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Students learn what a lie is and how it differs from a mistake or a story.
Imagine you found a broken cookie jar. If you tell your mom 'The cat did it' even though you know YOU did it, is that the same as accidentally saying 'I think I saw the cat near it'?
A lie is when you say something that you know is not true because you want to trick someone. To be a lie, two things must happen: 1. You know the truth. 2. You on purpose say something different. People sometimes lie to stay out of trouble or to get something they want. But even if a lie is small, it is still a lie because it is meant to hide the truth.
Quick Check
If you know you ate the last cupcake but tell your brother 'I don't know where it went,' is that a lie?
Answer
Yes, because you knew the truth and said something else on purpose.
Sometimes we say things that are wrong, but we aren't lying! This is called a mistake. A mistake happens when you think you are telling the truth, but you are actually wrong. For example, if you think , you aren't lying; you just made a math error. The big difference is your intent, which means what you were trying to do in your heart.
1. Leo tells his friend, 'Tomorrow is Saturday!' 2. Leo really thinks tomorrow is Saturday because he is excited for the weekend. 3. It turns out tomorrow is actually Friday. 4. This is a mistake, not a lie, because Leo wasn't trying to trick his friend.
Quick Check
What is the main difference between a lie and a mistake?
Answer
A lie is done on purpose to trick someone, while a mistake is an accident where you thought you were right.
When we tell the truth, we build trust. Trust is like a strong bridge between you and your friends. Every time you tell a lie, it's like taking a brick out of that bridge. If you take out too many bricks, the bridge falls down! When the bridge of trust is broken, people might not believe you even when you are telling the truth. Being honest helps everyone feel safe and happy.
1. Maya accidentally breaks her friend's toy. 2. She is scared her friend will be mad, so she hides the toy and says, 'I haven't seen it!' 3. Later, the friend finds the broken toy. 4. Now the friend is sad about the toy AND mad that Maya lied. The lie made the problem bigger.
1. Sam tells his class, 'I have a pet dragon at home that breathes blue fire!' 2. Everyone knows dragons aren't real, and Sam is smiling and playing. 3. Is this a lie? 4. No! This is make-believe. When we tell stories for fun and everyone knows they are pretend, it is not a lie because we aren't trying to trick people into believing something false is real life.
Which of these is a lie?
Why is trust like a bridge?
If you say something wrong by accident, it is still a lie.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow morning, ask yourself: 'What is the difference between doing something on purpose and doing it by accident?'
Practice Activity
Think of a time you made a mistake. How did you feel when you told the truth about it?