discussion. 





5. How could a lack of moral development lead to negative consequences 



Lesson Plan 5 

Purpose:" Generate & Differentiate Ideas 

Name:" How Do They Compare? 

Type:" Venn Diagram 

Est. Length:" 40 minutes 


" Students will review the main ideas of developmental theorists using a website and then choose two theorists 

! to compare and contrast using a Venn diagram. 


• Copies of “How Do They Compare?” (Worksheet F in the Appendix) for each student 

• Notebook Paper/Journal 

• Pencil/Pen 

: 

• Computer Online Access 


• Students will understand ideas of each developmental theorist. 

• Students will differentiate ideas by using direct comparison. 

• Students will understand how theories can be alike but still differ. 


Instruct students to write in their journal about the following: 

Think of two people who have given you advice. Write about them and the advice they gave. Compare the ways 

they gave advice and the approaches they used to talk with you. 


1. Direct students to the website: http://tigger.uic.edu/~lnucci/MoralEd/overview.html 

2. Direct them to choose two theorists 

3. Distribute “How Do They Compare?” (Worksheet F in the Appendix) and instruct the students to choose two 

theorists and fill in the Venn diagram to compare them. 

4. If time allows, students can share their comparisons with the class. 


Have a class discussion about Moral Development. The five questions below should guide your daily closing discussion. 








Lesson Plan 6a - Assessment 

Purpose: ! Develop & Evaluate Performance 

Name: ! Meet a Theorist! 

Type: ! Mock Interview 

Est. Length: ! Two 40-minute sessions 

Assessment Materials 

• Copies of Worksheet G (in the Appendix) for each student 

• Notebook Paper 

: 

• Pencil/Pen 

• Computer Online Access 

Assessment Objective(s) 

• Students will show mastery of understanding the basic theories of moral development. 

• Students will show understanding of the importance of moral development at various stages of development. 

• Students will show their understanding of why moral development is important to a society. 

• Students will demonstrate how to apply moral developmental guidelines when working with children. 

• Students will explain how a lack of moral development could lead to negative consequences 


Facilitate a discussion about what makes a good TV interview. Ask students to name a few famous people who 

are good at it (Oprah?). Ask students: “Why are they good? What types of questions get the best answers?” 

II. Assessment Activity (40 minutes—Two class periods) 


Summary:! Students will work in pairs to research a developmental theorist and then write questions and 

! ! answers for a mock interview that will be presented to the class. 

1. Divide students into pairs. Assign each group a developmental theorist or “Theorist who believes that theory 

of mind is the best theory of moral development.” 

2. Read through “Meet a Theorist” (Worksheet G) and field any questions about the assessment. 

3. Allow students 20 minutes to fill out the “Meet a Theorist” worksheet in class. 

4. Designate the last 20 minutes for groups to practice the mock interview they will present to class the next day. 

5. On the next day of class, each pair should present their interview to the class. 


Lesson Plan 6b - Assessment (Alternative) 

Purpose: " Develop & Evaluate Performance 

Name: " Post-test! 

Type: " Fill-in-the-Blank 


Unit Post-test Answer Key 

Moral development is the process through which individuals develop attitudes and behaviors toward others. It is based 

on social and cultural norms, rules and laws. The lack of moral development can lead to a variety of negative 

consequences including socially unacceptable behavior, academic issues, inability to make friends, alcohol and drug 

problems, and criminality. 

Jean Piagetʼs theory of moral development is characterized by a transition from heteronomous to autonomous moral 

thinking. Lawrence Kohlberg was an American developmental theorist who expanded on Piagetʼs work but felt that the 

process was more gradual and had more transitions that went from externally controlled behavior to internally controlled 

behavior. Carol Gilligan created a theory similar to Kohlberg, but instead of focusing on the growth of cognitive abilities as 

the primary driver of moral development, she saw the growth of a sense of self as the key to greater moral awareness. 

Elliot Turiel is and American theorist who believes that a moral domain, a social domain, and a psychological domain 

evolve in a parallel way - all occurring at once. Albert Bandura is a Canadian psychologist who examined moral 

development through social learning theory which asserts that most human behavior is learned through modeling. 

