Honesty and Trustworthiness
Discussion questions (Pre teach)
(Ask) What does honesty mean?
1. To be truthful
2. To not lie, cheat, or steal
Trustworthy people:
1. Follow through on what they say they will do
2. Have the courage to do the right thing
3. Stand by their family friends and community
4. Keep promises
5. Tell the truth, even if it means they may get in trouble
6. Return things they find that belong to someone else
7. Establish a good reputation
8. Can be counted on to do the right thing
9. Set a good example
10. Follow rules and encourage others to do so as well
11. Are sincere
12. Walk the talk
13. Return things that are borrowed on time and in the same condition
14. Pay debts
(Ask) What are the consequences of dishonesty?
1. Losing the trust and respect of others
2. The need to tell more lies in order to cover up
3. You may face punishment and embarrassment
4. You will hurt someone
(Ask) How can you be a trustworthy/honest person in the following situations?
Look for ways a wrong decision could hurt someone
1. The cashier only charges you for two candy bars when you really bought three.
2. You find a $10 bill in the hallway at school or in the sofa seat cushion at home.
3. A friend asks if he can copy your answers during a test.
4. You promised your mom or dad you would clean your room. They paid you your allowance, but you watched TV instead.
5. You borrowed your friend’s skateboard and lost it.
6. At the store you see one of your friends put something in her pocket without paying for it.
7. You think no one will notice if you take two cookies from the tray when the sign says “one cookie per person.”
8. The video game states that you must be 16 years old to play. Who will know that you’re only 7 years old?
Book Study
Read and discuss a book/article that teaches a lesson about trustworthiness or honesty. “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” may be a good option. You can probably even tell them the story by memory.
Weekly Writing Prompts
Look for the “Wednesday writing prompts” on the announcements. Or, come up with your own writing prompts based on classroom discussions or events.
Activities for home or school
The honest mouth (Suggested for all grades)
Materials: Black licorice or another food that will discolor your mouth.
Ask the students if anyone knows what happens when you eat black licorice? (put a piece in your mouth. You may want to put extra black food coloring on you piece before teaching the lesson. This will enhance the effect.) A mouth that has eaten black licorice turns black. (After chewing, open your mouth to show the result.) Yuck! Not only does your tongue look horrible, but soon your teeth and even your lips get black. It takes a long time before your mouth returns to its normal color. Dishonesty has a lasting effect on you, just like the black licorice. Like the licorice leaves our mouths black for a long time, we can see the results of telling lies long after we’ve told them. Others will lose their trust in us, privileges will be taken away, and friendships will be lost. Telling lies will leave a black ugly mark on you—just like the black licorice. Remember: It’s always best to be honest and true, don’t let the stain of dishonesty leave its mark on you.
The Honesty Pledge (Suggested for all grades)
Materials: None
Ask the students to write their own honesty pledge. This is the student’s promise to always be truthful in their words and actions. After they have finished writing, students can decorate and sign their pledge.
The Bear and the Travelers (Suggested for grades K-3)
Materials: None
Help children discover that a trustworthy person stands by his or her friend. Read aloud Aesop’s fable, “The Bear and the Travelers.” Afterwards discuss the short story as a class. Have students write their interpretation of the story in their draft books.
Two friends were traveling down the road together when suddenly a bear appeared. Before the bear even saw them, one friend ran to a tree by the side of the road, climbed up it as fast as he could, and hid in the branches. The other friend was not as nimble. All he could do was to throw himself on the ground and pretend to be dead. He had heard that a bear will not touch someone who is dead. He lay perfectly still and held his breath. Sure enough, the bear sniffed all around him and then went away.
When the coast was clear, the traveler climbed down from the tree as asked his friend, “What did the bear whisper to you when he put his mouth to your ear?”
His friend replied, “He told me never again to travel with a friend who deserts you at the first sign of danger!”
Writing Prompts (Suggested for grades 3-5)
Materials: None
Choose one of the following quotes and write about how it relates to the traits of honesty/trustworthiness.
“It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.” – Ben Franklin
“If all my friends were to jump off a bridge, I wouldn’t follow. I’d be at the bottom to catch them when they fall.” – unknown
“The greater the loyalty of a group toward the group, the greater is the motivation among the members to achieve the goals of the group, and the greater the probability that the group will achieve its goals.” – Rensis Likert
“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” – William Shakespeare
“Character is doing the right thing when nobody’s looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that’s right is to get by, and the only thing that’s wrong is to get caught.” – J.C. Watts
In Closing…
“Be honest. Keep your promises. Have the courage to do the right thing. Establish a good reputation. Make sure other people can rely on you. Be loyal – stand by your family, friends, school, community, and country.”
