Character Lesson 1: Accurate

Note to all Levels: This lesson on ACCURATE is related to our words. Next week’s lesson will be on EXACT which is related
to our actions.

Elementary:

Focus: We need to be accurate in our words. An accurate person does not make things bigger or smaller than they
actually are. Exaggeration is a form of lying.

Practical Application: Give examples of how much we may have a habit of exaggerating when we are relating incidents or
describing people or situations. Sometimes when we do this, it can get others or ourselves in trouble. Give own examples
at their level.

Suggested story: The Sky is Falling by Betty Miles Suggested Activity: Draw What I Say. Divide children into groups of two.
Without showing the picture, one child describes a picture to the other one in the group as accurately as possible, while
the other one is drawing it. When everyone is finished, see which group was most accurate. Play Telephone Game

Intermediate: Verse: “He who utters truth tells forth righteousness but a false witness, deceit.” Prov 12:17

Focus: It is important to be accurate when stating facts or giving a report. Do not stretch the facts or hide them. Learn just
to state the facts, not our own opinions.

Practical Application: When we say things inaccurately or exaggerate the truth, we often do it because we want others to
think of us favorably. It can also cause misunderstandings. Give your own examples of stories at their level.

Suggested Activity: Play the telephone game. But this time, the teacher will give the kids facts about something that
happened within 4 sentences. The teacher tells it to the first child and it gets passed on till the last person. See what the
last kid says. See if it will be just factual, or many personal subjective views are added in. See Additional note in the back
for example of a story Advanced: Verse: “He who utters truth tells forth righteousness but a false witness, deceit.” Prov
12:17 Focus: It is important to be accurate when you are being a witness or giving a report. Stating facts is to state what
actually happened. Don’t put your own opinions into it. Tell the kids that sometimes, our exaggerating things is because
we just want attention.

Practical Application: If you saw something happen, such as an accident on the road or a classmate at school get injured,
you need to be accurate in your reporting of the details to ensure that the situation is taken care of properly and
someone is not wrongly accused or blamed for something he/she did not do. You can also talk to the children about the
inaccuracy of social media. When people post pictures of themselves, they will always show the best of themselves.
Sometimes people will post 5-minute videos of what their day is like, and this will make us think that others have such
good and interesting lives, and we will feel jealous. But we have to know and remember that five minutes is NOT an
accurate reflection of the reality of one persons’ life.

Additional Note: Story for Intermediate and Advanced level Amanda and her younger brother were being left at home by
their mom one day. She had to go see their grandma at the hospital and would be back after a few hours. Amanda was 12
and her younger brother, Johnny was 7. Mom asked Amanda to make sure Johnny did all his chores and ate all his lunch
and do all his homework. He could not go on the computer until he did these things. While mom was gone, Amanda
herself was busy on the internet chatting with her friends. She absentmindedly yelled from her room, “Johnny, do your
chores now.” She then proceeded to continue typing messages to her friends while Johnny who was in the living room,
didn’t hear what she said. He was busy playing computer games. She then went to the bathroom and told Johnny it was
time to eat lunch. She herself heated up her own food and left Johnny’s food on the table while she went back to her
room. She once again yelled across the hall, “Johnny did you finish your homework?”, which Johnny didn’t hear and
never replied to, since he was too engrossed in his video game to hear her. At 5:00, Mom came home and found Johnny
still playing video games while Amanda was in her room still chatting with her friends. Mom was unhappy with Amanda
for not taking proper care of her brother. Amanda then said, “But MOM, I told him TEN TIMES to do his chores eat his
lunch and do his homework!!!” Upon hearing this, Mom thought that Amanda had tried her best, so she then became
unhappy towards Johnny as well. What do you think is wrong here? Did Amanda do her best to take care of her brother?
Did she really tell Johnny 10x? If she had been accurate in her telling mom what happened, she would most likely be in
bigger trouble than Johnny. But by her inaccuracy, she actually got Johnny in more trouble. Does this kind of situation
happen at your house often?