Teaching Trustworthiness in Middle School Langage Arts Using Novels
By Barbara Gruener
Part of our Counselor's Corner series. Click to read other posts in the Advisor'south Corner.
This past May, I shared a list of books that enrich different core character pedagogy values. My next few posts will propose activities to intentionally teach those virtues and traits. Permit's begin with trustworthiness.
When education the value of trustworthiness, consider starting with Aesop'south fable "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." Most children have heard of this story, so outset by asking i of them to retell it.
Here's a brief synopsis: For his own entertainment, a young shepherd boy screams that a wolf is attacking his flock of sheep. The people in the hamlet are very alarmed and come up running to his help. But they detect that there is no wolf, and the sheep are non in danger. After the shepherd boy pulls this stunt several times, the villagers realize that he is lying. Ane solar day, a wolf actually does assault the sheep. But this fourth dimension when the boy cries out for help, the villagers retrieve that he is not trustworthy, and they ignore him.
Following a reading or telling of the story, hash out the importance of telling the truth in building trust. Apply questions like these: What happens if someone lies once? How many times does someone have to lie before they are not trustworthy? Why didn't the people believe the male child when at that place really was a wolf? Has this sort of thing e'er happened to you or someone y'all know? How can you make certain people believe y'all? Will it be easy for the male child to change his reputation? Will it be possible? How?
Use Word Dilemmas
Word Dilemmas tin be very effective for helping children wrestle with character choices. When talking about trustworthiness, try these questions:
- Is cheating the same thing equally lying? If not, which is worse?
- How common do you call back cheating is? Why do people cheat?
- If a cashier gives you too much change and you knowingly keep it, is that stealing?
- How does cheating, lying, or stealing touch trust? How exercise they impact friendships?
- What should exist the consequences of adulterous? Of stealing? Of lying?
- What might happen if a news reporter exaggerates or makes upwardly details of a story? Is that lying?
- Is at that place ever a fourth dimension when information technology's okay to cheat or steal? If and then, give an example.
- What might you lot practice if you catch a friend cheating or stealing?
- Is it e'er okay to tell a "little white lie" (for example, to spare someone's feelings)? Why or why non?
- Why is it important to proceed your promises?
- What happens when a friend doesn't go along his or her hope to y'all?
- How important is information technology that someone keeps your secrets?
- What type of secret wouldn't or couldn't you proceed?
These reflection questions too make interesting journaling prompts or course circle conversation starters. When yous've finished discussing these questions, brand upwardly some of your own and encourage your students to do the aforementioned.
Build a Solid Wall of Trust
Whether or not they realize information technology, our students are edifice their reputations—or what I call their Wall of Trust—with every choice they make. Here'due south an activity using cardboard bricks (or tissue boxes!) that tin visually prove students how of import that construction work is.
Give students a brick and ask them a question like, "What do people like about you?" or "What makes you lot a good friend?" or "In what ways are you trustworthy?" Have students add their brick to the wall as they give their answer aloud. Their answers will vary from "I'chiliad kind" to "I keep my promises," "Y'all can count on me," or "I tell the truth." With each answer, lay the bricks, overlapping them at the seams and then they're non stacked straight on superlative of one another, to make a pyramid-style wall.
Later on the wall has been synthetic, talk with students near how information technology represents their solid friendships. Wouldn't yous want to be friends with someone whose Wall of Trust is this alpine and this potent? Next give students a dilemma like the following: "What happens to your Wall of Trust if you promise to hang out with your friend simply you forget and don't show up?" Let them answer before you lot strategically and slowly knock a block out of the middle of the wall. Tell students, "When you mess upwards, you lot gotta fix it upward," and inquire them what you'd accept to do to fix that hole in their Wall of Trust.
Ask students to consider another imaginary situation: "Suppose you need a partner for a form projection. The same friend who forgot to show upwardly to play last fourth dimension wants to be your partner. Do you trust this person to show up to work on the project? If and then, what happens if she or he forgets once again?"
This fourth dimension, knock down the top half of the wall to show what happens to our Wall of Trust when we've let someone down likewise many times. Ask how difficult it is to trust someone whose wall is broken downwards in this manner and what that person would have to do to strengthen information technology again. Make sure that participants know that trustworthiness is always about owning and fixing mistakes so that people can count on and trust them.
Brand Friendship Kits
Trustworthiness is a crucial ingredient for a healthy friendship. An activity I've used to make friendship a bit more than tangible is putting together a Friendship Kit.
Get together the items listed below and put them in a clear zip-top bag. Earlier showing students the Friendship Kit, enquire them what they might put into a Friendship Kit and why. After they share a few ideas, show them the kit—but don't tell them what you think each item represents. Rather, pull out the items one by one and enquire how that particular might represent friendship. For example, "Why do you think there's a push button in the kit?" Arrive articulate that in that location are no correct or incorrect answers so students experience free to brainstorm whatever comes to mind. Set for some amazing reflections. 1 boy once told me that "just like a button completes a shirt and holds it together, a friend completes you." Boom! What exercise all of these items have to do with trust in a friendship?
- push button
- toothpick
- cotton ball
- prophylactic band
- sour candy
- sticker
- bandage
- domestic dog tag
- flashlight
If you have a upkeep, you lot can purchase these items in bulk and allow the students make Friendship Kits for themselves. When I did this, information technology price almost ten cents per kit.
Currently in her 33rd year every bit an educator, Barbara Gruener, a school counselor and character coach at Bales Intermediate Schoolhouse in Friendswood, Texas, has had the pleasure of working with kids from every course level. Author of the web log The Corner on Character and the book What'southward Under Your Cape? SUPERHEROES of the Graphic symbol Kind , Barbara enjoys positively influencing alter through her inspirational keynotes and interactive workshops. When she's not working, y'all tin can bet Barbara is knitting, baking, writing, reading, walking, gardening, napping, or spending time with her married man and their three children.
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Suggested Resources
Knowing and Doing What'due south Right
Kids' Daily Dilemmas In a Jar®
The Survival Guide for Making and Being Friends
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Source: https://freespiritpublishingblog.com/2016/08/29/teaching-kids-the-importance-of-trustworthiness/
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