Talk about how when you are dishonest it’s like making a crack in your heart.  Give scenarios of dishonesty and for each scenario, cut into the heart. 

Examples:

Don’t tell the truth

1. Your mom asks if you cleaned your room and you say you did even though you know you didn’t.
2. You tell your teacher that your homework got done even though you know it didn’t.
3. You tell your friend that you can’t come over because you’re busy, and then you call another friend and ask them over.
4. You say one thing and you do something else.
5. You blame someone else.  You don’t take ownership for what you did.  You get in a fight on the playground and call someone a bad name.  When the teacher talks to you about it, you deny that you did anything.

Cartoon examples and games from Character Building Activities For Kids (by Darlene Mannix, New Jersey: Center for Applied Research in Education, 2002)

Cheat

1. You are taking a spelling test and you look at your classmates’ paper.
2. You trade a really bad Yu-Gi-Oh card for a really good Yu-Gi-Oh card from a little kindergartener.  You tell them that it’s a great trade.
3.  

Steal
     1. You steal (money, pencil, toy, etc.) form someone else’s locker.

      Each class receives a big heart and teachers can choose to cut it whenever there are acts of dishonesty in the classroom.  This is done privately with no names mentioned to the class.  Acts of honesty can also be acknowledged by the teacher throughout the month. 

 Each student receives an honesty bookmark.



Books on honesty from:

-Characters with Character: Using Children’s Literature in Character Education (by Diane Findlay, Wisconsin: Alleyside Press, 2001)

-A Big Fat Enormous Lie (by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat, New York: Dutton, 1978)

-A Day’s Work (by Eve Bunting, New York: Clarion, 1994)

-Alex Did It! (by Udo Weigelt, New York: North-South Books, 2002)

-And to think I Saw It on Mulberry Street (by Dr. Seuss, New York: Vanguard Press, 1964)

-The Empty Pot (by Demi, New York: H. Holt, 1990)

-The Honest – to – Goodness Truth (by Patricia C. McKissack, New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2000)

-The Summer My Father Was Ten (by Pat Brisson, Pennsylvania: Boyds Mills Press, 1998)

 Honesty song- Tell the Truth (from Sesame Street)

CBSNews.com Honesty Quiz

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/11/08/48hours/main528761.shtml?CMP=ILC-SearchStories

 

(CBS) Whether it’s someone “borrowing” the newspaper from your front step, or new allegations of insider trading and accounting shenanigans at GigantoCom Corp., it seems like everywhere you turn these days, someone is doing something dishonest, unethical, or illegal. Take the CBSNews.com Honesty Quiz to see how you stack up in the ethics department.

 

1. You’re shopping at a department store when you accidentally knock an expensive crystal bowl off the shelf. It shatters. You’re alone in the aisle – no one saw. You…

a. Immediately find the store manager and offer to pay for the bowl.

b. Walk out of the store. It was an accident.

c. Immediately find the store manager. Point to another customer and say you saw him or her deliberately smash the bowl.

 

2. You’re taking a stroll when you see a stray $20 bill fall from the pocket of an elderly woman walking in front of you. She doesn’t notice the fallen money. You…

a. Pick up the money, and hand it back to her.

b. Pick up the money. Hand her a five and tell her she dropped it. $15 is a reasonable finder’s fee.

c. Pick up the money and pocket it. Finders Keepers.

 

3. You are supposed to spend Sunday afternoon at your in-laws’ house. Sunday morning, your friend calls; he has just won two tickets on the 50-yard line to the big game, and he wants you to join him. You…

a. Go to your in-laws house as planned. You’ve already made the plans.

b. Tell your wife the truth. Ask her to tell her parents that you have a terrible migraine and couldn’t bear to crawl out of your dark room.

c. Tell your wife that your boss just called. It turns out there’s a big project due Monday morning and they’re really counting on you. Sorry…

 

4. You take your 13-year-old son to a movie. The box office cashier assumes that he is younger and charges him for a child’s ticket, a saving of $6. You…

a. Tell the cashier your son’s true age. It doesn’t set a good example to cheat, even passively. 15

b. Take the cheaper ticket, but explain to your son that in most cases, one should be honest. 10

c. Take the cheaper ticket. It’s no big deal. 5

 

5. You and your friend are metal-detecting for coins and jewelry on the beach. While he is taking a break, you find a money clip on the beach with $100 cash in it. You and your buddy agreed to split whatever you find 50-50. But now you’re tempted to keep the cash from for yourself. You…

a. Tell him about your find and then split the money evenly. It’s only fair.

b. Tell him about the additional loot, and suggest that you talk about how to distribute in a way that leaves both of you comfortable.

c. Don’t tell your partner. You got the extra cash with your own initiative. It’s yours.

 

Tabulating Your Score: For every “A” answer that you chose, give yourself 15 points. For every “B” answer that you chose, give yourself 10 points. For every “C” answer that you chose, give yourself five points. And no cheating!

 

What Your Score Means:

Above 65: You’re a straight shooter. Your parents taught you well.

46 – 65: Unless you’re planning to enter politics, you need to brush up on your ethics.

25 – 45: Congratulations! You have a bright future as a CEO or an accountant.