Suggested Grade/Age Range: Grades 4-6 (ages 9-11)

Activity Objective: The goal of this activity is to help children distinguish the difference between tattling to get someone in trouble and telling to get help for someone.

Learning Goals
Big Messages to Kids

Link to Ontario Curriculum

Materials Required: none

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Review over the lesson plan to become familiar with the scenarios or create some more scenarios to discuss with the class

Task Time: 30 minutes

• Introduce the difference between telling and tattling
• Explore and discuss about scenarios

Activity Description:

Opening Discussion:

1.       Tell the class that you will be having a discussion about the differences between tattling and telling. Ask the children what they think the differences are and have a few individuals share answers

2.       Tell the class that the difference between tattling and telling is that the former is to get someone in trouble whereas the latter is to get help for someone. Also make sure to point out that sometimes telling to get help does get another into trouble, but the most important thing is that you are getting help for someone

Offer an example each of what tattling and telling looks like. Also provide an opportunity for the children to offer some examples as well. You may choose to write these on chart paper or on the board for reference during the discussion about scenarios

Activity:

3.       Tell the children that as a whole class, you will explore a few scenarios that are showing either tattling or telling. As a class, you have to decide which one you think it is and provide some reasons for why.

To make the activity more physically interactive, the children can stay seated to represent ‘tattling’ and stand up to represent ‘telling’. Once all children have made a choice, have a few offer their reasoning for why and then as a whole class decide on whether it is tattling or telling. If the final decision is that a scenario represents tattling, ask the children for suggestions on how to resolve the issue instead of tattling to get someone in trouble. Here are the scenarios:

• “It’s math time and the teacher asked everyone to work in their math workbooks. You see someone reading a comic book instead. If you went to your teacher about this, would that be tattling or telling to get help?”
• “You see some other kids picking on a younger child on the playground during recess. If you tell the teacher or an adult about this, would that be tattling or telling to get help?”
• “Your friend reaches for a glass and accidentally knocks over a vase, spilling water on the floor. If you tell the teacher or an adult about this, would that be tattling or telling to get help?”
• “You do not like the way your aunt hugs you. If you went to your parents or a trusted adult about this, would that be tattling or telling to get help?”
• “You see an older kid steal something from the local corner store. If you tell an adult about this, would that be tattling or telling?”
• “You see your younger brother throwing his teddy bear around his room. If you tell your parents about this, would that be tattling or telling?”

4.       Wrap up the discussion by brainstorming as a class, steps that can be taken in certain situations that are better choices than tattling (e.g., take a little time to think through if telling on the peer is tattling or telling to get help; speak to the peer to address the issue first if it is really bothering you; if the issue is really bothering you, instead of tattling, ask for the teacher to come mediate the process)

5.       For telling to get help, emphasize the importance of doing so in any situation where you recognize a friend may need help. Tell children to tell a trusted adult and if they do not receive help right away, they need to keep telling until they get the help needed

Activity Extensions:

• Have children choose a tattling and telling scenario each and write in their journals or writer’s notebooks about what they would do in each case as a reflection activity
• In small groups, children can create their own tattling or telling scenarios, act them out, and then discuss them with the whole class
• Take children through the Kids Help Phone website to help them become aware of this resource and of its availability in times of need

Additional Comments:

Because tattling and getting help for oneself and another are both common experiences in the classroom, it is important that the activity does not become one whereby children are shamed for engaging in tattling. Instead, the focus should be on creating more positive routines around the act of tattling to promote healthy communication between peers

This activity may fit well with classroom community and routine building

Additional Resources:

• Kids Help Phone
• You may also choose to review the Getting Help Literature Review before implementing this activity. It can be found here