Theory of mind is a philosophical belief that moral development is affected by the ability to see the world from another 

personʼs perspective. 


Note to Teachers:! This is the same test as may have been given in Lesson 1B: Alternative Pre-test. When 

! ! ! administering the Post-test, however, a better assessment may be made if the students are 

! ! ! NOT provided with the word bank. 


Appendix 

Student Worksheets 

& Glossary 



Worksheet A 

Lesson 1a 

A Child's Mind: How Kids Learn Right & Wrong Moral Dilemmas: What Would You Do? 

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Name _________________________________ 

Directions: Read the scenarios and statements below in sections A through C. Answer the questions that follow. 

1. First, consider scenarios A and B: 

A. John is helping his mother put away dishes. He loses his grip, drops, and accidentally breaks 15 cups. 

B. Henry was told he couldnʼt have another cookie. When his mom left the room he tried to reach the cookie jar to take 

one anyway, and in the process knocked over and broke one cup. 

! Now, who is naughtier? " My answer____________________ ! 3-year-oldʼs answer________________ 

2. First, consider this scenario: Maria finds a wallet with money in it but no identification of any kind. It has the same 

amount of money she needs to buy her mom a present. Should Maria spend the money? 

! My answer _______________ 

" Now, match the age of the person with the response. 

" _____ “Itʼs bad to steal. She will be punished.”! ! ! ! ! ! A. 4-year-old 

! _____ “She should return it...but if she had no other way to get a 

" present she could use that money...if she doesnʼt get caught.”! ! ! B. 7-year-old 

! 

" _____ “She should return it. If it were mine, I would hope someone 

! would return it to me. Keeping it would be stealing and we 

! canʼt condone stealing or what would our society be?! ! ! ! C. 9-year-old 

! She should give it back for the good of society.” 

! _____ “She should try to find the owner and give it back. Whoever lost it! ! ! D. 17-year-old 

" deserves it back. People canʼt just go around taking what isnʼt theirs!” 

3. First, consider scenarios A and B: 

A. Jack is playing with a friend. They are pretending to be super heroes. Jack hits his friend too hard and hurts him. 

B. A teacher asks her class to be quiet and not talk at all when she leaves the lunch room. She walks out and a child 

starts talking quietly to her neighbor. 

Now, circle the type of rule that applies to each response made by a seven-year-old. 

" “Even if they didnʼt make a rule about hitting, itʼs still a mean thing to do. And Jack hurt his friend. Thatʼs wrong.” 

! ! Moral rule" " " Social rule 

" “They broke the rule about talking. But if there wasnʼt a rule, talking would be okay. Thereʼs nothing bad about 

! talking to your friend.” 

" " Moral rule" " " Social rule 

Copyright 2011 Learning Seed

" " " " " " " " " " " " Worksheet B 

" " " " " " " " " " " " Lesson 1b 

A Child's Mind: How Kids Learn Right & Wrong! ! ! ! ! Unit Pre-test 

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Name _________________________________ 

Directions: Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the Word Bank at the bottom of the page. 

Moral development is the process through which individuals develop ____________________________ and behaviors 

toward others. It is based on social and ____________________________, rules and ____________________________. 

The lack of moral development can lead to a variety of negative consequences - including socially unacceptable behavior, 

academic issues, inability to make friends, alcohol and drug problems, and ____________________________. 

Jean Piagetʼs theory of moral development is characterized by a transition from ____________________________ to 

____________________________ moral thinking. Lawrence Kohlberg was an American developmental theorist who 

expanded on Piagetʼs work but felt that the process was more gradual and had more transitions that went from 

____________________________ controlled behavior to ____________________________ controlled behavior. 

Carol Gilligan created a theory similar to Kohlberg, but instead of focusing on the growth of cognitive abilities as the 

primary driver of moral development, she saw the growth of a ____________________________ as the key to greater 

moral awareness. Elliot Turiel is and American theorist who believes that a ____________________________, a 

____________________________, and a ____________________________ evolve in a parallel way - all occurring at 

once. Albert Bandura is a Canadian psychologist who examined moral development through 

____________________________ which asserts that most human behavior is learned through 

____________________________. Theory of mind is a philosophical belief that moral development is affected by the 

ability to see the world from another personʼs ____________________________. 

modeling 

criminality 

internally 

domain 

perspective 

heteronomous 

moral domain 

attitudes 

Word Bank 

social learning theory 

externally 

social domain 

sense of self 

cultural norms 

autonomous 

psychological domain 

laws 


Worksheet C 

Lesson 2 

A Child's Mind: How Kids Learn Right & Wrong! ! ! ! ! Who Said That? 

