It's Thursday (for a few more hours), so I'm sharing my most popular post ever about Integrity from over on the old blog. Enjoy!
It's time to learn about Integrity! I've found that integrity is one of those words that kids have heard before but don't really understand. I wanted to teach this quarter's lessons about integrity in a way that challenged the kids to really think.
I started with some googling- you know: "integrity elementary lesson plans." I was surprised at how little I found! One of my pet peeves is lessons where the teacher/counselor introduces a concept and then we color a picture about it. Where's the challenge?
I am so happy with the lesson that unfolded! The kids had to think and think hard. Some of the kids had a hard time and needed help from their peers. Some of the kids were on the edge of understanding and had "aha" moments during our lesson. So. Great.
A lesson that is fun and creative but still requires thinking?? Yes, please! Hope you enjoy!
What we did:
Lesson 1
Introduce the word integrity. Ask for definitions. Write the definition on the board: Integrity means doing the right thing even when no one is watching.
Read story of The Empty Pot. I didn't have the book so we watched this youtube video.
Discuss the book: Why did emperor give the children dead seeds? Why did Ping have an empty pot?
Integrity Flowers: Brainstorm ways that you can show integrity. Have students write the ways they show integrity on strips of colored paper. I hand-drew lines and copied so that students would know where to write. It looks best if they only write on one half of the strip. (HINT: have students write their initials on back and paperclip to the full page so you'll be ready for the next lesson).
Lesson 2
Integrity Flowers: Glue a circle above the pot. I used the die-cut to make circles out of construction paper. Using glue stick: glue the ends of the strips of paper together but do not crease. This helps it stay "fluffy." Use glue stick to glue around circle and make petals. (HINT: some students took the entire 30 minutes to finish these steps and others finished more quickly. They can decorate the pot and around the page if they have extra time). If time allows: share your petals around your table.
You can purchase the worksheet and the materials here at my Teachers Pay Teachers Store!
