Peace and Honesty
Primary 1 · Social and Religious Studies
Peace and Honesty
Lesson 2 of 6
11 min
Let's begin
Ishimwe finds a coin under a desk.
The classroom is empty. Nobody saw him.
His hand closes around it. His stomach feels funny.
Today you will learn what honesty means.
Honesty means the words you say are true.
You broke the cup, so you say you broke it.
You did not finish your work, so you say so.
A true word is short. A true word is safe.
Honesty is not only words. It is also what you do.
You take only what belongs to you.
You give back what is not yours.
You keep the promise you made.
This is the hard part of honesty.
Nobody was in the room with Ishimwe.
No teacher would ever know about that coin.
But Ishimwe knows. That is enough.
Found money is somebody's money. Take it to your teacher.
Everybody makes mistakes. Grown-ups make them too.
An honest child does not hide a mistake.
You say what happened. You say sorry.
Then you help to fix it.
Careful! A lie starts small and grows.
Soon you need a second lie to cover the first one.
Ishimwe stood in the empty classroom for a long time.
Then he walked to the staff room with the coin.
He put it in his teacher's hand and told her where he found it.
Later, Mutesi came back crying for her lost coin.
She got it back, and Ishimwe felt light all day.
A song in English from Ubongo about doing the right thing when nobody is watching.
Tip
Nobody watching? Still true
Before you hide something, say it out loud in your head.
If it would sound bad out loud, it is not honest.
Do each one, then tap Show answer to check.
You find money on the classroom floor. What do you do?
Answer: give it to your teacher. It belongs to somebody else.
Gatete borrowed your rubber last week. Should he give it back?
Answer: yes. Honest people return what is not theirs.
You broke a window with the ball. Nobody saw. What do you say?
Answer: tell the truth. Say you did it and say sorry.
True or false: a small lie is not really a lie.
Answer: false. A small lie is a lie, and it grows bigger.
Umutoni promised to help Keza carry water. Should she come?
Answer: yes. Keeping your promise is honesty.
What you learned today
Quick check
Ishimwe found a coin. Who did he give it to?