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Name _________________________________ 

Directions: Match these names to the quotes below: 

Jean Piaget 

Lawrence Kohlberg 

Albert Bandura 

Elliot Turiel 

Carol Gilligan 

Theory of mind 

Critic of Jean Piaget 

Critic of Lawrence Kohlberg 

Critic of Albert Bandura 

Critic of Elliot Turiel 

Critic of Carol Gilligan 

1. ________________________________ “The ability to see from anotherʼs perspective is part of the cognitive maturity 

that is linked to moral development.” 

2. ________________________________ “Moral development is characterized by a transition from heteronomous to 

autonomous moral thinking.” 

3. ________________________________ “Violent tendencies in children grow as a result of observing othersʼ violent 

behavior personally or through the media.” 

4. ________________________________ This theorist put too much emphasis on thought as opposed to actual 

behavior. He does not cite the influence of the parentsʼ role in moral 

development, and progression through his stages is not always exactly as he 

predicts. 

5. ________________________________ “I believe this theorist is mistaken in the idea that the domains of morality, 

social convention and personal autonomy are separate from and develop 

parallel to each other. They must be interrelated!” 

6. ________________________________ “My theory has 3 levels - Preconventional, Conventional, and Post 

Conventional - that are made up of 6 stages.” 

7. ________________________________ “The growth of a sense of self is the key to greater moral awareness.” 

8. ________________________________ Some young children are not as egocentric as this theorist believed them to 

be. 

9. ________________________________ Though moral, social and psychological are distinct developmental areas, 

they are often connected, It is the childʼs attempts to understand how they 

relate to one another that allow moral development to take place. 

10. ________________________________ This theoristʼs ideas donʼt take into account that studies have shown that 

both men and women using both justice and care dimensions in their moral 

reasoning. 

11. ________________________________ “Social learning theory doesnʼt take into account an individuals genetic and 

cognitive predispositions. There have been conflicting findings regarding 

whether or not TV and video game violence causes children to act violently.” 


Worksheet D 

Lesson 3 

A Child's Mind: How Kids Learn Right & Wrong! ! ! ! ! What Can We Do? 

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Name _________________________________ 

Directions: Divide into small groups and then discuss each moral dilemma. Then choose one and devise a plan to help 

guide a child who is in that situation. Later, you will share your ideas with the class. 

Moral Dilemma #1 

John is helping his mother put away dishes. He loses his grip, drops, and accidentally breaks 15 cups. 

Henry was told he couldnʼt have another cookie. When his mom left the room he tried to reach the cookie jar to take one 

anyway, and in the process knocked over and broke one cup. 

How could we guide Johnʼs behavior? 

How could we guide Henryʼs behavior? 


Maria finds a wallet with money in it but no identification of any kind. It has the same amount of money she needs to buy 

her mom a present. 

Should Maria spend the money? 

How can we guide Mariaʼs behavior? 


Jack is playing with a friend and they are pretending to be super heroes. Jack hits his friend too hard and hurts him. 

How can we guide Jackʼs behavior? 


" " " " " " " " " " " " Worksheet E 

" " " " " " " " " " " " Lesson 4 

A Child's Mind: How Kids Learn Right & Wrong! ! " " What Did I Do? 

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Name _________________________________ 

Directions: Read the prompts below. Write your responses in the spaces provided 

1. Think back to your childhood and recall situations in which you faced a moral dilemma of some kind. For as 

many stages as you can remember, write down one or two situations that you remember: 

Preschool: 

Early Elementary School: 

Middle School: 

Junior High: 

2. Choose one of the above situations and write at least 5 sentences describing it, what you remember about 

how you felt, what you chose to do, and what the consequences were. 

