Definition:

Integrity means being honest, and responsible and respectful all the time, whether or not people can see what you’re doing. 

In short:

Do the right thing, even when no one's looking. 

Summary:
This well-known dramatic tale about a puppet maker longing to be a father, and a puppet longing to be a real boy, never gets old. Pinocchio learns the hard way about the value of honesty and making good decisions as he encounters temptation on his way to school. Jiminy Cricket, his “conscience” tries unsuccessfully to steer Pinocchio away from negative influences, and the boy/puppet ends up in the mouth of a shark with Geppetto, the puppet maker. We all rejoice at the happy ending, when the puppet maker and puppet’s wishes come true.  

Lesson Objectives: 

1. Students will be more aware of the voice of the conscience, and will make better choices as a result. 
2. This is a good opportunity to assign students to journal for a week or two about their experiences with their conscience, writing down what it tells them, in order to gain new awareness of its existence. 

Guiding Questions:

1. What is Geppetto’s wish in the beginning of the story? 
2. What is Pinocchio’s wish and who is the one who will grant it (or not)? 
3. What is the job of the small green cricket? 
4. When Pinocchio started on his way to school, something happened that interrupted his good intentions - what was it? 
5. What did Pinocchio do that helped him get his wish? 
6. Is there a time when you were honest and told the truth even though it was difficult? 
7. What if humans were made so that our noses would grow when we told lies. How do you think that might change the way people behave? 
8. Did you ever catch someone telling a lie? Did you say anything or just ignore it? 
9. Would you like to have your very own personal cricket that lets you know when you’re on the verge of making a bad decision? Why or why not? 
10. Peer pressure can be positive, with friends helping you do the right thing, or negative, with peers encouraging you to do the wrong thing. Do you have more people in your life who are a positive influence or more who are a negative influence?