Discussion questions (Pre teach)
(Ask) What does honesty mean?
1. To be truthful
2. To not lie, cheat, or steal
Trustworthy people:
1. Follow through on what they say they will do
2. Have the courage to do the right thing
3. Stand by their family friends and community
4. Keep promises
5. Tell the truth, even if it means they may get in trouble
6. Return things they find that belong to someone else
7. Establish a good reputation
8. Can be counted on to do the right thing
9. Set a good example
10. Follow rules and encourage others to do so as well
11. Are sincere
12. Walk the talk
13. Return things that are borrowed on time and in the same condition
14. Pay debts
(Ask) What are the consequences of dishonesty?
1. Losing the trust and respect of others
2. The need to tell more lies in order to cover up
3. You may face punishment and embarrassment
4. You will hurt someone
(Ask) How can you be a trustworthy/honest person in the following situations?
Look for ways a wrong decision could hurt someone
1. The cashier only charges you for two candy bars when you really bought three.
2. You find a $10 bill in the hallway at school or in the sofa seat cushion at home.
3. A friend asks if he can copy your answers during a test.
4. You promised your mom or dad you would clean your room. They paid you your allowance, but you watched TV instead.
5. You borrowed your friend’s skateboard and lost it.
6. At the store you see one of your friends put something in her pocket without paying for it.
7. You think no one will notice if you take two cookies from the tray when the sign says “one cookie per person.”
8. The video game states that you must be 16 years old to play. Who will know that you’re only 7 years old?
Book Study
Read and discuss a book/article that teaches a lesson about trustworthiness or honesty. “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” may be a good option. You can probably even tell them the story by memory.
Weekly Writing Prompts
Look for the “Wednesday writing prompts” on the announcements. Or, come up with your own writing prompts based on classroom discussions or events.
Activities for home or school
The honest mouth (Suggested for all grades)
Materials: Black licorice or another food that will discolor your mouth.
Ask the students if anyone knows what happens when you eat black licorice? (put a piece in your mouth. You may want to put extra black food coloring on you piece before teaching the lesson. This will enhance the effect.) A mouth that has eaten black licorice turns black. (After chewing, open your mouth to show the result.) Yuck! Not only does your tongue look horrible, but soon your teeth and even your lips get black. It takes a long time before your mouth returns to its normal color. Dishonesty has a lasting effect on you, just like the black licorice. Like the licorice leaves our mouths black for a long time, we can see the results of telling lies long after we’ve told them. Others will lose their trust in us, privileges will be taken away, and friendships will be lost. Telling lies will leave a black ugly mark on you—just like the black licorice. Remember: It’s always best to be honest and true, don’t let the stain of dishonesty leave its mark on you.
The Honesty Pledge (Suggested for all grades)
Materials: None
Ask the students to write their own honesty pledge. This is the student’s promise to always be truthful in their words and actions. After they have finished writing, students can decorate and sign their pledge.
The Bear and the Travelers (Suggested for grades K-3)
Materials: None
Help children discover that a trustworthy person stands by his or her friend. Read aloud Aesop’s fable, “The Bear and the Travelers.” Afterwards discuss the short story as a class. Have students write their interpretation of the story in their draft books.
Two friends were traveling down the road together when suddenly a bear appeared. Before the bear even saw them, one friend ran to a tree by the side of the road, climbed up it as fast as he could, and hid in the branches. The other friend was not as nimble. All he could do was to throw himself on the ground and pretend to be dead. He had heard that a bear will not touch someone who is dead. He lay perfectly still and held his breath. Sure enough, the bear sniffed all around him and then went away.
When the coast was clear, the traveler climbed down from the tree as asked his friend, “What did the bear whisper to you when he put his mouth to your ear?”
His friend replied, “He told me never again to travel with a friend who deserts you at the first sign of danger!”
Writing Prompts (Suggested for grades 3-5)
Materials: None
Choose one of the following quotes and write about how it relates to the traits of honesty/trustworthiness.
“It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.” – Ben Franklin
“If all my friends were to jump off a bridge, I wouldn’t follow. I’d be at the bottom to catch them when they fall.” – unknown
“The greater the loyalty of a group toward the group, the greater is the motivation among the members to achieve the goals of the group, and the greater the probability that the group will achieve its goals.” – Rensis Likert
“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” – William Shakespeare
“Character is doing the right thing when nobody’s looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that’s right is to get by, and the only thing that’s wrong is to get caught.” – J.C. Watts
In Closing…
“Be honest. Keep your promises. Have the courage to do the right thing. Establish a good reputation. Make sure other people can rely on you. Be loyal – stand by your family, friends, school, community, and country.”