3. Write a letter to your younger self, giving yourself advice and encouragement about the situation. 


" " " " " " " " " " " " Worksheet F 

" " " " " " " " " " " " Lesson 5 

A Child's Mind: How Kids Learn Right & Wrong! ! ! How Do They Compare? 

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Name _________________________________ 

Directions: 

1. Access the website: http://tigger.uic.edu/~lnucci/MoralEd/overview.html 

2. Skim the page of theorists. 

3. Choose two, and write one of their names in each circle. 

4. Write the ideas expressed in their theories inside their circle. 

5. Write ideas that they share in the middle 

Theorist 

______________________ 

Moral Development Theorists 

Theorist 

______________________ 


" " " " " " " " " " " " Worksheet E 

" " " " " " " " " " " " Lesson 4 

A Child's Mind: How Kids Learn Right & Wrong! ! " " What Did I Do? 

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Name _________________________________ 

For your final assessment, you will show your understanding of the ideas. 

You have been introduced to several developmental theorists who are influential in the field of moral development: 

Jean Piaget, Lawrence Kohlberg, Albert Bandura, Elliot Turiel, and Carol Gilligan. 

Youʼve also learned how theory of mind can be applied to this study. 

Directions: With a partner, fill out the following worksheet which will prepare you for a 5-minute mock interview. You will 

present the interview to the class. 

Circle the theorist you would like to represent 

Jean Piaget! Lawrence Kohlberg! Albert Bandura! Elliot Turiel! Carol Gilligan 

Theorist who believes theory of mind is the best way to approach understanding moral development 

Checklist 

_____ Choose roles: One member is the “Interviewer” and one is the “Theorist.” 

_____ Review the website: http://tigger.uic.edu/~lnucci/MoralEd/overview.html and take notes on the important ideas 

attributed to your theorist. 

_____ Write at least 3, but no more than 5, questions and responses for the mock interview (These must remain on the 

topic of moral development and how it applies to guiding the behavior of children between the ages of 3 and 18). 

_____ Rehearse your mock interview so that it will go smoothly when you present it to the class. It should not exceed 5 

minutes in duration. 


Worksheet H 

Lesson 6a 

A Child's Mind: How Kids Learn Right & Wrong! ! ! ! Meet a Theorist Rubric 

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Name _________________________________ 

CATEGORY 4 3 2 1 

Knowledge 

Questions & Answers 

Interest and Purpose 

Preparedness 

All students showed 

excellent knowledge of 

the topic, needing no 

prompts and help from 

note cards 

only 1 or 2 times. 

Excellent, in-depth, 

on-topic questions 

were asked and 

excellent answers 

supported by facts 

were provided. 

Interview has a clear 

and interesting 

purpose. 

Students showed 

excellent 

preparedness having 

all of their questions 

and responses 

prepared and needing 

no reminders 

about their role. 

How to Use this Rubric for Assessment: 

All students showed 

excellent knowledge of 

the topic, but needed 

note cards to talk or 

answer questions 

3 or 4 times. 

Good, on-topic 

questions requiring 

factual answers were 

asked and correct, 

in-depth answers 

were provided. 

Interview is interesting 

but purpose is 

somewhat unclear. 

Students showed 

excellent 

preparedness having 

all of their questions 

and responses 

prepared but needed 

1 or 2 reminders 

about their role. 

Most students showed 

moderate knowledge of 

the topic, but often 

needed note cards to 

talk or answer 

questions. 

Mostly on-topic 

questions requiring 

factual answers were 

asked and correct 

answers were provided. 

Interview is not very 

interesting and purpose 

is somewhat unclear. 

Most students showed 

no knowledge of the 

topic, and needed note 

cards to talk and to 

answer most questions. 

Many off-topic 

questions were asked 

and incorrect answers 

were given. 

Interview is not 

interesting and has no 

discernible purpose. 

Students showed Students showed 

moderate 

little 

preparedness having preparedness had 

1 or 2 of their questions 0 or 1 of their questions 

and responses and answers prepared 

prepared and needing and relied on 

multiple reminders constant reminders 

about their role. about their role. 

