Character Connections
The Honest –To-Goodness Truth
Honesty is the quality or fact of being honest, uprightness and fairness, truthfulness, sincerity, or frankness. Telling the truth or being honest is a very important trait that we all should demonstrate. In The-Honest-To-Goodness Truth, Libby is taught that telling the truth is something she should always do. "Tell the truth and shame the devil," her mother tells her. But when she begins being honest, her friends start to get mad at her. Is there a right way to tell the truth? Should you always tell the truth? What if it’s going to hurt someone’s feelings? Even though it's always wrong to tell a lie, there's a right and a wrong way to tell the truth. Honesty is always the best policy, and that’s the Honest-to-Goodness Truth.
Activities:
Play the liar game: have a student come to the front of the classroom and share an event that occurred in his or her like (the truth) or about a fictional event (a lie). Ask the class to determine if the student is lying or telling the truth.
Remember to restate the importance of honesty in our relationships with others.
Discussion/Activity:
Have the students take the Honesty Quiz, and then discuss each question giving them and/ or allowing them to give the correct answers.
Honesty Quiz
1. T F Is lying okay for some people?
2. T F Is telling the truth important in a friendship?
3. T F Does lying help in most situations?
4. T F Does lying hurt others?
5. T F Does telling the truth help in most situations?
6. T F Do you feel good about yourself when you lie?
7. T F Does telling the truth usually hurt others?
8. T F Does telling the truth make you feel better?
Activities:
Provide the students with “ugly truths” and then have them role play how they can give the “sweeter” way of telling the truth.