Teaser Question: Are "white lies" okay? Why? Why not?
Going Deeper: With which character do you relate? Have you told a lie to save someone you know from being hurt by the truth?
Making Choices: You have promised your parents you won't do drugs, but today your friend pressures you into smoking marijuana. Your mom asks you what you did today. What do you tell her?
Movie: Cool Runnings Theme: Winning at All Costs
Teaser Question: Is it okay to cheat or lie to reach a goal?
Going Deeper: Are the successful people you know truthful persons? Are they persons who keep their promises?
Making Choices: You have just made friends with the most popular kid at school. She asks you for the answers to a geometry quiz. What do you do?
Movie: Shrek Theme: Hiding in Fear
Teaser Question: Why are we afraid at times to be truthful?
Going Deeper: Have you ever had something go wrong because you were afraid to tell the truth?
Making Choices: Your best friend is abused at home. She tells you not to let anyone know or she will never be your friend again. What is the best way to handle this? Keep her secret? Wait and see what happens? Talk to an adult you trust? If so, why would you pick this person?
Movie: Big Fat Liar Theme: Gaining Credibility
Teaser Question: How can you earn the trust of others?
Going Deeper: How can a person who has a history of lying regain the trust of others?
Making Choices: You witness a friend telling lies to his/her parents and teacher. What do you do?
A friend who usually tells the truth tells you a story that is so incredible it is hard to believe. Another friend, who often lies, tells another version of the story which seems more normal and credible. Who do you believe? Why?
Activities
Keeping a Journal
As a homework assignment or an in-class activity, the students will write two entries into their journal under the heading of Honesty answering the following questions:
Of all the examples of honesty demonstrated in the clips, which was your favorite? Why?
Write about a time in your life when it worked best for you to be honest. Tell of a time when lying got you in trouble.
Activity 1: The "Truth" Game
Performance Objective: The learner will be able to express his/her own opinion on a topic through written or oral expression.
Materials Needed: None
Instructions:
The teacher will ask the students to think of three "facts" to tell about themselves, two of which are true and one of which is false.
Students will get into triads to complete the game.
Without telling anyone which "fact" about them is true, students will state each of the "facts" to the other members of the group. The other two members of the group are to guess which item is false.
Play will proceed until each member of the triad has shared his/her three statements and the real truths have been revealed.
The teacher will then lead a whole group discussion regarding how it felt to tell a lie and how it felt to be deceived.
Activity 2: "Is it ever okay to lie?"
Performance Objective: The learner will be able to express his/her own opinion on a topic through written or oral expression.
Materials Needed: Paper, pencil
Instructions:
The teacher divides the students into groups of three to discuss the pros and cons of always telling the truth.
The teacher instructs the groups to come up with situations in which they feel it is best not to tell the truth.
After about five minutes, the teacher will write down the ideas of the groups on the board.
The teacher will pick one situation and assign half of the triads to defend lying in that situation while the other half of the triads come up with ideas against lying in that situation.
After a short time, the teacher will take the triads' arguments both for and against lying and lead the whole class in a discussion.
Activity 3: "Dictionary"
Performance Objective: The learner will be able to express his/her own opinion on a topic through written or oral expression.
Materials Needed: Paper, pencil
Instructions:
Before the activity, the teacher picks a word (or two) out of the dictionary that will not be known by the children and writes it on a piece of paper.
The teacher divides the class into four groups.
The teacher then writes the word on the board and asks if anyone knows that the word means
If someone knows the word, he/she should use an alternate word.
If no one knows the word, the teacher instructs the four groups to make up a definition for the word that sounds reasonable and write down that definition.
The teacher tells the class they will be voting on which definition they think is true.
The teacher reads the definitions, including the true one, and the students vote.
The teacher should remind the students to work quietly so others cannot hear their definition.
This game can be repeated with as many words as the teacher has time for.
The teacher then leads a large group discussion using the following questions:
How were you able to detect the false definitions?
How can you tell someone is lying? What made the best "false" definitions?
Why is it sometimes hard to tell if someone is lying?
Activity 4: Role Play
Performance Objective: The learner will be able to express his/her own opinion on a topic through written or oral expression.
Materials Needed: Paper, pencil, props for skits.
Instructions:
The teacher divides the class into groups of five students.
The teacher will instruct the groups to come up with a situation where "honesty is the best policy," and develop a short role play or "skit" to demonstrate honesty.
Each group presents their skit to the whole class.
After all the role plays have been performed, the teacher will lead a whole class discussion on the ideas contained in the skits regarding honesty.
Optional Teaching Strategies
Have students engage in a formal debate about whether there are "appropriate times to be honest, or should they be honest all the time.
Students write a short reflection paper comparing being honest because it is the right thing to do versus being honest just to hurt someone.
Have students make posters stating, "Honesty is the best policy," and then post them in the classroom or in the school hallways.
Have the students create puppets and put on a puppet show of the scene from Big Fat Liar where Jason Shepherd (Frankie Muniz) tries to convince his parents and his teachers that he is telling the truth about his lost homework.