A rubric is a useful tool for ensuring fair and consistent grading methods. Our rubrics score studentʼs work and 

performance in a variety of categories. To use our rubric, identify where a studentʼs work falls in each category. Each 

level of the category is assigned a number value. Add up the scores that your studentʼs work has earned and divide 

by a perfect score of 16 to assign his or her grade. For example: 4 + 3 + 1 + 4 = 12, the grade is 12/16. 


Worksheet I 

Lesson 6b 

A Child's Mind: How Kids Learn Right & Wrong! ! ! ! ! ! ! Post-test 

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Name _________________________________ 

Directions: Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the Word Bank at the bottom of the page. 

Moral development is the process through which individuals develop ____________________________ and behaviors 

toward others. It is based on social and ____________________________, rules and ____________________________. 

The lack of moral development can lead to a variety of negative consequences - including socially unacceptable behavior, 

academic issues, inability to make friends, alcohol and drug problems, and ____________________________. 

Jean Piagetʼs theory of moral development is characterized by a transition from ____________________________ to 

____________________________ moral thinking. Lawrence Kohlberg was an American developmental theorist who 

expanded on Piagetʼs work but felt that the process was more gradual and had more transitions that went from 

____________________________ controlled behavior to ____________________________ controlled behavior. 

Carol Gilligan created a theory similar to Kohlberg, but instead of focusing on the growth of cognitive abilities as the 

primary driver of moral development, she saw the growth of a ____________________________ as the key to greater 

moral awareness. Elliot Turiel is and American theorist who believes that a ____________________________, a 

____________________________, and a ____________________________ evolve in a parallel way - all occurring at 

once. Albert Bandura is a Canadian psychologist who examined moral development through 

____________________________ which asserts that most human behavior is learned through 

____________________________. Theory of mind is a philosophical belief that moral development is affected by the 

ability to see the world from another personʼs ____________________________. 

modeling 

criminality 

internally 

domain 

perspective 

heteronomous 

moral domain 

attitudes 

Word Bank 

social learning theory 

externally 

social domain 

sense of self 

cultural norms 

autonomous 

psychological domain 

laws 


A Child's Mind: How Kids Learn Right & Wrong! ! ! ! ! ! ! Glossary 

Autonomous! independent in mind, or self-governing. 

Cluster schools! schools-within-a-school in Massachusetts and New York focused on moral discussions as a major 

part of the curriculum. 

Domain Theory" Elliot Turielʼs theory of moral development in which a moral domain, a social domain, and a 

psychological domain evolve in a parallel way - all at the same time. 

Conventional ! a way of thinking characterized by valuing the views of others - and the understanding that rules 

Reasoning! are important to society. 

Egocentric! unable to account for another personʼs perspective. 

Heteronomous! subject to external law, rule, or authority. 

Immanent justice" the expectation that punishments automatically follow wrong-doings. 

Internalization ! the developmental change from externally controlled behavior to internally controlled behavior. 

Moral development ! the process through which individuals develop attitudes and behaviors toward others, based on 

social and cultural norms, rules and laws. 

Moral domain ! domain in which morality is concerned with harm, welfare, and fairness. 

Objective 

responsibility" valuing the letter of the law, no matter what the circumstances. 

personal domain! domain made up of choices a child makes: who they choose as friends and activities they decide to 

do when they have the choice. 

Post conventional 

reasoning ! reasoning based on social contracts and individual rights as well as universal ethical principles. 

Psychological 

domain ! domain in which a child understands who they are as an individual and their thoughts about people 

and situations. Eventually it includes understanding the thoughts of other people. 

Social Learning 

Theory " theory, of which Albert Bandura was a proponent, that describes learning as an occurrence within a 

social context, and states that people learn from one another through observation, imitation, and 

modeling. 

Theory of mind ! the ability to attribute mental states—beliefs, intents, desires, pretending, knowledge, etc.—to 

oneself and others and to understand that others have beliefs, desires and intentions that are 

different from one's own.

EDUCATORʼS RESOURCE GUIDE - Learning Seed

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