Tiddler – truth and lies

Resources:

Tiddler – Picture book by Julia Donaldson

 

Key controversy: Is lying wrong? What is lying?

 

Starter – sit children in a circle

Read the first part of tiddley until it mentions that tiddler tells tells. Ask the children what they mean by telling
tales. Ask for examples of telling tales to check/teach understanding and get chn engaged with key concept

 

Optional activity

Get the children to guess wheteher you are telling tales or telling the truth

“I am 30 years old”

“I live on a boat” etc..

 

Main activity – Continue reading the story.

Read the story until a point where tiddler is recounting one of the stories.

Is Tiddler telling the truth? Is that the same as lying?
Should he tell the truth?

Continue reading until it turns out that Tiddlers tales are useful or lead to a good consequence

Was it ok for Tiddler to tell tales?
Should Tiddler have told the truth?
Should you always tell the truth?
Is it ever ok to lie?

 

Extension activitie/extras

The children may be united in the idea that you should always tell the truth. You may want to prepare spme examples of instances where we don’t tell the truth:

Tiddler is not a true story, it didn’t really happen. So, was the author lying? Was it naughty?
Is telling stories lying?

Tel them the joke e.g. ‘What’s brown and sticky? A stick!’

Was that telling the truth or lying?
Is it ok to lie if it is a joke?

 

Game

Ask one child to sit with a sign saying LIE and one child with a sign saying TRUTH. Their objective is to say a
lie or truth in response to questions Teacher (and children) can ask questions:

What is your name?
Where are you?
How many fingers am I holding up?

Now put your fingers behind your back and ask how many fingers am I holding up?

If they get it wrong is that telling a lie?
If they get it right by accident is that telling the truth?

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