Honestly?
No lies allowed!
by Hannah Taylor
Suitable for Key Stage 3
Aims
To consider the meaning of honesty and why it is so important.
Preparation and materials
- Have available the YouTube video ‘Pinocchio’s lie’ and the means to show it during the assembly. It is 1.46 minutes long and is available at: https://youtu.be/rUdA54Xk8cg
- Optional: you may wish to tell the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf by Aesop. It is available at: http://tinyurl.com/yk57et2r
Assembly
- Ask the students to raise their hand if they have ever told a lie.
Comment on the results! - Point out that all of us have probably told a lie or two, whether it was because we were scared of getting into trouble, feeling a bit anxious or just plain embarrassed.
- Ask the students if they have ever seen the Disney film Pinocchio.
Show the YouTube video ‘Pinocchio’s lie’ (1.46 minutes long). - Ask the students, ‘Why shouldn’t we tell lies? Does anyone have any ideas?’
Pause to allow time for discussion, and then listen to a range of responses. - Explain that, in the video that we’ve just watched, Pinocchio realizes that telling lies has consequences.
Tell the students that telling lies can upset others. It can mean that we no longer believe someone, even if they are telling the truth. - Optional: tell the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf by Aesop.
Explain that the more we tell lies, the more we are likely to be caught out and the fewer people will believe us. Lying destroys trust. - Ask the students to imagine that they’ve been given a chocolate bar. After they’ve finished eating it, they are asked to give it back. But they can’t do that: they’ve eaten it!
Explain that it’s the same with telling lies: if we tell a lie, it can be very hard to take back. - Explain that when something bad happens, it’s much better to tell the truth. Maybe we’ve broken something, forgotten to do something for our teacher or have done something that we wish we hadn’t. Telling the truth can feel scary, but it’s a brave and brilliant thing to do.
- Telling the truth is POWERFUL! It builds trust between us and our friends, our teachers, our siblings and our parents.
Cruel words and lies can be hurtful to the person we say them to. Let’s all remember to be kind and truthful, and speak with honesty.
Time for reflection
Remind the students that we all make mistakes; it’s part of being human. However, telling the truth about our mistakes is really important.
Encourage the students to think of a time when they lied.
- How did they feel?
- How did the person they lied to feel?
Now encourage the students to reflect on how it could have been different if they had told the truth. Would they have felt better in the long run?
Encourage the students to think about the consequences of not telling the truth. Encourage them to apologize if they have told a lie about someone, as they seek to put it right.
Prayer
Dear God,
Please help us to be honest in all that we do and say.
Please help us to build trust in those around us by being honest and using words that are thoughtful and kind.
Help us to act with integrity and fairness
So that we can build trust and love with everyone around us.
Amen.
