About Honesty (a dramatic reading)

Personhood Curriculum

5th Grade
About Honesty (a dramatic reading)
Lesson Plan
aphg5-9
[50 min]

Teaching Goals

Invoke Empathy as a tool for teaching honesty. (Read SOB!.)
Lead them to see what might happen if they adopt a bad Life Goal and bad Life Rules, and what might happen if they adopt the opposite (good ones).
Help the children learn how to think about the pros and cons of a Life Goal, preparing them to do that on their own.
To relate to a Life-Goal and the Life-Rules to reach that goal.

Teacher Prep

Print About Honesty - - - dishonst.rtf a dramatic reading.
Make copies for readers and yourself, plus spares.

Select the students to play the roles (see script).

Set up the desks at the front of the classroom before starting the lesson.

Reader Prep

Contact those students you think would be good readers. Verify they will do it.

Give each a copy of the script. Do this a few days before the lesson. Have them read it over a few times. Have a walkthrough.

Work with them on their stage presence and stage voices. Be sure they stand or sit facing generally towards the audience. They must not swallow their words. They must be clearly heard in the back of the room.

Class Time

Relevancy

Nearly everyone wants to be a high quality person. They want to be respected by other people. This lesson deals with the quality of honesty, that good people respect.

Introduction

In any group of people, most are honest. There are usually a few who are at least sometimes dishonest. The same is very probably true of this class.

In a few minutes some of your classmates are going to present a dramatic reading about being honest. While it is fiction, I think it is realistic.

This dramatic reading is not intended to embarrass anyone.
I will not ask anyone embarrassing questions.
It is not intended to condemn anyone.

If any of you recognize yourself in this reading, please understand the goal of the lesson. It is to help you recognize it, understand it, and to change yourself to be the BEST you can be! If you want to speak with me about it privately, I will do so without condemning you, and will do everything I can to help you.

Presentation

Some people are dishonest. They seem to be operating with bad Life-Goals of:

"I must always look good, no matter what".
"I must always avoid punishment, even if it is deserved."

To reach these bad Life-Goals they seem to use these bad Life-Rules:
- "It is OK to cheat so I will look good."
- "It is OK to cheat so I will avoid being punished."
- "It is OK to lie so I will look good."
- "It is OK to lie so I will avoid being punished."

What would be the likely result if you have these bad Life-Goals and operate using these bad Life-Rules, and become a dishonest person?

Possible answers: (Write students' answers on the board or transparency.)

Dishonest people often have to lie to cover up their dishonesty.
Liars have to constantly remember what lies they told to which people. That is a strain!
People will soon figure out you are dishonest, and you can't be trusted. In other words, their dishonesty and deception fails.
People will lose respect for you. They will look at you as a "lowlife."
Deep down inside you lose respect for yourself.
When your dishonesty is discovered, you are likely to be in trouble for two things:
- The thing you were lying about.
- The lie itself.
You are likely to get into trouble much more often.
People will not give you responsibilities.
You may be shunned - avoided - left out of things.

Isn't it better to BE GOOD, than to try to look good when you aren't, therefore proving yourself to BE DISHONEST?
Dishonesty and lying are like "Shooting yourself in the foot."
Most people are honest. They seem to operate with this good Life-Goal.

Be good. (Not just look good.)

To do that they seem to use a wide range of Good Life-Rules to help them reach high quality.

What would be the likely good result if you were an honest person?

Possible answers: (Write students' answers on the board or transparency.) People will learn they can trust you. People will respect you. People will give you opportunities they wouldn't if you were dishonest. You will get into trouble a lot less often.

Introduce the cast and their roles.

Present the dramatic reading. "About Honesty"

CLASS DISCUSSION

Teacher writes questions on the board or a slide. Writes students' answers.

What positive result tempted Ted? Avoid punishment by getting a better grade (by cheating).
What negative outcomes did Ted probably NOT think about before he cheated?

Getting caught, and being punished more severely!
His classmate thinking poorly of him.
People might no longer trust him.
Letting down teacher and parents.

What might Ted have thought about during that two hours? Put yourself in his shoes!

Possible answers

Boy, I messed up!
I never thought about getting caught.
I sure let everyone down.
My parents are very disappointed in me.
My classmates must really think I'm a jerk!
I got in a lot of trouble!
It sure wasn't worth the risk I took.
Honesty really is best.

What should he have said to his parents at the end of the two hours?

It was wrong for me to cheat.
Being dishonest got me in a lot of trouble.
I am sorry I let you down so much.
I promise I won't do anything like that again.

What should Ted do and how should he think to assure that he would be honest in the future?

He can set Life-Goals and Life-Rules for himself. He can add them to the lists of his Life-Goals and Life-Rules.
- (Life Goal) "To be honest in everything I do."
  - (Life-Rule) "Before I decide do something, I will always ask myself if it is honest "
  - (Life-Rule) "Before I decide to say something, I will always ask myself if it is true"
  - (Life-Rule) "I will always answer the above questions VERY HONESTLY!
- (Life Goal) "To not be tempted."
  - (Life-Rule) "I will NOT stop thinking after I see some good outcome. Instead....
  - (Life-Rule) "I will always look for possible bad results."
  - (Life-Rule) "I will check to see that the possible good is far greater than the possible bad."
He can make a sign to put up in his room, to remind himself of these Goals and Rules.
He can show the sign to his parents, teacher, fellow students, and ask that they help him.
He can read his sign every day until he begins to automatically think that way.

How do you think the class, his parents, and teacher would react? Discuss this.

Possible answers

Remember, that his classmates thought he had done a really dumb thing.
When he shows he is working to overcome it, they will be really proud of him, and happy for him.
His parents and teacher will also be proud and happy, and greatly relieved.
His parents might remove the grounding.

Teacher's Summation given to the class

In this drama Ted learned from his mistake! He learned that by being honest he can avoid a lot of bad things. He learned that honesty is better than dishonesty. He set up Life-Goals and Life-Rules, to make himself into a better person!

Listen carefully. The next three sentences are very important! - - - When Ted has firmly learned his new Life-Rules and is always using them, then the old "Dishonest Ted" will no longer exist. In his place is the new "Honest Ted." He can now hold his head high, and be justifiably proud! (REPEAT these sentences.)

This kind of thinking is what we have been working on. That is,
how you can MAKE YOURSELF into the BEST YOU CAN BE!
Periodically
Teacher Follow-up None written.
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As of: 26 Dec 2002